Greece’s Messoporitissa Festivity Added to UNESCO’s Heritage List

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Greece’s Messoporitissa Festivity Added to UNESCO’s Heritage List

During the Messoporitissa Festivity in Greece, a priest reads out the names of loved ones (living and dead). Credit: Greek Ministry of Culture 2023

The Messoporitissa Festivity, a deeply rooted tradition celebrated in Greece, has been added to UNESCO’s list of the Intangible Heritage of Humanity.

The decision by the UN’s educational, scientific and cultural organization was made during the body’s 19th session of the Intergovernmental Committee for the Safeguarding of the Intangible Cultural Heritage in Paraguay on December 2-7.

UNESCO describes the Messoporitissa Festivity (also known as Feast of Our Lady of the Mid-Sowing Season) as “an important festivity in Greek Orthodox Christianity.” The festivity takes place every year on November 21st, with ceremonies beginning the evening before in a 17th-century chapel at the archaeological site of Eleusina, where the Eleusianian Mysteries were celebrated in ancient times.

The Messoporitissa Festivity is celebrated every year on November 21, in Eleusina near Athens, Greece. Credit: Greek Ministry of Culture 2023

What is the Messoporitissa Festivity

Central to the celebration is the blessing of wheat, olive oil and wine—three staples symbolizing sustenance and prosperity. The night before the event, an evensong ceremony takes place in the 17th-century chapel (known as “Panagitsa St’ Archaia” among locals), where believers bring a specially prepared sweet bread (called “artos” in Greek) to be blessed and distributed to the participants.

They also bring another bread called “prosforo” to be shared during the next day’s Holy Communion. Wine and olive oil are the two other contributions. A priest blesses the three symbolic staples while reciting the names of the people—two predominant features of the ceremony.

Believers also give to the priest names of their loved ones (living or dead) to be mentioned during the evening ceremony. The priest prays for the salvation and health of the people of the community and for a bountiful harvest. The ritual embodies gratitude and a deep respect for the natural world, strengthening community ties and cultural identity.

Wheat, olive oil and wine are the three stables symbolizing sustenance and prosperity at the Messoporitissa Festivity in Greece. Credit:Greek Ministry of Culture 2023

Messoporitissa becomes Greece’s 10th tradition in UNESCO’s Intangible Heritage list

The Messoporitissa Festivity is an example of the fusion of religious observance and cultural heritage. Lina Mendoni, the

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, commented that “The place of ‘Panagitsa’ (Virgin Mary), the prior worship of Goddess Demetra for centuries, the mid-sowing season and the timeless invocation to the divine for a good harvest, make up a combinable base that adds to the uniqueness of this custom, reflecting a deeply rooted tradition in the time and space of the Eleusina site.”

Mendoni further added that the Messoporitissa Festivity is the 10th Greek tradition included in

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‘s Intangible Heritage of Humanity List. Other traditions on the list include Transhumance, the seasonal droving of livestock (2023), Byzantine chant (2019), Rebetiko (2017) and Tinian marble craftmanship (2015).

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