Traditions on Crete

Asi gonia and the blessing of the sheep

Known for the “blessing of herds” (evlogia ton provaton), an old custom that is observed every year on the feast of St. George (April 23). On this day shepherds bring their sheep and goats to the church of Ai-Giorgi Galatas (Saint George the milkman) below the main square. There, the animals are gathered and milked one by one, while the priest blesses the herd. The milk is offered to the attendees either cold or boiled, while local girls dressed in traditional costumes offer Cretan rusk and cheese.

Asi Gonia is situated at the southeast corner of Apokoronas at an altitude of 418 meters, on a slope called Omanité, commonly known as Asigoniotiki madara. Access to the village had been hindered for centuries by the Asigoniotiko gorge, which led to the village being named “Gonia” (corner in Greek), a name mentioned by Barozzi in 1577 and Castrofilaca in 1583. After the conquest of the area by the Ottomans in 1646 the village was named Mesa or İçeri Gonya (inner corner), but later renamed as Asi Gonia (rebel corner), due to the disobedient character of its inhabitants.

True to its name, the village played an important role in most revolts of the Christians of Crete against the Ottomans. In August 1866 the “Cretan Revolutionary Assembly” gathered in Asi Gonia and the “Provisional Government of Crete” settled there in February 1867. This revolution ended in December 1868, when the provisional government met in Hainospilios, a cave southwest of the village, and issued a declaration titled “Enosi i Thanatos” (Union or Death). Asi Gonia also played a prominent role during the 1895-1896 Revolution, as the leading Committee settled here in October 1895 and managed to repel repeated attacks by the gendarmerie and the Ottoman army. During these rough times, the village offered not only its mountainous and inaccessible surroundings, but also important personalities who were distinguished for their contribution in national struggles. Of those, Petronikolas and Petromarkos stood out for their struggles against the Ottomans, while Pavlos Gyparis, Stelios Kokkinakis and Michalis Meladakis fought in Macedonia (1904-1908) and Epirus (1912-1913). 

During the German occupation of Crete (1941-1945) Asi Gonia hosted the “Supreme Committee of the Cretan Resistance” under colonel Andreas Papadakis, while Petros Papadopetrakis (Petrakas) and Georgios Psichountakis (Bertodoulos) were also distinguished for their action. The latter became known as the “messenger of the Resistance”, as he crossed huge distances carrying messages from the Allied Command in Egypt to the guerrilla groups scattered across the mountains of Crete and vice versa. The village hosts one of the few museums in Crete dedicated to that period, where visitors can see photographs and other interesting exhibits of the period.