By allowing ads to appear on this site, you support the local businesses who, in turn, support great journalism.
Animal skins, bells, ritual chaos: Ancient burnout remedy is still at the heart of Greece’s carnival
preview.jpg
Revellers dressed in animal skins and heavy bronze bells, prepare to take part in carnival celebrations in Distomo, a village in central Greece, on Monday, March 3, 2025. - photo by AP Photo/Petros Giannakouris
DISTOMO, Greece (AP) — Feeling overwhelmed by everyday obligations or doom-scrolling? The ancient Greeks had a remedy for burnout still practiced annually by their rural descendants. In the mountain village of Distomo, the “Koudounaraioi” — literally, the “Bell People” — transform themselves into half-human, half-beast revelers in a ritual dating back to pre-Christian times.