In Portocheli the custom of “St. John the Klidonas” is revived every year. One of the feasts of the Orthodox calendar that is celebrated with great joy by the local community of Porto-Cheli is the feast that refers to the birth of St. John the Baptist. Klidonas is a popular custom that has lasted from antiquity and is celebrated on 24 June, according to which the identity of their future husband is revealed to single girls. It is part of modern Greek popular worship and especially of the periodic devotions that accompany the calendar and the seasons of the year. Finally, it belongs to the artful or technical and indirect modern Greek divination. The holy church of the Nativity of St. John the Baptist or Psoriza according to others, or Psoriaris or Klidonaσ is located in the cemetery of Portocheli. Ιts placement in this particular place and the name that accompanies it is not accidental. It is said that during the early years of the creation of the settlement which is placed before the creation of the Greek state and the liberation from the Turkish yoke, the residents were suffering from scabs Many residents had died from the disease and others suffered quite a lot. After the passage of winter and spring the phenomenon took on great dimensions among the few inhabitants. The dead had to be buried somewhere. Here we must mention that the feast of Klidonas and the fire -jumping by the inhabitants helped them to get rid of the scabs that had been tormenting them until then. By passing three times -as the custom wants- over the fire they got rid of every trace of this disease. Thus it was decided that the church that was to accompany the inhabitant to their resting place – many of whom died from this disease – would celebrate this day. The organization of the event is carried out by the Cultural Association of Portocheli “Faros” with the financial support of the Legal Entity of Social Welfare – Solidarity – Education and Culture of the Municipality of Ermionida.
