Vayi

Until the middle of the last century, in an elevated spot above the sea, there was a date palm tree, which is called ‘vayi’ in the local dialect. Since the tree was not endemic and was considered exotic, it became a landmark for the locals.

The Muslim residents of Chania often referred to Vayi because it stood right next to the tomb of an ‘evliya’, a saint, who was said to have died during the siege on Chania by the Ottoman army in 1645. This tomb was destroyed after the population exchange, as can be seen when comparing postcards and photographs from that period.

Vayi was also an important landmark for the ‘Halikoutes’ or ‘Halikoutides’, the African Muslims who lived in Chania until the population exchange. Halikoutes lived mostly in Koum Kapi, on the eastern side of the city. They organised a special festival every year on the 1st, the 15th and the 22nd of May. An early account provides a detailed, vivid description of these celebrations and places them in the area of what today is Nea Chora Beach, from Vayi to Kladisos River. The African Muslims would walk to Vayi in procession, wearing special clothes, shoes and adornments. They would sing and dance there, boil a ram and use the broth to make buttered rice, which they served to everyone attending the festival. When the night fell, they would return to the city, again in procession.  

Georgios Kalaisakis’ account in Poikili Stoa in 1882 takes us back to the festival of the Halikoutes:

‘On the outskirts of Chania, to the west, there is the tomb of an Ethiopian, called Siti Bilal […] who is worshipped to this day [1884] by the Ottomans and, especially, by the Ethiopians. […]

To the west […] flows the Kladisos River. The sandy beach between the tomb of Siti Bilal and Kladisos River is where the May celebrations take place. 

When enough Ethiopians have made it to the site […] the main fest begins with a dance called sampani […] For refreshment, they drink a slightly sour honeyed wine made out of fermented water and sugar, which they call buza. […] 

They then guide a fatty ram to the site, which they have bought with community donations, and after reciting the blessings which are common on these occasions, they sacrifice it in front of the crowd, skin it, cut it to pieces and boil it. They use the broth to make the popular Islamic meal known as pilaf, which is made out of broth, rice and butter. They serve it with a piece of meat and distribute the food to everyone present for free […].’ (G.P. Kalaiskakis, ‘How May is celebrated by the Ethiopians in Chania, Crete’, Poikili Stoa, Yearly Review, Year 4, Published by the Association Press (1883), pp. 127-138).

Vayi was bombed during the German occupation and what was left of it was later destroyed by a heavy winter. However, the site is still used today to celebrate the Sardine Festival. The festival is an initiative launched in 1995 by Nea Chora residents and is held every year, organised by local bodies, the Municipality, and the sub-prefecture of Chania. It takes place at the end of summer, after sundown, and the participants can enjoy music, dance, and representations of fishing practices, while the organisers roast sardines and hand them out to the people.   

Even though the two festivals have different purposes and origins, the fact that similar practices take place at the same site can function as a form of memory. Separated by about 100 years, both festivals are organised by groups of people who want to celebrate the fine weather next to the sea, invite passers-by to join them, and welcome them by sharing freshly cooked food. The times might be different, but it was the openness of both these festivals to friends and strangers alike that made them popular celebrations in the city.

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