Sausages, pork, lamb and chicken chops, meats of all kind are thrown to the open fire, get roasted or grilled, while their smell and smoke fill the neighborhoods. It’s the traditional Tsiknopempti – Charred Thursday or Smoky Thursday- Greeks love to celebrate during the Carnival season and before the start of the 40-day-long Lent for Easter.
Tsiknopempti is celebrated 11 days before Clean Monday that marks the start of the Lent.
In our neighborhood, it was a tradition that families would put a grill outside their homes and honored the day offering meat chunks and wine or ouzo to other neighbors and passersby. however, this tradition ended when the older generations passed away.
Nevertheless, many municipalities organize Tsiknopempti fiestas on squares and streets with one of them being the Municipality of Athens.
Charcoal grills started early around Varvakeios Agora, the meat market at Kotzia square, in downtown Athens and crowds of people gathered to get a chunk of grilled meat and a drink.
A total of 500 kg meat have been donated by butchers of Varvakeios, Mayor Haris Doukas said.
Next to food and drink, there is music by the Philharmonic Orchestra of the Municipality and the BAKHAI Cultural Society of Orchestral Art that will walk through the historical center of the Greek capital.
PS I assume the Tsiknopempti is a remnant from Ancient Greece traditionσ, where our forefathers would sacrifice animals at temples and grill them over open fire while the heavy smoke was aiming to reach the gods of the Olympus to keep their cholesterol levels under control.
