Location information

Hanging of "Gria Sykou"

MESSINI (Town) MESSINIA
  In Messini (Nisi) on the first Monday of Lent every year there is the revival of the hanging of "Gria Sykous". This incident is true and dates back to the summer of 1825 during the Greek Revolution (1821-1828). Then, the Ibrahem Pasha, after his victory at Maniaki, came to Nisi and destroyed it completely. He camped outside the city, in the area of Bouka, and made plans to attack Mani knowing that the people of Mani (Maniards) expected him in the area of Verga, outside Kalamata, to block his way. On the day before the attack he had a dream and he got scared. In order to calm him, his people brought an old woman, Gria Sykou, who was interpreting dreams, who became very happy when she heard his dream and told him that «there’s a great disaster and bad things in store for him». That’s what happened later because, in the battle of Verga which followed, the Turks-Egyptians suffered a great defeat. When Ibrahem returned to Nisi, he found Gria-Sykou and hanged her. In memory of that incident, there is a revival every year which has become part of the carnival festivities of Messini.

This extract is cited March 2003 from the Messenia Prefecture Tourism Promotion Commission URL below, which contains image.

• http://www.na-messinia.gr/docs-en/ithi.htm

Panagia of the Voulkano Monastery

20/9/2002 - 29/9/2002