September is finally upon us and the crisper mornings, falling leaves and infinitely darker evenings means the children will soon be picking conkers off the trees and cheerfully bashing their friends’ conkers on their way to school. Although this traditional scene may have become synonymous with a British autumn, it is the Greek island of Crete, which by boasting impressive chestnuts that makes ours look like tiddlers in comparison, hosts an annual Chestnut Festival, devoted to the delicacies of its fat, sweet and juicy chestnuts.
Elos and the Chestnut Festival
Surrounded by the thick boughs of many chestnut trees, the Chestnut Festival is held in the village of Elos, in the southwest corner of Crete each October. Although Crete is no stranger to some unusual festivals, with every month of the year being devoted to some kind of eccentric celebration, the Chestnut Festival is one of the island’s quirkier annual events. Visitors to Elos during the Chestnut Festival can enjoy witnessing and participating in some traditional local entertainment, including drinking, eating, music, dancing and of course indulging the palate in the pleasures, both sweet and sour, produced by roasting the chestnuts.
