An ancient Greek carnival returned on Sunday (March 6) after a two-year hiatus due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

The "Boules" event in the town of Naousa in northern Greece sees groups of young men in traditional costume dance through the streets along a designated route while brandishing swords.

Tradition "Boules" of Naoussa revived with crowds of people attending, after 2 years due to a pandemic. Mystagogy and emotion were felt by those who watched the fascinating custom of "Boules", with roots lost in the depths of the centuries. This custom is likely among the oldest Greek traditions which has managed to survive to this very day. For this reason, the Carnival of Naoussa is completely different from all other Greek Carnival festivities.

In one of Naoussa’s most visually-striking customs, young unmarried men dress in a traditional costume which includes the Greek fustanella and other clothing bedecked with silver and jewels, while wearing a unique, handmade mask known as a ”Prosopos.” Groups of these young men in traditional costume dance around the old parts of the city, along a designated route which finds its origins back in the very first years of the establishment of the modern city of Naoussa, in the Middle Ages.

These fantastically-attired young men brandish swords and dance to the the emotionally-charged music of the instruments known as the ”daouli” and ”zournas,” re-creating a unique mixture of ancient Greek celebration and vivid memories of the area’s modern fight against the Turks.

The performance always adheres to strict, primarily verbal, rules which have not changed in centuries.

The Boules is an unusual tradition with deep roots, which over the centuries has combined myths, religion, folklore, and historic qualities. It is believed to date back to ancient Dionysian celebrations of fertility and saluting spring, “Anthestiria” known for their symbolic rituals.