Christmas fires

Every year on December 23rd, Florina wears its festive attire and becomes a crossroads of peoples and cultures. Against the backdrop of local tradition, residents in various neighborhoods of the city light fires at midnight on December 23rd, which often reach up to 15 meters. The preparation for the lighting of the fire starts some time before, the children form groups in each neighbourhood and gather wood, mainly cedars (the loud noise they produce when burning is believed to drive away unclean spirits) which they take turns to guard, while the children of other neighbourhood groups try to steal them, in order to gather the largest possible volume of wood, winning the informal title of building the largest fire.
Things may no longer be exactly like that, but the Municipality, the Regional Unit and the Associations are helping to prepare the fires and thus to keep the custom alive. For Florina, the custom of the Christmas bonfires is an integral part of the local folk tradition and a certification of the identity of the people, who are looking for a way out of the problems of everyday life and a creative way of expressing and promoting cultural life.
The Municipality of Florina organizes parallel events, theatrical performances, games and musical events, etc.

SOURCE: https://florina.pdm.gov.gr
TEXT: Christos Tegos