This is an established fair organized by the Municipality of Sifnos during the first fortnight of February, in order to reward the best sifnian carols. The custom of carolling is found all over Greece, and as it was imported in Sifnos by Constantinople, it presents some peculiarities; on the one hand, the carols are sung to a Byzantine rhythm on New Year’s Eve and on the day itself – not on Christmas or on the Epiphany (locally called “Ton Foton”) – and on the other hand, new carols are written each year, for the children, church committees, and various associations, with a double goal: keeping the custom alive, and securing the financial aid to repair and maintain churches or organize cultural or other activities. The carols, which are evaluated by a five member committee and vary greatly as to their content and theme, record local, national or even international events of note, and attract attention as lingual monuments, since they enshrine and immortalize local speech idioms.
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