Pentecost

The Monday after Pentecost is the holiday of the Holy Spirit. This year, it coincides with the start of June. In Greece, the day is a public holiday for white-collar workers so, banks and schools are shut though retail stores are open. Hairdressers and barbers are closed, possibly because the spirit is in the head.

There will be only minor disruption to flights over the long weekend due to a 48-hour strike by the Federation of Civil Aviation Authority Unions (OSYPA), authorities said on Thursday.

The German newspaper Tageszeitung on Thursday headlined an article reading: “Eight days until Greek bankruptcy, the countdown has begun, this time for real”.

“Brussels in the Greek fever once more. Bankruptcy forewarned for weeks (…) did not come over Easter or Pentecost, all eyes are now on June 5th”.

The Thursday before the Holy Easter, known as the Maundy Thursday or Joimari, is the day when according to the popular traditions, the graves open and the spirits of the dead return home.

The number of drivers on Greece’s roads was considerably lower over the Pentecost holiday this past long weekend compared to the previous year, according to data from Athens-Lamia and Athens-Corinth national highway toll stations.

Meanwhile, road traffic police set up extra security measures on Monday in view of motorists making their way back to the capital.