Meat Eating Thursday aka Tsiknopempti - Τσικνοπέμπτη

Meat Eating Thursday Recipes - Συνταγές για Τσικνοπέμπτη

The Greek Custom of Meat Eating Thursday aka Tsiknopempti

Το Έθιμο της Τσικνοπέμπτης

In the midst of the Carnival season (on the 2nd week), Greece celebrates "Tsiknopempti-Τσικνοπέμπτη” (i.e. meat eating Thursday). The word Tsiknopempti in Greek is compound: tsikno=smell of meat, Pempti=Thursday! This is the equivalent of Pancake Day in UK but with plenty of meat instead!! Tsiknopempti gives households the opportunity to festively and joyfully consume what red meat they have left before the Great Lent. It is a day of preparation for the 40-day fasting before Easter.

The reason it is held on Thursday is that the Orthodox Church considers the fasts of Wednesday and Friday to be important. Thus, the intermediate day between Wednesday and Friday was chosen.

It has been established that the red color predominates, whether it is meat or wine. Thus Tsiknopempti will remind us of Easter and the elation of Christ’s Resurrection.

The origin of this strange custom is lost in the depths of time and seems to be connected with the Bacchic festivals of the ancient Greeks and Romans. They considered feasting as a rite for good earth fertility in Spring time.

Apart from the traditional roasting of meats, each region of Greece has its own customs and traditions for Tsiknopepti:

A special case is its celebration during the Patra carnival, where hundreds of people from Patras from noon on Tsiknopepti set up grills in every part of the city, even outside their shops. Local events are "the wedding of Giannoula" and "the Tritakeia of Lazaris". Popular and carnival events, musical companies complete the evening of abundant consumption of grilled meat and wine drinking.

Furthermore in Thebes, Tsiknopempti signifies the beginning of the "Vlachiko wedding", with the courtship of the two young people, which continues with the wedding and ends on Clean Monday with the procession of the bride's dowries and the feast of the in-laws.

In Corfu, the so-called “Corfiatika Petegoletsia” are held. The word Petegoletsia means gossip. It takes place on the night of Tsiknopempti, in the Piazza near the “Koukounara” location of Corfu.

In Serres, large fires are lit in the threshing floors and after roasting the meat, they jump over them. In Komotini, housewives almost burn a chicken, so that the family can eat it on Carnival Sunday.

Tradition also states that on Tsiknopempti, engaged couples must exchange edible gifts. The man must send the “kourkos”, that is, a hen, and the woman baklava and a stuffed hen.

All over the Peloponnese, they slaughter pigs from which they make various other foods, including pikhti, tsigarides, sausages, gournalofifi and pasto.

On Ios island, on the night of Tsiknopempti, masquerades girded with sheep bells cross the Chora and visit houses and shops.

On Poros, tradition requires young people to steal a… macaroni, which they will put under their pillow to see who will marry.

On Skopelos, the residents make a date at Pefkos, to continue the feast and the food and drink all together!

In general, Greeks go out in Carnival costumes, eat, drink and dance plenty and the whole of Greece smells of meat 🎊🎭!!

Do you want to indulge in the festivities "Greek style", i.e. with plenty of meat? Then check my link above for ideas and Enjoy 😅😋🍖🌭!!