Country and people  > Religion

Priests, at least in lower hierarchic status, can marry and so they are very familiar with every day’s family problems. Many of them are additionally working in the agriculture sector in order to cover their own and their family’s living, because weddings and christenings are usually paid, but there is not a wedding every day.

There is a very big number of monasteries on Crete that are worth a visit (the nearest in our area are Kera, which you cannot miss on your way up the Plateau of Lassithi, and Selinari, situated on the main road to Agios Nikolaos.)

Monasteries as well as chapels have wonderful frescoes and icons. Often silver votive tablets showing parts of the body are offered, sometimes help is asked to cure a suffering and another time to express one’s gratitude for an accomplished healing. Please behave in a respectful way (should be a self-evident fact) when entering a monastery and dress decently.

Faith moves mountains, this saying is probably known to everybody and also here many anecdotes about healings and other events with wondrous character are told.

It is a tradition (exceptions prove the rule) that the children of a family are named after their grandparents. So there is no long musing upon the suitable name for a child, because it is already decided. Celebrating one’s name day is more common than the own birthday and all friends, relatives and acquaintances pass by to congratulate and are regaled.

You find here a list of Holidays and Name days in case you like to participate in a particular one.