TRADITIONS, LEGENDS AND SUPERSTITIONS

For many centuries, the Aegean islands suffered from the scourge of pirate raids. This was especially true for Kythera, which was always the bone of contention, due to its position, caught between the powers seeking to dominate the region. Many times the island was deserted for long periods due to this situation. The fear caused by these tragic events has survived to this day, through legends about the actions of pirates on the island.

The only hope and consolation people had was their faith. This is evident in the hundreds of churches scattered across the island, and in the special relationship the people of Kythera have with the Virgin Mary, whom they regard as their protector. They credit her with many miracles through which she saved the island from difficult times, including pirate invasions.

Beekeeping has been developed in Kythera since antiquity, with pioneering hives and innovations. One of the miracles of the Virgin Mary, in fact, involves bees—creatures that the people of Kythera consider a divine gift to their island. South of the village of Livadi, there is an old, small monastery dedicated to the Virgin Mary "of the Evil Bee" (Panagia stin Kakí Mélissa). It was a women's monastery, home to a small number of nuns.

According to tradition, when pirates landed on the island, they attacked the monastery as well. The nuns, who at that time were inside the church chanting the Matins service, continued praying and singing hymns to the Virgin Mary. Frightened by the shouting of the pirates and the pounding on the door, they intensified their prayers and hymns even more.

Suddenly, the noise began to fade away. When everything finally seemed calm, they exited the church and were faced with a strange sight: around thirty savage men were lying in the courtyard, writhing and groaning. The abbess ordered the nuns to run and help them. The pirates' faces were swollen, their eyes shut—unable to open. A swarm of bees had attacked them with brutal force. After some time, they began to recover one by one.

The last to rise was the leader of the Algerians, the most brutal of them all—disfigured, swollen, and nearly blind. He walked toward the church and, taking off his sandals, left them outside the door. His men followed suit. They approached the icon of the Virgin Mary and knelt. These same men, who just moments before were the beasts of the black flag, were now calm and humble like small children. They opened their pouches and emptied them before the icon. As he left the church, the pirate leader cried out, addressing the Virgin Mary:

"I saw you! You sent the bees to blind us. But you did right. So, you are the evil bee!"

From the contents of their pouches, the silver covering (poukamiso) of the icon was crafted. And from the pirate leader's words, the monastery took its name: Panagia stin Kaki Melissa (Virgin Mary of the Evil Bee"). The feast day is celebrated every year on February 2nd.

Source: Κυθηραϊκή επετηρίς (Kytherian Yearbook) 1913, retold by Ioannis Protopsaltis

The evil eye

In Kythera, bees are considered enviable insects, meaning highly susceptible to the evil eye.

Planting pine trees in apiaries is considered a good way to avoid the evil eye.

As another technique against the evil eye, a donkey's skull was placed in a visible spot at every old Kytherian apiary.

Kalofego (Good moon)

Kalofego is the period when the moon is waning - "emptying".  It is a period of 10-12 days and  was considered a good time for agricultural tasks in general, and especially for beekeeping activities.

Protoparasko (First Friday)

This refers to the first Friday after the new moon, during the waxing phase. It is considered a particularly auspicious day for beekeeping.

Agiomavritiki (Saint black)

It is the day of the week on which the celebration of Agia Mavri (Saint black) falls (May 3rd). It is regarded as an inauspicious day for beekeeping work.

Palm Sunday

On Palm Sunday, it was customary for beekeepers to take an olive branch to church. After it was blessed, they would bring it to the apiary and place two or three leaves on each hive, to ensure a good year.

Source: Thanassis Bikos. Beekeeping Review, May 1995 (excerpt)

Pancakes with honey

Every household was expected to keep a small amount of honey saved for Saint Andrew's Day (November 30th). On that day, housewives had to get up early and make pancakes with plenty of honey on top, otherwise Saint Andrew would puncture their pan. This tradition still exists today. On the morning of Saint Andrew's feast, pancakes are made as a traditional breakfast.

Wedding custom

The mother-in-law leads the bride to her home, has her step onto a metal plowshare (iný), says blessings, and gives her bread kneaded with honey to eat.
She tells her:

"As bees bring honey to the hive, so may you, as a couple, prosper and bring abundance to your home."
The plowshare symbolises fertility and agricultural prosperity.

For the sage

When assessing whether a year was good, especially for farming, locals might ask:

"So, how did it go?"
A common reply is:
"I made enough for the sage" or "Not even for the sage."
This refers to whether there was enough honey even for infusing the sage (used in herbal remedies or teas). 

Honey is so deeply rooted in Kytherian culture that it's used in everyday expressions. People instinctively reference bees and honey in conversations—so much so that it's part of the local identity. There are locals who write poems about bees, compose mantinades* and praise the bee's role in Kytherian life.

*Mantinada: folk rhyming declamation, recitative, in form of a narrative or dialogue, often sung rythmically with accompanying music.

A MANTINADA* FROM KYTHERA

Mitata, beautiful village,

Who could forget you?

Plane trees, nightingales, and cool shade,

And water flowing from the spring.

The sun rises in the morning,

And angels sing aloud—

While bees get to work

Making their thyme honey…!

*Mantinada: folk rhyming declamation, recitative, in form of a narrative or dialogue, often sung rythmically with accompanying music.

Source: Ioannis Protopsaltis

Artos or Melopsomo (Bread or Honeybread)

Bread made with white wheat flour, sourdough, cinnamon, cloves, orange zest, thyme honey, and a little sugar

Achladaki or Apidaki (Little Pear)

Nougat with thyme honey, almonds, and dragée with tragacanth (dried powder from the tragacanth plant used as a coating)

Kolokithokalsouna (Pumpkin pastry)

A sweet with pumpkin, raisins, cinnamon, walnuts, and thyme honey

Kufeto (Spoon sweet)

A spoon dessert made from (orange) pumpkin in a thyme honey syrup

Melalevria

Bits of wax cappings left from honey extraction boiled with water and flour, served with cinnamon and roasted almonds

Melopaximado (Honey rusk)

A rusk made from honeybread

Melounia

Small sweets honeyed with thyme honey, almonds, flour and Kytherian olive oil

Mizithrokalsouna (Mizithra cheese pastry)

In its sweet version (there is also a savoury one), filled with mizithra cheese, egg, cinnamon, and thyme honey

Xirotigano Tsirigotiko (Kytherian sweet Fries)

Made with flour, egg, a bit of sugar, and served with thyme honey, cinnamon, and roasted sesame seeds

Rosedes

Sweets made with thyme honey, almonds or walnuts, semolina, sugar, cinnamon, and cloves

Samousades

A syrupy sweet based on phyllo crust, rolled with a filling of walnuts, almonds, and local thyme honey, often with fresh butter and/or cinnamon

Skarselakia

Sweet made with almonds, thyme honey, and cinnamon, wrapped in a round phyllo and dusted with powdered sugar

Sigero or Keropita (Wax pie)

Honeycomb with ripe thyme honey

Archival evidence of honey and beehives

Like all the island's products, honey is frequently mentioned in historical contracts.
Beehives and their production were long used as assets in dowries and trades. 

In a dowry agreement from November 19, 1564, related to an arranged marriage in Livadi between "the most devout priest Mr. Markos Tzannes and Lady Anoitza Kasimatou, widow of Alogeizos...", it details the marriage of Markos' son Giorgis to Marina, daughter of Annitsa Kasimati, we read:

"...he also gives him the beeyard, and from the bees he has, half are to belong to Giorgis and the other half to Mr. Markos, his father, while he lives. After his death, all will belong to Giorgis. As long as Giorgis lives, he and his father are to share the wax and the honey…".

Notably, part of the bride's dowry is given not just to the groom, but also to his father, the priest—granting him a kind of lifetime share in the apiary's income. (Emm. Drakakis: Emmanouil Kasimatis, notary of Kythera (1560-1582), p. 246).

In a settlement contract dated July 13, 1586, between .... Mr. Michalis Vlantis, so-called Tavolaris, and his nephew Bavlos Tavolaris (Yanis) ….., it is written: «... the aforementioned Mr. Michalis agrees to offer and thus satisfy his nephew, Paul …….with 7 beehives, as they are found in their place at Pagourolea, and one red cow».

In a will by Markos Venieris, dated November 12, year unspecified, it is stated: "... I also leave one of my beehives to the temple of Saint Marina' and let my son Nikolas to reserve beeswax and honey every year and give it away.  If more hives are created from it, they too shall belong to the church, at our family's burial site.  Indefinitely. And I leave the fenced plot I own to the Monastery of the Evil Bee". It is worth noting here that this tradition of leaving hives to churches—so the wax and honey could be used in religious services—continued until recent years. He also mentions the case of the multiplication of the bee colonies.

In a codicil dated November 6, 1588, the same Markos Venieris (from his baptismal certificate it is inferred that he may be a descendant of the feudal Venieris, although he is not mentioned as a nobleman) adds: "...After my death, half of my bees shall go to my son Nikolaos, and the other half to my daughter. Excluded from this is the hive for Saint Marina, as I wrote in my will".

The importance of beehives as a financial asset is obvious here (Eleni Charou-Koroneiou & G. Drakakis, Ed. Dimitrios Fanaris. Notary of Kythera 1586-1619. p. 57, 165, 267).

There are many similar entries in contracts in the Historical Archives of Kythera which prove the significant economic value of beekeeping on the island .

[Adapted from: Emm. P. Kalligeros, KYTHIRAIKA, L. 386, JANUARY 2023]