A Calendar for Crete
Public Holidays, Anniversaries, Commemorations, Festivities
Most entries in the calendar below concern dates of significance in Greece, and religious holidays are given
according to the lithurgical year of the Greek Orthodox and Orthodox Catholic Church. No, I'm not a member,
but I do live here. So the Greek Orthodox Easter is marked yellow as a Public Holiday,
the Easter of Western Churches is given as well but not as public holiday.
Such holidays, a bastardization of Holy Days, are also known as civic or legal
holidays - we do not include so-called Bank holidays for other countries.
A Public Holiday usually means that schools, stores, offices etc. are closed and you can't send a registered letter or pay your taxes. In Crete, however, there is almost always a store open somewhere.
Note:
Easter and related dates (Carneval, Pentecost etc.) are the same in 2010 (and 2011) for the Greek Orthodox Church as well as the Western Churches!
January 2010
| Date | Greek | English | Notes |
| Friday 1 | Protochronia | New Year's Day | Secular |
| Wednesday 6 | Agia Theofania | Epiphany | Blessing the Waters |
February 2010
| Thursday 4 | Imbolc | traditional begin of Spring (00:49 AM) | Pagan |
| Tsiknopempti | Burned Thursday | part of Carneval | |
| Sunday 14 | Valentine's Day | Pagan, Secular | |
| Apokria | Carnival | last/main day, processions | |
| Monday 15 | Kathari Deftera | Clean Monday | |
| Shrove Monday | |||
| Wednesday 17 | Ash Wednesday |
March 2010
| Monday 8 | Intl. Woman's Day | since approx. 1909 | |
| Monday 15 | End of the Hunting Season | ||
| Saturday 20 | Ostara | Spring Equinox (19:33) | Pagan |
| Monday 22 | World Water Day | UN, since 1992 | |
| Thursday 25 | Independance Day | ||
| Evaggelismos | Feast of the Annunciation | ||
| Sunday 28 | Daylight Saving Time | 02:00 = 03:00 | |
| Palm Sunday | part of Easter |
April 2010
| Date | Name | English | Notes |
| Friday 2 | Megali Paraskevi | Holy Good Friday | East and West |
| Saturday 3 | Megalo Savvato | Holy Good Saturday | East and West |
| Sunday 4 | Kyriaki tou Pascha | Holy Easter Sunday | East and West |
| Monday 5 | Devtera tou Pascha | Holy Spirit Monday | East and West |
May 2010
| Saturday 1 | Protomayia | May (Labour) Day | Secular |
| Wednesday 5 | Beltane | traditional begin of Summer(17:46) | Pagan |
| Sunday 9 | Mother's Day | Secular | |
| Thursday 13 | Analepsis | Ascension Day | East and West |
| Sunday 23 | Pentecost | East and West | |
| Monday 24 | Whitmonday | East and West |