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MY GREECE ATLASCURATED BY GEORGE TATAKISThe mobile app
Fires of Florina on December 23 every year

Living traditions

The Fires of Florina

Florina, Florina

Field photographFires of Florina

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Introduction

At midnight on 23 December, enormous neighbourhood bonfires transform Florina into one of Greece’s most intense Christmas gatherings.

Florina’s celebrated Christmas fires combine neighbourhood rivalry, towering wood piles, music, food and thousands of visitors.

Florina at midnight

Neighbourhoods spend weeks collecting wood and building monumental piles. As midnight approaches, crowds move between the fires and gather around the largest constructions.

Once lit, the heat can be felt from a great distance. Music, food, tsipouro and dancing continue as the fires burn into Christmas Eve.

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