One of the most important pilgrimages of Crete is Panagia Harakiani (Our Lady of Harakas) in Bali Rethymno, the important sacred pilgrimage belonging to the Holy Monastery of Atalis, these days welcomes thousands of faithful from Crete and the rest of Greece.
The three-day celebration of Panagia Harakiani which commences on August 13 and concludes the great Feast of Orthodoxy on August 15, the day of Virgin Mary.
There we meet the custom of the fifteen faithful (dekapentaristes) who set up temporary lodgings where they reside throughout the period of Lent, during the “summer” Easter, as they call in Crete the 15-day fast from August 1st to August 15th.
Thirty-eight kilometers from Rethymnon, the Virgin Mary of Harakas is the pilgrimage site of Mylopotamos, a religious and historical site, because of the fact that, with two more monastery sites, it belongs to the Kallergis family, whose monument is preserved on the west side of the Church of Harakiani and of the Churches of Agia Marina Chalepa and Saint Fathers of Sisses.
Panagia Harakiani is considered to be a miraculous event in Crete, and it has not been overlooked by many young people who come on foot to Rethymnon, Heraklion and the surrounding villages, wishing to prove that their faith is not affected by contemporary lifestyle.
There are references to many miracles, as to many aspects of life, and to issues that concern man.
Source: ANA-MPA