Today is the Feast of the Assumption. It is a major holiday in Greece and one way the Greeks prepare for it is by renewing the white paint that outlines the stones of the streets. So for the past few days, sometimes, when walking down the street, you have to dance around the women bent over to paint the white lines (yes, generally the women do it).

Later today there will be a procession starting at the Ekatontapiliani Church near the port. The Epitaph of the Virgin Mary from the church is solemnly paraded along the coastal road. Many people join the procession, others just watch. But everyone everywhere will say to you “Hronia Pola” (many years).

During the day, all of the ferries coming into the harbor blast their horns in celebration.

In the evening there is a spectacular fireworks display that we generally watch from our roof because the streets are so crowded and because that way we are closer to the sky. But I wonder if this year there’ll be fireworks because of all the fires Greece has experienced this summer. The fireworks are sent from a huge boat in the sea so maybe it will be considered safe to do.

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Related: The Streets of Paros + Greece’s Celebration of the Panagia, or Dormition of the Virgin Mary