It is a reference point for Chania, and is organized every year on Good Friday in the village of Voukolies in the municipality of Platanias. The reason for the traditional bazaar of Voukolies is that it is essentially a market and a fair that brings together hundreds of small vendors and many people from every corner of Crete as well as visitors who are on the island for Easter.
«For us, the Bazaar of Voukolies is a special highlight of the holiday season. As a municipality, we must preserve the tradition of the place and highlight it,» says the mayor of Platanias, Yannis Malandrakis, to the AP-MPA.
Shopping centre with history
Voukolies, before and after World War II, was the commercial centre of central and eastern Kissamos and part of central Selino. The area, being an agricultural and livestock area, attracted people for the sale and exchange of products.
A bazaar, a public market place, perhaps the only one in Crete, which began during the Ottoman occupation.
The Bazaar of Voukolies in the old days was one of the main places for economic transactions and social relations and was open every Saturday.
According to the testimonies of older residents, there was mainly trade in animals and vegetables, but merchants from Chania also sold various other items. The days when the bazaar was at its peak were the eve of August 15 and Good Friday. On Good Friday, there were also the escorts, which is why girls from the surrounding villages came down to Voukolies.
The bazaar in its heyday occupied the whole of the present-day Voukolies Square. Animal trade was dominant. Shepherds brought whole flocks of sheep, goats and oxen, which were slaughtered or sold there. In fact, the first infrastructure project in Voukolies was a building for the stabling of animals, intended for the Sabbath bazaar. It was built with the personal labour of the residents and is still preserved today. It has housed various services and associations at various times, and today it houses the municipality and the police.
The atmosphere was one of celebration, as it was an opportunity for friends and relatives to meet again, since, as there were no hotels, those who came for the bazaar were forced to stay in the homes of friends and relatives.
On the eve of the bazaar, open-air taverns were set up and fish, potatoes and meat were fried, all with rudimentary equipment. On Good Friday, many hochlios and many Lenten dishes were consumed and over a thousand animals were sold.
Today the Bazaar of Voukolies retains many of its elements, but the commercial activity is clearly influenced and adapted to the current market elements.
