Saturday 7th September 2013
The Kathara panighiri is more of a religious festival than a party, deep in the psyche of Ithacans. The renovated monastery at Kathara held a record number of attendees this year. I've never seen so many people gathered in and around the church and monastery grounds. Just getting to the monastery was an adventure, so many cars looking for a place to park along the winding road that leads to it. Although there is quite a big space for parking allocated around the monastery, this year, it just wasn't enough. The array of church royalty who took part in the liturgy, guarranteed the bigger than ever crowd. Early in the evening, it was quite chilly with a cool wind, but once the wind died down, it was actually very pleasant, ready for a night of dancing, eating and drinking.
