Join in Skinias Cretan Feast Evening

Tomorrow, Saturday July 19  is the Skinias Cultural Association's annual "Cretan Feast". This year it celebrates its 20th anniversary of holding the event. 

If you are not familiar with #Crete, this is the one month in the year when warm balmy evenings are guaranteed and it is a great time for festivities and for local family get togethers. All over Crete each of the local Cultural Associations hold their own "Cretan Feast" (with a few exceptions). 

At the #Skinias evening, the music is provided by Elias Horeftakis (Ηλιασ Χορευτακης) and his band. Elias is an exponent of the violin in the form of traditional Cretan folk Music and Mantinadas. His career spans 26 years having started in Chania.

(Click anywhere in this window for full story)

As with every village feast of this kind, simple local dishes are served up.


In the case of Skinias, the speciality of Macaroni Skioufichta along with other Cretan Fayre will be cooked and served by the villagers. By the way, often this dish is made with Apaki, a cured, smoked and spiced pork, cherry tomatoes, sometimes mushrooms and covered with a thick source with the added flaked hard cheese of Crete known as Graviera.  The more authentic dish has the added carob kernel and its seed somewhere in the recipe, but I do not know where and how - probably part of the sauce.

If you are in the Skinias area drop by. As with this type of community event, entry is usually free. Food and drinks will be at cost plus a little profit. The proceeds go to help those in need, locally. The best time to arrive is probably around 10pm when things are just getting started. The Skinias evening is in the village school in the centre of the village. You won't miss it by the musical sounds echoing around the hills and the display of extra lights.

Caption: The poster above is of Elias Horeftakis (Ηλιασ Χορευτακης) who is providing the traditional Cretan music for the special Skinias community's annual cultural evening.