Reid & Robie

The beautiful game is the one that makes you feel something.

– Pelé

One of the best things about a roving retirement is discovering strange new holidays in foreign places and joining the faithful to watch fútbol (a.k.a. soccer).

Holidays

National Day in Granada, Spain (October 12)

The day after we arrived in Southern Spain, the country celebrated National Day commemorating Spain’s legacy, language and culture with a parade beneath our balcony.

Green March Day in Essaouira, Morocco (November 6)

Two days after arriving in Essaouira, Robie and I heard what sounded like beating drums. Racing to the promenade, we found a camel parade reenacting the 50^th anniversary of Morocco’s Green March. In November 1975, as Spain’s Generalissimo Francisco Franco lay on his deathbed, King Hassan II called his people to rally against Spanish occupation in Western Sahara. His plea brought 350,000 unarmed civilians to reclaim the desert region.

Not everyone was pleased with Morocco reabsorbing Western Sahara. After a ceasefire was brokered promising a referendum regarding Sahrawi independence, fierce disagreements over voter eligibility erupted and the ballot was never held. Today the region remains divided by a 1,700-mile sand wall known as the “berm.”

Independence Day in Essaouira, Morocco (November 18)

Also in November, Robie and I sat with locals at our favorite coffeehouse listening to a reading of King Mohammed V’s 1955 speech marking the end of Morocco’s European protectorate. Before World War I, France and Spain divvied up Morocco, a partition that continued through one civil and two world wars. Despite formally abolishing the protectorates in 1956, the withdrawal of armed forces was so gradual it took Spain until 1975 to leave.

Ohi Day in Athens, Greece (October 28)

During an October trip to Athens, Robie and I spotted a military parade with officials laying wreaths at the Monument to the Unknown Soldier. Known as “No Day,” it commemorates the Greek response to an Axis ultimatum during World War II. According to legend, when Mussolini told Greece to let Italy occupy strategic locations or face war, Athens responded with a single word, όχι (“No!”). In reality, the answer was in French, “Alors, c’est la guerre!” (“Then, it is war!”). Within hours Italian troops in Albania invaded Greece.

Panigyri in Therma, Ikaria, Greece (November 1)

After traveling to the Greek island of Ikaria, Robie and I arrived in Therma in time for the town’s panigyri, a traditional village festival. Starting with a morning church service, the residents gathered in the late afternoon for a potluck meal of slow-roasted lamb, locally grown salads, French fries and flowing Ikarian red wine. And when the band got started, the revelry continued until dawn.

Epiphany in Agios Kirykos, Ikaria, Greece (January 6)

In January Robie and I gathered with the townspeople in Agios Kirykos to celebrate Epiphany. After the morning liturgy, a priest led the procession to the port where fishermen waved flares from their boats. Following the “Blessing of the Water,” the priest tossed a cross in the open sea as brave swimmers raced to retrieve it.

Valentine’s Day in Syracuse, Sicily (February 14)

Despite persistent rumors that Valentine’s Day was invented by Hallmark, the holiday began as a pagan festival. When Pope Gelasius I outlawed the fertility celebration, he replaced it with Valentine’s Day and left experts to argue over which Saint Valentine he meant to honor.

Some believe the date is named for a priest executed for performing weddings after Emperor Claudius II outlawed marriage for men in the Roman army. Another tale points to a bishop beheaded for converting followers to Christianity while a third suggest a different Valentine killed for helping Christians escape prison. In this story, the martyred saint sent a letter signed, “from your Valentine,” the original hallmark greeting.

During the Middle Ages, writers like Geoffrey Chaucer and William Shakespeare romanticized Valentine’s Day, and by the mid-17th century, the February 14 holiday marked not only love but the coming of spring. This spring, Robie and I celebrated Carnevale, Palm Sunday and Easter in Sicily. Before the parades started, Italians celebrated Valentine’s Day by exchanging tulips they bought at a temporary stall in Syracuse’s Piazza Minerva.

St. Joseph’s Day in Palermo, Sicily (March 19)

In Palermo Robie and I walked into the Church of San Giuseppe (or St. Joseph) unaware it was his saint day, an annual celebration featuring elaborate altars decorated with food to feed the poor.

Eid (date varies every year) & the Conquest of Constantinople, Istanbul, Türkiye (May 29)

We were in Istanbul for Eid al Adha, a Muslim holiday celebrating Abraham, the father of Judaism, Christianity and Islam. Two days later, the city commemorated the 573^rd anniversary of the Ottoman conquest of Constantinople.

In 1453, Sultan Mehmed II breached the Byzantine capital’s legendary defenses and the massive metal chain guarding the mouth of the Golden Horn by dragging his fleet overland. After Emperor Constantine XI died in the fighting, the city fell, an event that marked the end of the Middle Ages and beginning of the Renaissance.

Festivals and Events

Beyond holidays, Robie and I have been to a few festivals and special events. Arriving in Liverpool in August, we got to experience the annual Beatles Festival and saw Eleanor Rigby’s grave, John Lennon’s childhood home and Strawberry Field. This June, Robie and I were in Türkiye during the Istanbul Music Festival. Last fall we saw the Essaouira Beach Race, an action-packed, adrenaline-fueled race on the beach and second leg of the Morocco Sand Championship.

Fútbol

While holidays and festivals are fun, the most exciting events always revolve around fútbol. In Albania, we watched the local KF Butrinti team finish fifth in the third-tier league. This season the team did so well they were promoted.

During a trip to Tirana, our stay coincided with a Champions League semifinal match. When our hotelier realized no one would miss the game to fix our air conditioner, Robie and I spent the night listening to excited shouts from a bar down the street through our open window. In December we were in Morocco when the country hosted the AFCON Cup, Africa’s premier international football tournament. In Essaouira a special watching area was erected in the medina, and when Morocco beat Egypt in the semis, spontaneous celebrations broke out in the street.

In May we were in Istanbul when the city drew football fans from England and Germany for the Europa League Championship including a visit from Aston Villa superfan, Prince William. This June we watched the World Cup from Istanbul. With the time difference, that often meant late nights or early mornings like the 5 a.m. kick-off between USA and Türkiye. Sadly, Scotland was eliminated before we had a chance to watch the Tartan Army from Aberdeen. Nonetheless, we’ll be there to see the World Cup final watching from our latest favorite pub.