ALADDIN’S BRIDGE
The choice of the three towns we visited at noon on May Day 2023 had to do with the waters of Andros. In a time of severe drought and hot summers, we decided to celebrate May Day near three village associations that have water. So we chose Aladinou, Strapouries and Livadia. We start from our last stop at the Aladdin Bridge where the village association celebrated the rite of spring in the small square next to the bridge in an environment of tumultuous vegetation, in the presence of dozens of residents and visitors.
Aladin’s Bridge is perhaps one of the best preserved stone bridges on Andros. It impresses with its very high plane trees and the water that springs alive from the river in the direction of the Prairies that continue on the way to the sea. Next door, the association organized the May Day party for the town, residents and visitors, offering hospitality to all,
Many people in the small square that has been formed by the neighbors with donations and the association of the town.
The small stands where the center of the celebration is located are also full.
The heroic Dimitris Khazapis, a baker, prepared kilos of whole sausages. Andros and Karystos sausages! Andros with great spices and Karystos with orange! Offer of the Andrian Tridimas and a Karystinian.
The small square with the stands where the celebration -next to the bridge- of the neighbor Andreas Tiniakou -represented in the photo in memory of Frosos’s wife, recently deceased…
Before we go, one more photo of the impressive bridge with the water running underneath…
STRAPOURIES HONEY SOURCE
We made a great stop at the Melitis spring in Strapouries, where the Ypsilos-Strapouries-Lamyros club held a different May Day celebration in the most traditional way. Something like a memory of our childhood. With a wonderful Mayan crown (by Giakoumis) and with two of the best traditional musicians: Vangelis Triantafyllakis and Dimitris Stefanou. Family atmosphere with santouri and accordion. The preparation of the space and the organization of the event were supervised by Giakoumis Giannisis and the president of the association Maroulitsa Daniolou.
And when we say that everything was so simple and so familiar – that suddenly time went back when we were all sitting around the tablecloth laid…
With meatballs of all kinds and varieties: meatballs, potato meatballs, vegetable meatballs, cheese pies, spinach pies, peignirli, fruit meatballs, etc.
And somewhere in there – all this was not enough – Anthoula Theodoraki arrived with more food to help: onion pie, dolmades, fruits, kourabiedes, etc.
Yannis Xanthos also arrived after his symbiosis with a cheesecake mold and a spetzofai taper…
Two words about Melitis. The original construction was modeled by the area’s benefactor, John Athenaios, a century ago. It was a place of recreation for the residents of the surrounding villages, as well as for the children of the primary school who went there on excursions. Today the havuza is half full of water from the spring that runs next to it. Scenes from a unique Andros.
And a word about the source. The marble dedication and lion’s head are a memorial to the lost inhabitants of the surrounding areas in the wreck of the Golden Dawn…
RIVER IN LEIVADIA
Our first stop was Livadia. We begin the description of the celebration with Costa Lukisa’s only pre-war FIAT model, which once again patiently posed for us to photograph among the dozens of cars that had arrived and were parked with people on both sides of the road and the meadows bridge…
The Livadia association had arranged large tables where dozens of residents had already taken seats early for the long-awaited May Day party…
It was the most attended celebration of May Day. Hundreds of people passed through as Livadia is now a natural suburb of Chora.
The party was held on the flat green river bank where the grass had been cleared and it was like a party on the grass. The music with the island dialect gave and took…
While some had planned to sell pots and May wreaths.
The food was simple for the occasion with volunteers of all ages providing work to support the club.
The line to get food was long, stretching several tens of meters. Fortunately, the organizers were organized and all the teams worked perfectly. The weather helped with its slight cloudiness so that everyone had a good time. And there were many who passed through many parts of Andros. They passed through Stenies and Syneti, Chora and Korthi, etc. And there were hundreds who passed…
“IN ONE MAN”