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Ionian Islands | Corfu

Corfu Culture

The Corfiots are cultured people, with a great heritage of music and arts. This is why there are a lot of choruses that sing on a regular base during different events. They are called "kantades" singers. The island boasts no less than thirty-two philharmonic bands, and the three which are established in the town give regular outdoor concerts during the summer months.

Opera became a favorite form of musical expression in Venetian times, and performances are greatly appreciated.  As a proverb of the last century says, "to be applauded in Corfu is to be sure of international success."
 
The many art galleries of the island have permanent and changing exhibitions by artists of international as well as local fame.  Today, the modern theater and various romantic outdoor locations serve as venues for a great variety of events, from rock concerts to displays of contemporary dance, from performances by the island's symphony orchestra to theatrical works of tragedy and comedy.
 
In Corfu the past lives in the present.

Events which have been celebrated for hundreds of years are still enjoyed in the traditional way.  For centuries, the year has been defined by the passage of significant days and celebrations.  The four annual processions of the island's patron saint, Spiridon, are well-loved occasions, and the two which occur at Easter are part of an extensive calendar of religious and cultural activities, including traditions such as the Easter Saturday morning “pot-throwing” ceremony.
 
Summer sees many festivals, with traditional music and dance, while succulent lambs roasting on a spit scent the warm night air.  The Corfiots love festivities, but they also take their Greek Orthodox religion very seriously.  Almost two thousand years of religious tradition is manifest in the richly endowed ecclesiastical buildings with their stunning icons; in tiny, inaccessible chapels, where a candle always burns; and within the pristine, whitewashed walls of monasteries, where black-clad monks reside.