Born and raised in Thebes, Nektarios Chatzidouros first wore the traditional Vlach costume while still in his mother’s arms. Ever since, he cannot imagine a year without taking part in the Vlach Wedding—one of the most distinctive Carnival customs, with Dionysian roots and rich symbolism.
From Tsiknopempti to Clean Monday, satirical rituals come to life: playful ceremonies, mocking dialogues, and the “dance of the dead,” symbolizing the rebirth of nature. Above all, however, it is a powerful bond of identity, community, and continuity passed down from generation to generation.
Narration: Nektarios Chatzidouros
Research – Interview: Alexandra Vouza
Podcast Creation: Euphrosyne Kyriazi, Maya Filippopoulou
Sound Design: Enes Ahmet Kehagia
Sound Editing: Konstantinos Filippopoulos
Audio excerpts from the custom were used from a video by Giannis Delvenakiotis, courtesy of the Traditional Association of the Vlach Wedding of Thebes.
Istorima is the largest project for recording and preserving oral histories in Greece. More than 1,000 young researchers seek out narrators, listen, collect, and safeguard stories from across the country: stories of place, stories of love, stories that shaped or defined us—contemporary or historical. Stories not recorded in history books and that could otherwise be lost over time. The project was founded by journalist Sofia Papaioannou.