The sudden stint of bad weather did not dampen the spirits of the carnival goers throughout Greece, as the festivities and celebrations of the Greek version of Halloween’ called ‘Apokries’ continued unabated. Apokries is actually rooted in ancient Dionysian practices amalgamated with the marking of the start of Lent in the Greek orthodox Christian Church. Leading the parade in Patras, where the largest celebrations in the country take place, the carnival queen was surrounded by thousands of masqueraded people dancing and singing along to the blasting tunes. 145 carnival crews paraded through the streets of the largest Greek city in the Peloponnese. In the northern city of Ksanthi party goers also braved the rain and low temperatures and showed up with their umbrellas and raincoats to take part in the parade and the festivities.