The custom of ‘'Klidon'’ is a folk divination process, through which it was believed that the identity of the future husband was revealed to unmarried girls.
Custom of Klidona has its roots in antiquity, and its first written description dates back to Byzantine times.
'Klidon' means a divinatory whisper, omen (sign), prophetic voice. It became associated with Saint John the Baptist, who prophesied the birth of Christ. In older times, the custom of Klidonas lasted for two days, on the eve and the day of the feast of Saint John. Today, however, because it exists only as a representation of an old custom, it takes place on the day of the Saint's feast, on June 24th, the day the church celebrates Saint John’s birth.
The custom of ‘'Klidon'’ is a folk divination process, through which it was believed that the identity of the future husband was revealed to unmarried girls.
On the eve of Saint John's day, unmarried girls gathered in one of the village houses and assigned a girl, whose parents were both alive, to bring 'silent water' from the well or spring. This name is due to the fact that the girl and her company had to complete this mission, maintaining absolute silence. Upon returning to the house where the “Klidon” takes place, the girl empties the water into an earthenware vessel, into which each one throws an object, the 'rizikari', marked, so that each one can find her own. Usually, it was a personal object, often very valuable. Then, the vessel was covered with a red cloth and placed in an open space, under the stars. It remained there all night. They believed that that night they would see their future husband in their dreams.The next day, the girl who had brought the “Klidon” randomly took out one object at a time from the earthenware vessel. Before taking it out, they said an improvised teasing couplet, like “I loved a small, small and delicate one. When I turn to look at it, it casts its eyes down” or “You have silken hair cascading down your back, and angels comb it with a diamond comb”, which they believed represented the person to whom the object belonged. Then they sang and danced. On the way to the house, whatever male name the girls heard, they believed it would be the name of their future husband.
On the eve of Saint John, in the evening, people also lit a fire, burned the flower wreaths of May Day, and jumped over it.
Jumping over the flames was for the ancient Greeks a cleansing and 'passage' custom. In this way, they were cleansed by the power of fire and entered the new period that was beginning. The celebration continues with food and dancing. Today, the custom of Klidona exists as a memory, and its reenactment, which takes place in a neighborhood of Messini, is an opportunity for dancing and entertainment for the people.
What the local experts say
Interview's main points
“As you know, in antiquity, people went to the oracles of Delphi, Dodoni, and elsewhere, to hear a prophecy from the Pythia about something important that concerned them. Something similar happened with the custom of Klidonas. Young girls believed that Klidonas would give them a message about their future partner. For example, whether the love that each one hid in her heart would go well, or what the name of the man she would marry would be. Sometimes, by chance, what they heard or experienced in the custom coincided with their lives, and they believed that Klidonas had revealed it. All these customs were important for their lives; they were links in it. They were also an opportunity for people to meet, especially young men and women, to exchange glances and have fun. Because in those years, it was not easy for young men and women to meet, to go out freely, to get to know each other, etc. So, in the past, customs gave young men and women the opportunity to come a little closer, and of course, for the elders to observe the young man and the young woman, because back then, matchmaking went through the parents. So, customs were intertwined with life itself".
"With the passage of time and the changes in the society of Messini, customs change and some are lost. Meanwhile, you must understand something: When a link in the chain breaks, the chain automatically begins to collapse slowly. So, when the experience is missing, the customs begin to vary a little, they lose their character. Let's say the custom of Klidonas, it may have been performed with small interruptions in the neighborhood, but the event had lost its time frame during the performance. The custom no longer lasts two days. It happens in one and three hours, not like in the old days when they threw the 'rizikaria' into the vessel, took it out at night under the stars, gathered the next day, sang to it, and uncovered it. This happened in the old days because it had a meaning. From the 1940s and 1950s, it was done in three hours, the custom had broken as a custom that had a usefulness, but it was preserved as a memory, for people to enjoy themselves with their satirical verses, with dancing and bonfires. So, we found it and supported it as a neighborhood and as a municipal dance group, we embraced it without doing anything to alter it. What we found, we preserved, but it was now a revival, it was not an experience that connected to our lives anymore."
