May Day in Greece can come as a surprise to American tourists and others unaccustomed to the European passion for this day, which can be celebrated with enough force to disrupt some travel plans. How will May Day affect your own travel plans in Greece?
What Happens on May Day in Greece
May Day is called protomagic in Greek. May Day is also International Workers’ Day, a holiday popularized by the Soviet Union as a holiday for workers. While it has lost many of its original communist associations, it is still vigorously celebrated in the former Soviet bloc countries and elsewhere in Europe. You can expect worker groups and unions to be active today; Major strikes are sometimes scheduled for May 1.
Since May Day corresponds to the peak of the flower season, flower displays and festivals are common and every major municipality will wear something to mark the day. The city of Heraklion, on the great island of Crete, puts on a show of city flowers… and it may have been doing it for the past thousands of years. The ancient Minoans are believed to have held one of their two main “New Year” celebrations around this time; the other was in October. At this time a flower festival was also held for the young wild Greek god Dionysus.
A very common commemoration is the making of a May wreath from local wildflowers which are then hung on doors, balconies, chapels, and many other venues. As you drive through cities and towns, keep an eye out for them hanging from balconies and walls. They are usually allowed to dry and burn around the time of the summer solstice, the day of the feast of San Juan Cosechador on June 24.
How will May Day affect my travel plans in Greece?
Some transportation schedules may be slightly different, but the biggest impact is likely to be parades or protests disrupting traffic in major downtown metropolitan areas.
Most of the monuments, museums and attractions, as well as some shops, will be closed; Restaurants will tend to open at least in the evening.
One lovely thing about May Day in Greece is that it also usually ushers in some really beautiful weather in Greece and the Greek islands. The waters are warming, flowers are blooming, crowds are light, and prices remain low.
Is the first of May always the first of May?
On the rare occasions when Greek Easter Sunday is celebrated on or near May 1, the older, secular, and even somewhat pagan ‘Festival of Flowers, once associated with Demeter and Persephone, can be delayed or rescheduled. until the following weekend.
