May Day or Protomagia is one of the most anticipated holidays in Greece. The 1st of May is also Labor Day and is celebrated in many counties across the world. Taking place during the peak of the flower season, Protomagia is profoundly connected to flowers. Flower shows and festivals are very common during the month of May and people spend time grooming their yards, balconies, and gardens.

Many families in Greece spend the 1st of May holiday outdoors, and making a wreath from wildflowers is one of the most iconic Greek Protomagia traditions. The wreaths are then hung on entrances, doors, and balconies and are left to dry until they are burned on June 24, for the celebration of St John the Harvester.

Even though wreaths are sold in flower shops, at regional flower festivals, and even on the street, making your own is even better! The result will probably not be as skillful as a store brought wreath, however, it’s a great and rewarding family activity.

Don’t forget to bring along your gardening shears, some string or florist wire, and loads of enthusiasm!

 

Main Image: @travellingwithgiannis

In fact, archaeologists have discovered more than 300,000 artefacts, including jewellery, coins, amphorae, oil lamps, perfume vases, and marble statues. During the metro construction works, more than 5,000 tombs and graves were uncovered, some of them containing exquisite golden wreaths.

These relics of Thessaloniki’s ancient past have been in what would have been the thriving commercial center of the ancient city, which, after Constantinople, was the second most important conurbation in the Byzantine Empire.

The progress of the city's network of 18 stations was severely stalled due to the discovery of so many antiquities. It is now expected to be operational next year.

'The quality and the quantity of the findings is really impressive. They reveal the continuity of the history of Thessaloniki and Macedonia.' Yannis Mylopoulos, the chairman of Attiko Metro, the company building the network, told The Telegraph.

The first underwater museums in Greece are about to become a reality. The four ancient shipwrecks, that will serve as underwater, museums are located in the island of Alonissos and around the Pagasetic Gulf and date from the Classical to the Byzantine periods.

Diving to a depth up to 40 meters will be allowed in all underwater museums and visitors will be accompanied by divers and archaeologists. Visitors who don’t wish to dive will be able to view the shipwrecks from aboard specially designed vessels.

The underwater museums aim to protect of the underwater ancient treasures, extend the Greek tourist season, promote the country abroad, and create more employment opportunities. Underwater museums attract thousands of visitors worldwide; in fact, in Sicily alone there are 21 underwater archaeological landmarks which attract more than 5,000 visitors every year.

The ultimate goal of underwater museums is the protection and promotion of underwater cultural heritage and making the sunken treasures accessible to the public.

To read this article in full, please visit: ERT International