In antiquity, Anthesteria was a celebration to honour Dionysus, the god of ecstatic inebriation and fertility, celebrated mainly in Athens during month of Anthesterion, which corresponded to the end of February to early March. Anthesteria was the festival of spring, flowers and rebirth, which is probably also the origin of the word, taken from anthos (meaning “flower”).
In modern times the Anthesteria began to be celebrated in various parts of Greece, signalling the arrival of spring, bringing with it the full rebirth of nature. In Kalamata they have a long tradition of this festival, starting in 1960. In the Messinian capital, during the last days of May or the early days of June, a beautiful display is staged each year, starting with a flower show in Alsos Limenikou in Kalamata, and ending with the customary parade of the flower-decorated floats. This is an institution with an age-old name, to remind us that some values, such as the beauty of nature, are timeless.