Celebration Agios Fanourios

On 27 August the Orthodox Christians celebrate Agios Fanourios. Fanourios is the patron saint of lost things and discoveries. Fanourios, Φανούριος in Greek, derives from the verb φανερώνω, which means to reveal, to discover. Young and older people honor Agios Fanourios every year in all the churches in Greece with great respect.

According to the Greek tradition, believers who lose things or anything precious, believers who really suffer from illnesses, make and offer a sweet pie to Agios Fanourios, to thank the saint Fanourios and ask for his help. Therefore, Agios Fanourios is honored more than one day during the year, which is 27 August.

There is a special church dedicated to Agios Fanourios. It is located at Lake Doxa, which is an artificial lake in western Corinthia, Greece. It is situated at an elevation of 900 m, in the municipal unit Feneos, near the village Archaia Feneos.

The tradition of Fanourita

Fanouropita is a traditional Greek spice cake made without dairy or eggs (as a fasting food), traditionally containing 7 or 9 symbolic ingredients. These numbers are symbolic.

The ingredients of the pie are the following:

1 cup of seed oil

1 cup sugar

1 cup fresh orange juice

3 cups self-rising flour (or all-purpose flour with baking powder)

1 tablespoon baking soda (dissolved directly in a splash of the orange juice)

1 table spoon ground cinnamon

1/2 table spoon ground cloves

1/2 cup raisins (symbolizing the sweetness of life

1/2 cup chopped walnuts (or a topping of sesame seeds)

Powder sugar for the decoration

Χρόνια πολλά στον Φανούριο και στη Φανουρία!

Λεξιλόγιο –  Vocabulary

1/ φανερώνω = to reveal

2/ βρίσκω = to find