The Municipality of Agios Nikolaos is launching its new cultural initiative, the “1st Festival of Fountains”, an event designed to honor Crete’s fountains as places of memory, gathering, and heritage. Following its recent stop in Vrahasi, the festival now continues at the historic Haniotena fountain in Kritsa, where on Thursday, September 4, 2025, at 8 p.m., the stone-paved kalderimi will host a unique performance by Loudivikos ton Anogeion.
The Vrahasi concert, held earlier in August, highlighted how even small villages carry the living spirit of Crete’s traditions. Deputy Mayor for Culture and Youth, Georgia Polychronaki, described the festival as “A journey through the island’s fountains, which remain indelible witnesses to history and community life.”
In Kritsa, the program is titled “Birds Have No Cliffs”, a low-key music-theatre blend that explores the emotional depths of origin, love, and loss. The setting — beside a village fountain — is meant to connect everyday life with art and memory.
Performers include:
- Dimitris Karamouzas (guitar)
- Sophia Mavrogenidou (flute)
- Marina Dakanali (vocals)
- Stella Seiragaki (vocals)
- Emmanouela Marioula (actress)
The evening also features a theatrical monologue of Clytemnestra, weaving classical motifs into the event’s reflection on heritage and emotion.
The festival is organized by the Municipality of Agios Nikolaos and the Municipal Community of Kritsa, in co-organization with the Region of Crete and the Cultural Association of Kritsa “Lato.”
For locals and visitors alike, the Festival of Fountains is a reminder that Crete’s most humble monuments — its springs, wells, and village fountains — are not only practical structures, but living symbols of memory, gathering, and resilience.
About Kritsa
Kritsa, part of the municipality of Agios Nikolaos, is among Crete’s most picturesque semi-mountain villages, known for its narrow lanes, stone houses, and enduring traditions. For centuries, the village fountains have been at the heart of daily life, serving as landmarks of both architecture and memory.
Three historic fountains can still be found within Kritsa today:
- Koutsounari Fountain, a graceful, single-arched stone construction.
- Kavvousa Fountain, recognizable for its rare twin arches.
- Chaniotena Fountain, once used for watering animals, stands at the start of the last surviving cobbled street that links the village center with the fertile plain below.
These fountains are officially protected as cultural monuments, symbols of how water and stone together shaped both the architecture and the identity of Kritsa. For travelers, they are more than practical relics — they are living signposts of Cretan heritage.
