New Year's Eve

Rockets and happy faces on New Year's Eve are a custom habit in today's times. But this is not the only thing one can find on the island of Chios on the beginning of the new year.

Being of importance in matter on the traderoutes over the Mediterranean Sea, the inhabitants of the island have a close releationship to the ocean surrounding them. As a matter of fact, for decades the children on Chios did not only sing Christmas songs, but also present replicas of boats they have constructed themselves in hard labor.

There were even decorated boats inside of the houses instead of the common Christmas tree, like in European households. The vessels did not only symbolize the craftsmanship of the young people, but the also showed the pride of the young generation after the liberation from the Turkish occupation. The construction was mostly done by tradition in the areas of Hora and Vrontados, and the size of the models grew bigger with years passing by, until the replicas became almost exact copies of the original, taking months of construction time. As a matter of fact, the making of the boats was like a competition for the young draftsman, and the winner was who impressed the residents of the island the most.

This tradition has become a local 'sport', which takes place on New Year's Eve on the town square of Chios, accompanied by music and so called 'Penameta' (self-written verses). There the participants present their ships to the by-passers and the jury. This event takes place under the regulations set by the Chios Sightseeing Club and in cooperation with the Municipality of Chios.