Crete’s Tsikoudia Festival
5 November 2010 – 7 November 2010
Any festival dedicated to an alcohol drink promises to be memorable, or perhaps unmemorable may be a more accurate word. Unlike many other holiday resorts, which are as ‘dead as a dodo’ come November, the island of Crete is buzzing, brimming with life and parties.
The first week in November is a particularly lively time to visit the stunning Greek island to help celebrate the Tsikoudia Festival, dedicated to the strong distilled spirit.
This famous Cretan spirit, sometimes also known as Raki, is 36 percent alcohol proof and is lovingly nurtured and produced by locals on the island in a winepress. The spirit is made out of the pieces of grapes, which were ‘left behind’ when they were pressed during the wine making process, such as the seeds and the stems. This ‘residue’ is distilled and then flavoured to give it the strong taste it is appreciated for. Similar to Ouzo, a short of Tsikoudia is often offered to tourists after a meal free of charge to help aid digestion.
In celebration of this deliciously digestible drink, the area of Voukolies to the west of the island, gears up for the Tsikoudia Festival. Throughout the two-day festival the spirit is usually served with honey as well as other local products.
Cretans are warm and friendly, welcoming visitors to the island with open arms at the best of times, but when the Tsikoudia Festival is taking place the locals, merrily intoxicated by the warming and smooth drink, will ensure visitors are happily dancing the warm November Cretan nights away. With the gentle breeze of the Mediterranean Ocean cooling down a highly joyous crowd, where could be a more uplifting and happy place to spend a usually drab and grey November weekend, than on the island of Crete?