On the evening of Monday, June 23, Thassos Town will be hosting a celebration of the ancient tradition of Klidonas. The event is being held at the Old Port, in front of the white building called Kalogeriko. The celebrations start at around 20:00. All are welcome and it is free to attend. The entertainment includes traditional song, dance and fire jumping.

Klidonas is an ancient custom revolving around fortune-telling, which begins on the eve of the Feast of Agios Ioannis (St. John the Baptist), on June 24. The tradition includes fire-jumping and requires that all the single girls of the village, who are dressed in traditional costume, offer in silence a water jug to the other members of the village. They in turn, are required to throw a personal item such as a ring, earring, or brooch into the jug.

After passing amongst all present, the girls remove the items one by one, whilst reciting traditional incantations. These verses are supposed to reveal the fate of the girl in relation to each item. The evening celebrations continue with song and dance around bonfires, which are lit with old ‘May Day’ wreathes and from which it derives its name of ‘Fire Night’ (Fanos).