A custom in Makrynitsa called Maides (May men) begins on May 1. The May men are a group of 15-20 men disguised as Turkish hodjas, 8 zebekia (converted Greeks) and janizaries (Greeks who become Turkish members of the Sultan’s bodyguard. The Maides gather at the square and sing the May song: “Welcome May, golden May, decorated with flowers, he came again. They sing the May May around the branches. They sing the May on the 1st of May.”