The tradition of the feast dates back to the 18th century as a response to a plague
In the 18th century, a terrible plague struck the inhabitants of Messini and the wider region
According to tradition, in 1755, the monks heard the people's plea, and the Holy Icon of the Virgin of Voulkaniotissa (or Guide) was taken in a procession for the first time. Since then, a nine-day feast has been organized every year on September 20th. This custom is a link to the past and it is combined with the descent of the miraculous icon of the Virgin from the katholikon of the Monastery of Voulkanos (Ithome), which is built next to Ancient Messini.
The procession of the icon takes place over a distance of 20 kilometers throughout the night, a unique event, as nowhere else is such a large procession of an icon carried out with such a great impact on people.
With the reception of the icon in Messini, the feast begins, while the icon is placed in the metochi of the monastery, the church of the Life-giving Spring in Messini, which is a pilgrimage site for thousands of people who flock from many parts of Greece.
The feast is lost in the depths of time and is related to the era of commercialization of agricultural production and the creation of local markets.
The feast provides an opportunity to carry out profitable economic transactions, as well as for people to have fun, while at the same time venerating the miraculous icon of the Virgin of Voulkaniotissa.
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The Messini festival also goes back in time, connected to the festival at the Voulkano monastery, and even further back to Ithomaia. Let's not forget that the old monastery was built on the peak where the Ithomaia were held, according to Pausanias. Although this connection may not be direct, the tradition, the modification of tradition, and the integration of elements from previous civilizations are evident. Research indicates that it was a twin festival, meaning that on August 15th, the festival took place at Voulkano, as it does today. There is a 19th-century description that depicts a festival with stalls, where we find the roasted pig for the first time, as the pig was a large animal that could feed many people. Its twin festival in Messini took place on August 23rd, nine days after the Dormition of the Virgin Mary. However, the new calendar caused confusion, as the celebration was moved to September 5th. The issue was that there was no feast dedicated to the Virgin Mary at that time. They then agreed to hold the festival on September 8th, the Nativity of the Theotokos. However, the residents of the village, Meligalas, who had traditionally held a festival on September 8th, protested. The problem with the change was that they hadn't had time to harvest the raisins and figs, which were essential for the commercial festival. Without a commercial festival, there could be no religious festival, in the sense that one followed the other. The commercial festival, since the Ottoman era, has been used as a kind of calendar, meaning people knew that at that time in Messini, for example, there were so many days of festival because they associated the celebrations with the commercial activities that took place there. Finally, they found that September 25th was the feast of Panagia Myrtidiotissa, as well as the 40 days since the Dormition of Virgin Mary, so they agreed that the religious festival and the trade fair would take place then. A characteristic of the festival is the descent of the icon, which is done on foot from Voulkano, in a procession reminiscent of the ancient descent of the xoanon of Ithomatas Zeus. The religious festival and the trade fair were not always held in the same place. Until 1930, the trade fair took place in Messini Park. After 1930, the trade fair was moved to a covered market around the church that houses the icon of the Virgin Mary.
