Introduction

Assumption of Virgin Mary in Kremasti village Rhodos Dodecanesse Greece

The locals celebrate the Assumption of Virgin Mary on the 15 th of August and the Novena of Virgin Mary on the 23 rd of August. A local feast (“panighyri”), attracting many people, both locals and visitors, take place on the 15 th of August, whereas the Novena is celebrated much more officially, with the procession of the icon of Virgin Mary, carried by Navy officers. The settlement of Kremasti is situated at a distance of 12 kilometers southwestern to the capital town of Rhodos, at the northwestern coast of the island.

It is a modern tourist resort, extended along the main public road, leading from the town of Rhodos to the villages and resorts of the western coast. Kremasti is in fact a small town, one of the biggest settlements of the island. It counts some 5.000 permanent residents, whose main occupation, apart from tourism, is cultivation of vegetables and fruit trees. The place is very popular and receives numerous visitors, partly thanks to its vicinity to the international airport of the island, situated at a distance of less than 3 kilometers far away, and to the vicinity to the Valley of Butterflies.