Ancient Greeks worshiped God Dionysus dressed in male-goat-figure masquerades “tragomorfes” carrying bells. Dominant element of the Dionysian cult worship was the anarchic dance, the wine drinking and ecstasy, by large identified as “dionysiasmos”.
This cult worship began and dominated the region of ancient Thrace that stretched to Danube to the north and Constantinople to the east.
In Sohos, situated to the western edge of ancient Thrace (Visaltia – Kristonia), some elements of this Dionysian cult remain until today.
Evidently, during its course through time, this tradition acquired elements of Christianity and the occasional conquerors of the region.
Obviously today it does not remain as a Dionysian worship, lingering however to many of its characteristics such as “evetiriako” (good-year, good-crop), the expulsion of evil, the rebirth of nature and mood, etc.
The key element of the worship, the goat-like costumes with bells hanging, reached our time as a folk ritual since it was tied to the everyday lives of the ordinary people of our region.
Today people of Sohos dress “meriou”, since through this ritual we enhance the experience of human relations and values such as friendship, love, family, mutual respect and reverence etc, making at the same time our everyday life more beautiful and interesting.
During the days of the Carnival in Sohos we find both the old and the young dressed “meriou”, not for the purpose of the custom’s revival but for experiencing a modern rite, acting individually or collectively within fastidious groups of people, in the streets, homes and cafes of the village.
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