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 Location |
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Kos is located in the southeast Aegean Sea. It is very close to the Turkish coast, between the islands of Kalymnos and Nissiros. It is the third largest island of the Dodecanese at 290 sq. km with a coastline of 112 km. The island is relatively flat with only one mountain range, and endless sand beaches. It's about 13.5 hours from Piraeus by boat.
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 Population |
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The 26,000 inhabitants of Kos live mainly in Kos (about 15,000), the capital town, as well as in other villages such as Antimahea - Mastihari, Kardamena, Kefalos, Tigaki etc. They are occupied mainly with tourism, farming, livestock raising and fishing.
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 History |
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The prehistoric inhabitants of the island were Kares. Subsequently, Kos was influenced by the Minoan and Mycenaean civilizations. It participated in the Trojan War, while in 1100 BC the Dorians from the Peloponnese settled here and spread their language and civilization. They established the state of Kos which was a member state of the famous 'Dorian Hexapolis' (i.e. six city-state alliance), along with Rhodes, Lindos, Cnidus, and Alicarnassus. In the 5th century the island was conquered by the Persians but after their defeat, Kos joined the Athenian Alliance. In 460 BC Hippocrates, 'the father of medicine,' was born on the island. In 357 BC, the inhabitants of the island built the Asclepeion, one of the most famous temples and medicine centers of antiquity in honor of Asclepios, the god of medicine and health. In 366 BC the city of Kos was established, in its present location, which prospered greatly (until the devastating earthquake of the 6th century AD). In 336 BC, the island was conquered by Alexander the Great. After his death, it belonged to the Antigonid and then the Ptolemy kingdom. The Romans took over the island in 130 BC.
During the Byzantine period the island flourished, but suffered frequent raids and attacks as well. In 1315, the island was taken over by St. John's Knights of Rhodes (who later moved their headquarters to Malta). In 1552 the Turks defeated the Knights, and Kos remained under Turkish occupation until 1912 when it was taken over by the Italians. The island officially became part of Greece in 1948.
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 Religion |
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This topic is not island-specific. It applies to the nation of Greece.
Orthodox Christianity is the recognized dominant religion of Greece and it is legally protected by the state. This has caused legal discrimination against non-Orthodox Churches, and although the constitution of 1975 removed the power of most of the old laws against Protestants, problems still exist today. There is a lot of fear towards anything outside of the Orthodox Church, especially on the islands. However, repeated rulings of the European Court of Justice in favour of religious minorities in cases of discrimination have led to a relative increase of the freedoms that these religious minorities now enjoy.
Ancient Gods
The gods Hera, Apollo, Artemis, Aphrodite, Demeter, Dionysus, Hercules, and especially Asclepios were worshipped on the island of Kos in antiquity.
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 Saints |
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Some of the Orthodox saints that are honored and celebrated on the island are: St. Nicolas who is also the patron of Kos (December 6), the Sts Apostoloi (Apostles) (June 30), St. John (August 29), St. Nikitas (September 15), St. Demetrios (October 26), St. George (April 23), St. John the Divine (Aghios Ioannis Theologos, May 8), the Virgin Mary (her Assumption on August 15; her birthday on September 8), and St. Paraskevi (July 26).
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 Prayer |
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* For the message of God's love and salvation to be spread across the island.
* For more Christian workers.
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 Miscellaneous |
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Some places of historic interest one should visit include:
* The Venetian Castle of the Knights of Saint John built in the 15th century.
* Hippocrates' plane tree: an ancient tree believed to date since the days of the famous doctor.
* The Mosque of Gazi Hasan built in 1786.
* The Asklepeion: the famous ancient temple/hospital built in different levels connected by stairs.
The ruins of the ancient city and Agora (Forum) revealed by a severe earthquake in 1933.
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 Celebrations |
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In July and August "Hippocratia" takes place. It includes art exhibitions, theatrical performances and various cultural events, as well as traditional feasts. There is also a frequent re-enactment of the Hippocratic oath in the Asklepeion, as part of the celebration.
There are also religious celebrations and feasts in each of the villages, mainly throughout the summer, the dates of which depend on the respective saint honored at each town. Usually the feast would involve a community meal with plenty of traditional food (in many villages they serve a local dish of boiled goat meat), folk music and dancing. Of particular interest is St. George's feast (April 23) at the area of Pyli and Marmari, where horse races take place, as well as the feast of St. John on June 23.
During the latter, an ancient custom is revived. Young unmarried women participate in a ritual trying to divine who their future husbands will be. This custom is called "Cledonas" and is practiced in many areas of Greece. On the evening of June 23, two unmarried girls bring water from a spring or well and carry it in absolute silence (it's called 'amilito nero', the water of silence). Then they pour it in a jar covered with myrtle or laurel branches, where all the single girls drop various small objects. This jar is left outdoors all night. The following day, this group of single girls and some old women come together for the rest of the ritual (men are not allowed to attend). Then an old woman pulls out each object while another one recites an 'oracle' for the girl who owns that object, regarding her future husband
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 Resources |
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www.greektravel.com
www.in2greece.com
http://www.greektravel.com/greekislands/kos
http://www.agn.gr/hellas/dodecan/kos.asp
http://www.greekislands.com/kos/
Books: The Blue Guide
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