Custom or festival
Mid-sowing Virgin and the olive harvest
By 21 November half the sowing should be done; it is also the time the olive groves fill with people.
- November 21
On 21 November, the Presentation of the Virgin, Elafonisos calls it the feast of the Mid-sowing Virgin: by that day half the sowing should be done. They also say the Pleiades “set” then, the start of winter, as the ancients believed too.
The olive harvest
In November the olive harvest begins. It is hard work, but also a celebration: the groves fill with men, women, young people and children, who gather the fruit, often singing. Olive oil is the basis of the area’s diet and its economy.
If you are on the island in November, ask about the year’s fresh olive oil.
