The air is thick with barbecue smoke and laughter in the heart of Thessaloniki's city centre today, as crowds gather around open grills to celebrate Tsiknopempti.
The Greek tradition, literally "Smoky Thursday", is a festival rooted in the Greek Orthodox calendar and centuries-old celebratory customs. Tsiknopempti falls on the second-to-last Thursday before the start of Great Lent, the forty-day fasting period before Orthodox Easter. It represents an opportunity for those fasting to enjoy meat freely before restrictions begin.
Thessalonians have filled the streets, tavernas and neighbourhood squares with grills and smokers, so the distinctive smell of roasting meat (τσίκνα, tsíkna) drifts through the air, giving the day its name and character.
Pavements have been transformed into impromptu barbecue stations, each set alight by restaurant owners, shopkeepers and residents eager to share skewered meats and sausages with passers-by.
Tsiknopempti is part of the broader Apókries carnival season, a three-week period of festivity that blends pagan and Christian elements. The practice's roots extend to ancient Greek and Roman feasts, where abundant banquets and celebrations honoured gods such as Dionysus, before later being incorporated into Christian observance as a final indulgence before Lenten abstinence.
Today's celebrations bring back that festivity and togetherness, with vast quantities of grilled meats such as souvlaki, kontosouvli and sausages paired with local wine, music and dancing, as families and friends come together in public or private spaces.
