During the three days of the Holy Spirit, June 2-5, the Helmos Music Festival took place. At first I had heard about it but hadn’t gone through the process of buying a ticket so when SoldOut quickly happened I said goodbye to the idea of going. Afterwards I learned that my older brother Konstantinos had arranged to go with his company, and the truth is that I would very much like to be with them. A few days before the festival, Ilias, my good friend from the School of Silversmithing, told me that he had two free invitations and that if I wanted we could go together. Of course I accepted with great joy! So on Friday morning, we set off by car for Kalavrita, sharing the distance behind the wheel.
We were the first to arrive at the ski resort. I helped Ilias set up in camp1 which was in the fir trees far from the music stage and later I returned to camp2, where I would sleep with my brother’s company, Eleni, Michalis and Babis. The weather was hot and it was a bit tiring to carry a lot of stuff and walk long distances from one point to another, but that didn’t dampen our spirits at all!
Later, shortly after 20:00, the first concert started which I didn’t watch from the beginning with Novel 729 on the microphone, but of course I could enjoy his tracks from anywhere on the ski resort. The moon had made an early appearance over the mountain and I was looking forward to Sunday’s full moon. I stayed the whole time P. Pavlidis was singing and about halfway through G. Angelakas I decided to go back on stage, as it was a bit late for me.
Getting back to our tent was an ordeal. The tents until night were so many and in the dark it was hard to spot where “home” was… With a flashlight and my instinct for companionship though, I eventually found it. I got ready and fell asleep listening to Angelaka’s songs in the background with that little goth and dark element in his music and performance.
A few hours later my alarm went off at around 05:30. Eleni was not next to me… I quickly opened the sleeping bag and carefully not to wake the rest of the group I opened the tent. I had succeeded. I was up before the sun. I looked around and saw the entire slope that in February was full of skiers in the white snow, now green and filled with small colorful masses that looked like garbage bags. There were so many tents! I saw two figures walking, I was really one of the few awake at that time. I walked a little in the freezing air and a few meters away I stood to enjoy the sunrise. Integration. Beauty and grace flooded the space within the heart chakra, but also the rest of my body.
I headed towards the chalet where I met about a dozen sleepy people dozing or gazing at the sun. It was those few who hadn’t blinked all night, mostly because of the cold. Eleni was among them… That first morning I will not forget also because we met Christina, a beautiful young woman with whom we spoke directly from our hearts about those big issues that concern us all, relationships, self-love, acceptance and ultimately self-awareness. That conversation was just the beginning…
Later, when the whole camp woke up the sun was burning everything and the scene was reminiscent of Woodstock ’69. Lying on the grass, eating their breakfast outside the tents, reading books, walking their dogs, people enjoyed the mountain breeze all over the horizon. Savina and Moscow were studying for their PhD and Masters and gave me the feeling that they were lying on some beach in the middle of summer. The two girls were connected to my group through acquaintances and friends, yet I was meeting them there for the first time.
At noon I went down to the grass next to the parking lot with Ilias. We relaxed listening to the sounds of nature and the rehearsal of the musicians, under the vast sky. For a moment I felt like I was in heaven. People were walking slowly and calmly around, dogs were running happily… It was a powerful moment.
But soon we took refuge in the chalet, as rain was coming from Kalavryta. In a few minutes the building area was suffocatingly full of people and luckily I had found a place to sit down and enjoy a Krishnamurti book and my snak. It rained for a long time (thankfully not torrentially) and the chalet was full, inside and all around the perimeter balcony, while a few took shelter in their tents, like my brother and the rest of our group.
I think that was where many of us were tested psychologically, I felt that even if I left now for Stemnitsa, I wouldn’t mind at all… We were all forced to stay in our places and wait for the rain to stop. Fortunately, at least there was a stand up comedy show that kept us warm by making us laugh, giving us a feeling that we will endure and the 20:00 concert will take place as usual.
Shortly after the show ended, the rain stopped and what happened was a reward for all of us. A clear sky with peach and purple hues, just in time for the concert to start, throughout which it was overcast.
The program had Hatzifragetas, Isvoleas and Th. Papakonstantinou. It was a very high energy night with the moon making an appearance behind the stage and the artists communicating very well with the audience during their performance. Thanks to my brother, it was my first time someone lifted me on their shoulders and I could see the whole crowd from above and enjoy the moment much more vividly, a feeling I will never forget.
Sunday had something special. Ilias and I decided to visit the Tsivlou lake and do canoe kayaking. A few kilometers outside the ski resort we met a large herd of cows with their babies. The sight was unique. When cars approached the animals ran deeper and deeper into the meadow and were generally cautious. That’s why we preferred to admire them from a distance.
On the way we listened to Haroulis and Malamas to get in the mood for the concert that would follow in a few hours. It was generally quite warm although as we approached there was loud thunder from the distance and a dark cloud flirted with the lake.
But in the end it turned out to be the best weather it could have with thin clouds, good temperature and a gentle breeze. We enjoyed the sport, the beauty of the lake and the surrounding landscape. We worked out and relaxed.
That place was truly a corner of heaven. Blue-green waters wrapped by mountains with firs and pines. I could stay there for several days, as the peace offered, the beauty and the comfort for me surpasses even a 5-star hotel. We don’t need many things to feel well. Nature offers a lot in itself.
I won’t describe anything more, I think the pictures speak for themselves. I’ll just say that for nature lovers, I highly recommend Lake Tivlou and you can ask about the kayaking there.
Around six in the afternoon we made our way back to catch the last concert of the festival. From early this time Konstantinos and I stood quite close to the stage (as usual) and later all our other friends gathered there. As the last light of the day faded, we watched S. Grammenos, who warmed us up with his pleasant performance.
All the artists had a great energy and lifted the audience with their performances, although I was a bit happier listening to Haroulis. That night the ski resort had the most people of the whole three days. Several thousand people of all ages danced, sang or drank while watching the concert from afar in the chalet. Once again I didn’t stay until the end due to fatigue and cold. I headed towards the tent, said goodbye with a smile to the full moon above Helmos and fell asleep to the voice of Iulia Karapatakis and Sokratis Malamas.
The next day, before noon the ski resort was almost empty. We were among the last to pack up, being careful not to leave any trash behind. From what I saw, the place was kept very clean and I heard that there was a cleaning action with volunteers that morning, but I was not able to participate in it. In general, for their first year, the organizers of the festival did very well and I hope that it can be held again next year. Nevertheless, the issue of sanitary facilities and easy access to morning coffee needs to be resolved.
Most of the people from the festival went down to Kalavryta, where a feast was held on the day of the Holy Spirit. Under the hot sun we danced traditional dances and sang to the music of Gidiki and the voice of Karapataki.
Earlier, that last dawn on the mountain, I was one of the first back down to the chalet. There I met Despina, a girl who came from Thessaloniki, with whom we had a heart-to-heart conversation and thanked each other for the acquaintance and company. And later I sat down with Savina and Moscow in their tent for breakfast, where we also discussed relationships, spiritual development, and more. And ultimately this is one of the most important things I keep from the festival. That the people I met and spent some time with were people who wanted to have meaningful conversations and were grateful that we crossed paths.
We exchanged our truths in a healing way, and perhaps we had gone there, even without realizing it, to get in touch with ourselves in search of answers to personal questions. So yes, actually making strong contact with people was something that happened to me in Helmos, and I think I wasn’t the only one.
After the party in the square, I said goodbye to my company and Ilias and I returned to Stemnitsa. In the car, music was playing loudly with summer vibes and nostalgia that lifted my mood. It is a fact that I came back different after this experience. I came in deep contact with people and had the opportunity to spend quality time in nature and I can only feel joy and gratitude for that.
Helmos Festival is something I will never forget, so I hope to renew my appointment for next year!
In the video below you can see in footage more or less what I described above.