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On July 1st owners of goats and sheep try to hide their herds from the Pleiades that come out with the sun on that day. For this reason they quickly gathered them, locked them in a dark barn and the following day they’d take them out to graze after the sun had risen high.

On the eve of Saint Andrew’s name day people would boil sheep fat. They’d pour wheat in water and add corn, chickpeas, beans and other legumes and cereals. When the roosters crowed at midnight, one or two members of every household would take the sheep fat and with great care headed to the water fountain to collect water. They were extra careful not be seen because they considered this bad luck. The first at the water fountain to collect water would enjoy much happiness. At the fountain, the winner would drink some water and wash up and then leave traces of sheep fat behind so that others will see. Pleased with his accomplishment the winner would take the water home to share the happiness with his family. When all family members had drunk the water from the fountain, the homemaker would throw the remainder in the boiling water pot with the sheep fat so that production may continue to be blessed until the same day the following year.

On Christmas evening families would put a sieve over the fireplace of their home. They believed that when the goblins would come, they’d get distracted by counting the holes in the net and as the sun would slowly rise they’d leave without doing any harm to the home.

If a woman’s children die just as she gives birth to another the midwife takes the new born and leaves it by a crossroad. She watches from a distance to see who will cross. Whoever sees the child will take it and then at that point the midwife will yell “Hold on Dear Godfather, the Mother’s Children have risen” and the passerby would then answer “Rise they shall and Live they will.” The passerby that finds the child becomes its Godparent and if the child is male he takes the name Stratos and if female, she’ll be named Stratoula.

Frederiki Roka. Folklore collection of the Palaiochori Syrrako Settlement. Student Manuscripts, Foklore Studies, School of Philosophy. University of Ioannina. Series 5, 1968-1969, p 139-174.
Three fairies went to the mountains and they found three shepherds. One of the fairies said: “Let’s push them off the cliff.” The other replied: “I agree, it would be a shame not to.” Finally they decided to push the shepherds off the cliff. The first was holding salt and he was heavy and so the fairies could not lift him. The second had a mother that didn’t work on Wednesdays and a sister that didn’t work on Fridays. So they spared him. The third had nothing so they pushed him off the cliff.

In the black night the fairies saw three women walking by the river. “Look at the sinful women, they can’t sleep and have come out to chew on the mountains. But they quickly realized the women were Καλωθιές (Kalothies). They were going up the river toward Παλιομουάρα (Paliomouara) dancing and singing.

Dimitrios Kalousios. The Settlement of Matsouki in Ioannina, Volume II, Folkloric Studies, p 752-753.