The Babaria

The custom is celebrated on the evening of New Year’s Eve and the feast lasts until the morning in the villages of the plain of Florina, Papagianni, Hills, Sitaria and Alona.Our people believe and especially the farmers that the custom of Babaria is related to the fertility of the land, the cultivation and fruiting of the fields. With the noise of the bells they wake up the earth and that they have magical properties to ward off evil. That is why it is the wish of every family to host the Babaria in the courtyard to dance, to give them goodies (tsipouro or wine, an onion, a sausage, pork and some bread) to wish them a happy birthday, a good year and a rich harvest.
The central character of the event is the female bride and the aim is to kidnap her from the “bad guys”.The participants are men in disguise. The costumes and masks are made of lambskin. To make them scarier, they add giant beans for teeth… and red dried peppers. The group consists of 10-15 village youths, who wear the linen shirt, sleeveless vest and black woven periwigs, the sheepskin, strap large bells – from cows – to their waists and hold thick sticks – crutches.
Each member is charged with a duty…front guard, rear guard…side guard of the bride…because the “bad guys” and of course the hunchback are lurking.
They must deliver the bride safe and sound to the groom.
The grandfather, the old woman (the bambo), the priest with the censer, the doctor and the raggedy man who is the bride’s captor (the hunchback) are of course presented in the performance.
The bride is a man in local bridal attire. The group goes in and out of the courtyards of the houses and the housewives have to provide tsipouro, pork, sausages, onions, bread and wine…To the sounds of bagpipes, bagpipes and flutes…the climax …is the beating of the “suitors” of the bride and the hunchback.

SOURCE: https://florina-history.blogspot.com/2010/01/blog-post_51.html
TEXT: Christos Tegos