All about Zakynthos

The festival of Agios Lypios was famous and continues to this day. Andreas Gaitas in his chronicle, which was written at the end of the 19th century, describes it as follows: 'At this feast day, from the morning, the citizens and most of the villagers were present, and they spent the day in dancing and singing and eating and rejoicing under the trees, in the fields and on the surrounding hills'. The dominant musical instrument at this festival was the 'Niakara', i.e. according to L.Ch.Zoi 'a Byzantine anacara, a kind of rural flute, whose sounds are accompanied by a drum, a tambourine, both called "Tambourloniakaro".