The Klidonas in our valley (koilada) is a revival of an ancient tradition that takes place every year on June 23.
The nickname “Klidonas” comes from the ancient Greek word “klidon” meaning predictive sound and was used to describe the combination of random and incoherent words during a divination ceremony. Essentially, “Klidonas” is related to a folk fortune-telling process, which is said to reveal to unmarried girls the identity of their future husband. According to the custom, on the eve of St. John’s, the single girls gather in one of the village houses and one of them goes to the well to bring the “silent water” and on the way home must not speak to anyone. The water is put into a clay pot, into which each girl puts a personal object, the so called rizakaria and then they cover the pot with a red cloth and tie it up while praying to St. John and placing the pot in an open space where it stays all night. That night it is said that the girls will see their future husband in their dreams. At the same time, on the eve of the feast of St. John, the well-known custom of fires is revived: In the village square a big fire is set up over which all the villagers jump. According to tradition, the fire brings about purification and the people are freed from evil.
St. John is also called Rizikaris since tradition says that he brings luck and that is why the villagers should have taken care of all their household chores by the eve of the fire.
The celebration of St. John the Kliδonas serves our intention to give continuity to a tradition that is the expression of our people, filled with the anxieties, the longings, the Faith, the expectations and the need to dispel evil from our lives. This gives us the opportunity to add colour to our lives. The organization of the event is carried out by the Cultural Association of Valley “Franchthi” with the financial support of the Legal Entity of Social Welfare – Solidarity – Education and Culture of the Municipality of Ermionida.
