Sykia: Wine Festival, Tholos Tombs and Pilgrimage Shrine

Sykia offers three very different reasons to visit: a wine festival organized by local associations, Mycenaean tholos tombs beside the present-day cemetery, and religious events at the pilgrimage shrine of Saint Nektarios. These events do not all take place in the same season. This makes choosing when to travel part of deciding what to experience in the area: you can plan around a festival weekend or connect your stay in Sykia with recurring services throughout the year. When looking for a holiday apartment, it is therefore helpful to first consider which of these aspects you would like to shape your stay.

Wine Festival on the Last Weekend of July

Sykia’s wine festival takes place on the last weekend of July and has been organized by local associations for years. Plenty of local wine is available free of charge; warm meze and suitable music are also offered. These festival offerings may vary from year to year. The event brings together culinary and musical elements on a single weekend. If you would like to plan your trip around it, check the festival dates in advance. The wine festival is a clear focal point for a summer trip, while the religious events offer other times to visit.

The Pilgrimage Shrine of Saint Nektarios

The Church of Saint Nektarios in Sykia was elevated to a pilgrimage shrine of the Diocese of Monemvasia and Sparta in 1973. A relic of the saint is kept there. The shrine’s feast is celebrated on November 8 and 9; November 9 is his feast day, and the celebration draws pilgrims. Another fixed date falls on the night of September 2 to 3: a vigil is held at the shrine to mark the anniversary of the transfer of the saint’s relics. In addition, the Divine Liturgy is celebrated there every Wednesday and Saturday throughout the year. Every Wednesday, a supplicatory service in honor of the saint follows the Divine Liturgy. The calendar combines feast days at different times of year with a weekly rhythm.

Mycenaean Tholos Tombs

Characteristic Mycenaean tholos tombs lie on the neighboring slope beside the present-day cemetery in Sykia. They complement the festival and church calendar with an archaeological perspective on the area’s history: the focus here is not on a particular date, but on a named type of tomb from the Mycenaean period. The term “tholos tombs” refers to their distinctive architectural form; their Mycenaean classification provides the historical context. This offers a different focus for trip planning than a festival date: the tombs are a lasting archaeological record at the site, while the wine festival and religious events are tied to specific dates or days of the week.

Dates to Help Plan Your Trip

Three distinct periods emerge when planning your trip: the wine festival in late July, the vigil in early September, and the shrine’s feast in November. The weekly schedule of liturgies is another option. If you are looking for a holiday apartment for a particular occasion, you can choose between a summer festival, a nighttime celebration in September, and the November festivities. If you would like to include regular services in your plans, take note of the Wednesday and Saturday schedule.

Discover more destinations: Varvitsa, Monemvasia, Platanos, Georgitsi, Karyes, Skála, Alika, Lakonia.

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