Director: Maria Psarrou The Cultural Association for the Preservation of the Cultural Heritage “Dancing Chians” invites dancing groups of traditional dances from all over Greece to apply for participation to the 2nd Festival of Traditional Dances on the Island of Mastic. The duration of the Festival is for two days, the 7th and 8th of September 2017, however the excursions, guided tours and refreshing swimming in the crystal clear sea water of Chios will go on till the 9th of September included, thus catering for all preferences, such as the admirers of the history and local traditions, the athletic fans, as well as the nature and good wine lovers. The festival is under the auspice of North Aegean Region. We invite you to get a closer look at the island of contradictions, the wild beauty of Northern Chios and the cosmopolitan southern areas, the island of the “tear-shedding” bush of Mastic, a unique product all over the world, the island with the exquisite old settlements that will stay in your memories for ever. We invite you in order to show you round the beauty of our island and bring you closer to the unique tradition and culture of the Island of Mastic. Participation fee: 150 euro per person from Piraeus for a stay of two nights 170 euro per person from Kavala for a stay of three nights 175 euro per person from Piraeus for a stay of three nights For any dancing group that wishes to come from a different port, the price will be adjusted according to the departure port and the pricing policy of the shipping companies. In case they wish to come by aeroplane or another means of transport, the price will also be adjusted accordingly(excluding the cost for the ship tickets). Participation fee includes: The above participation cost includes the ship tickets, the hotel stays, the breakfast, the orchestra fee, the coach for the guided tours and the seminars. Included also are the one-day trips to Southern and Northern Chios. Apart from the performances, the program includes guided tours, seminars about the local dances, swimming and relaxation breaks on the exquisite beaches as well as full-day and full-night celebrations. The accommodation will be at the seaside areas of “Vrontados” and “Karfas”, in decent and clean residences, breakfast inclusive. Acceptance will depend on priority, due to the limited availability of hotel rooms. Conditions for participation: Festival's aim is to invite the participation of Dancing Groups from all over the country and abroad, so as to promote their traditional/folklore dances. Every Association or Corporation based in Greece or abroad which operates a Dancing Group of traditional/folklore dances is entitled to participate. Every Association or Corporation that wishes to participate in the Festival of Traditional Dances should, firstly, have been aware of the following Terms and Conditions, and then send an application form for their participation by 1st August 2016 at the latest, the exact number of the participating group members should be stated, a number that cannot be changed later, since tickets will be issued for this exact number of people. The cost for the participation is one hundred and fifty (150) euro per person, covering the departure from Piraeus port and two nights’ stay, one hundred and seventy (170) euro per person covering the departure from Kavala port and three nights’ stay, and one hundred and seventy-five(175) euro per person for the departure from Piraeus port and three nights’ stay. This price includes the tickets by ship(Piraeus-Chios-Piraeus or Kavala-Chios-Kavala) and the hotel stay for two or three nights in Chios. It also includes the trips by coach on the island as well as the fees of the Festival orchestra, which can accompany the majority of the dancing groups. The hotel stay will be in double or triple-bedded rooms(depending on the availability). For every dancing group interested in coming from a different departure port, the price will be adjusted according to the cost policy of the travel companies. Also, due to the high tourist season during which the Festival will be held, it cannot be guaranteed that the dancing groups of the Associations or Corporations will be able to stay together in the same hotel, although this will be of prime importance in the efforts made by the organizing committee. The participating dancing groups need NOT cover any other costs during their stay on the island except their meals. The cost for their stay, breakfast, ship tickets, coach excursions and the Festival orchestra fee is included in the participating cost. Every dancing group wishing to participate in the Festival should fill in the relative application form. Then, within four days, it will be sent an electronic message through which it will be asked to deposit a down-payment in order to confirm its participation in the Festival. In case another group from the same geographical area has already proceeded to the necessary participating procedures (application form, deposit of the down-payment) and has thus secured its participation in the Festival, then the second group will not be accepted due to priority conditions. The unique criterion for the selection procedure is the priority of the interest shown through the submitting of the application form and the deposit of the relative down-payment of the 30% of the total cost, through which the participation is secured. Every Association or Corporation will have to prepare a 15 minute dancing program. This time will include any commentary regarding the dances and/or the exhibition of the local costume of the area which they represent. The program and the priority for the presentation of the dancing groups will be handed out to the participants fifteen(15) days prior to the date on which the Festival of Traditional/Folklore Dances will be held. The Cultural Association bears the responsibility of transferring the members of each Association or Corporation on their arrival at the harbor of Chios to their residence destination, the area where the Festival will be held and again to the harbor of Chios on the day of their departure. It also covers the cost for the excursions on the program within the island. These excursions, however, are optional. Program: 1st day: 05:15 Arrival of the dancing groups from Athens to the port of Chios 07:30 Arrival of the dancing groups from Kavala to the port of Chios, after which they will be transferred to the Association premises to be served their breakfast 08:30 Excursion to the north of the island-Visit to Nea Moni monastery and then to Anavatos 12:30 Transfer of the groups to their hotel in order to rest, have lunch and enjoy their swimming in the crystal-clear sea water of Vrontados and Karfas areas 19:15 Departure of the dancing groups from the hotels to the harbor of Chios 19:30 Beginning of the parade of all the dancing groups from the harbor to the central square of Vounaki, Chios 21:00 Beginning of the Festival-Presentation of the dancing programs by each of the hosted groups 2nd day: 09:00 Departure from the hotel to visit our first destination, the “Citrus” Museum of citrus fruit 10:00 EXCURSION TO THE “MASTIC VILLAGES” in Southern Chios, where we will see: 1.Kallimasia: Visit to the local folklore museum Emborios: Visit to the local Mastic Museum Pyrgi “the painted village”, a particuliarity in its architecture through unique architectural creations Mesta: a medieval village of exquisite beauty. A religious visit to the church of Taxiarchis-a walk along the medieval narrow lanes of the village, free time to wander around Armolia: a village famous for its pottery. Short stay to admire the locally hand -made pottery/works of art, purchase of souvenirs and small gifts 12:30 Departure from Mesta heading for the seaside settlement of Komi. Free time for lunch, swimming or a drink in one of the local bars and restaurants 16:00 Departure from Komi to return to the hotel to rest and enjoy the rest of the free day 18:00 Seminar on: History, Folklore andTraditional Dances of Chios by Mrs. Anna Mimidi 20:30 Departure from the hotel to head to the Open Air Theatre “Mikis Theodorakis” at Kastromina area 21:00 The Festival starts- dance performance 23:00 Folklore celebration/party in the hotel area to the music of the festival orchestra 3rd day: 9:00 Departure from the hotel heading for Northern Chios 9:30 A bicycle tour to the Kambos Mansions (guided tour on a bicycle) 10:30 Visit to the Adamantios Korais Library-the Museum of old traditional local costumes by Filippos Argentis. Wandering around the Library will offer you the chance to see rare editions of folklore writers as well as the folklore Argentis Museum with unique exhibits of local traditional costumes. Next to the Library building is the worth-visiting Cathedral of Chios, the church of St.Victori 11:30 A visit to: Kefalas Winery, a unique distillery of the local grapes in the Northeastern Aegean, processing the local produce varieties that can satisfy even the most hard-to-please palates. Free samples to taste will be offered there Volissos , the birthplace of St.Markella. Free time to wander around. You can visit the Volissos Castle or walk along the narrow lanes of the village. A meeting with the local Cultural Association of Volissos “Omiros” Seaside settlement of Volissos Here you can visit the church of St.Markella or walk to the place of her martyrdom. There will be free time for lunch and a swim in the blue, clear sea water 16:00 Departure from Volissos to return to the hotel. The rest of the day is free for you to rest Any group willing to participate must submit an Application form. Approved groups pay in advance a 10% guarantee fee, which is to be deducted at the final payment.