DANCES AND SONGS IN ASTYPALEA

The traditional dances that stand out in every festival are “sousta”, “balos” and  “sirtos”. The main instruments of the orchestra are the violin and the lute. Nikitas Kastrinos,who played the violin, and Iordanis, who played the lute, were the most distinguished musicians and avid supporters of the island tradition. The two of them became great part of the music history of the island and handed down their musical tradition to younger generations.

There are many traditional local songs but the one that dominates and is always sung in every event is the one that refers to the castle of Astypalea and its lyrics start with the words “The castle of Astropalia has a key, it has beautiful girls but it does not reveal them…”