Cafe of Maria - Sykousi

The Maria's cafe, in the neighborhood of Prinos in Saint George of Sykous, is one of the most characteristic cafes of Chios. Coffee in the morning, ouzo in the afternoon and a plate of food in the evening. Many times during the year there are opportunities for a party and Concussions of course they do not lose them.

The top moment of the cafe, however, is Clear Monday, because this is where the procession of the "dead" begins -his custom Dead It takes place exclusively in Agios Georgios Sykousis - where the "dead" are laid down and a log, a model of a male phallus, is placed perpendicularly between its limbs to show the leventia of the deceased.

A custom carnival which refers to the feasts of Dionysus, because as the folklorists say, the circular dance, the disguises, the mimetic movements, the symbols that represent all kinds of fertility, the jokes, the bold athyrostomies, look like the "bridges" It was called the period of the Dionysian festivals.

The Carnival they symbolize the entrance from death, that is, in winter, in life, in spring. And the event is celebrated in a furious way, a proof of the love that man nurtures in life. I'm not sure if all of this was owned by the cafe's neighbor, the male group of friends of the 'dead man' who was preparing the ceremony, but what is certain when we walked to the cafe was that they were disguised, drinking, eating and partying with the tsambunotubas. and was certainly in a Dionysian state. Upon entering, we were greeted with loud shouts, smudged and hated.

His custom blur based on the old years, where nowadays, in the smoke from the fire they throw a few drops of ouzo for a fragrant dwarf!

While in the narrow but hospitable chamber of the tavern there was a commotion, in the alley from outside they cleaned the litany of the litany, made the banners with the heads of the slaughtered rams, scaled the frame of the deceased and prepared for the procession of the "dead".

The preparation of the host was such that the success of the event was ensured. Maria's cafe had played its part.