Greece

Tinos Easter

When: Apr 2008 (annual)

Where: Tinos Town

Cost: Free

For most of the year, the tiny windswept island of Tinos is so sleepy that most of the locals forget what day of the week it is. But everything changes around Easter. Hundreds of devout Greeks (many from nearby Athens) descend upon the island to celebrate the resurrection at Greece's most holy Orthodox church - the Megolohari.

Poland

Gdansk City Festival

When: May - Jun 2008 (annual)

Where: Gdansk

Cost: Free

Every year, the city of Gdansk presents a solemn parade and some less solemn cultural events to mark the date when King Casimir the Jagiellonian bestowed the so-called "Great Privilege" onto the city in recognition of its contributions to the Polish Republic.

Russia

Easter Sunday (Paskha)

When: 24 Apr 2008 (annual)

Where: Kolomenskoe

Cost: Free

The chief holy day of the Orthodoxy - Paskha (Easter) - is marked by a ritual procession and a service in the Church of the Ascension, Moscow's Kolomenskoe. The spectacular church is worth a visit in its own right, as it rivals the primeval grandeur of St Basil's in Red Square, mainly due to its remarkable 'tent-roof', which rises from an octagonal base and culminates in large kokoshniki, which look like huge flower petals, at a height of 70 metres. For more info...

Slovenia

Cow Ball

When: Sep 2008 (annual)

Where: Bohinj

Cost: Free

Now in its 52nd year, the Cow Ball in the Slovenian town of Bohinj celebrates the return of the cattle to the valley in September, after a long summer pasture. Focused around Lake Bohinj, the cows are decorated with wreaths and bells and paraded through the now dry Govic waterfall accompanied by herdsmen, dairy maids and cheese-makers in this quaint pastiche of country life. A number of stalls are set up for the festvial selling wicker work, wooden products and, of course, herdsmen's cheese made of cow's milk.

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