Despite the recent snowfall and the frosts, Spring is not deterred and Imathia’s fertile valley has started blooming with over 8 billion peach blossoms, in every shade of pink, creating a unique sight.
This dreamy setting, one of its kind in Greece, brings the Japanese “hanami” in mind: observing the cherry blossoms in the country of the rising sun. It’s one of the greatest events in the country, very popular among the Japanese, as well as among foreign tourists.
According to Herodotus, the famous Gardens of Midas were located in the fertile land of Imathia, at the foothills of mount Vermio. Thousands of fields with different varieties of the “Persian apple tree”, as the ancient Greeks called peaches, since, according to tradition, they were brought to Greece from Persia by Alexander the Great and his troops.
In oriental tradition, the peach tree is considered the “tree of life” and the tree of “paradise on earth”, giving life and joy to people, and its blossoms symbolize spring, rebirth and fertility. Blooming peach trees have inspired great artists throughout time, like Vincent van Gogh who painted 14 paintings with blooming fields.
In 2021, the blooming peach trees of Veria travelled around the world through National Geographic’s documentary series “Europe from Above”, in the episode dedicated to Greece, with the narrator noting that the huge blooming valley of Imathia is “one of the best kept secrets in the world”.
Bloom season may last a very short time, but it offers great beauty and strong images to the local and foreign visitors who seek some moments of relaxation and calm, walking on the pink “carpet” covering the fields of Imathia. Increasingly more, the blooming peach trees of Imathia are becoming a favourite photographic subject in recent years.
The photography competition, organised by the Veria Tourism Club, a local club of volunteers that organises a wide range of activities, with the participation of dozens of photographers – both professional and amateur – from Greece and abroad has contributed to that. The participants get to take pictures of the stunning images of the most colourful time of the year. (All the photographs here are taken from past competitions. You can see them all here: www.veriapeach.gr)
In the past two years, due to the pandemic, the activities and events organised by Veria Tourism Club came to a standstill, but this year’s plans are expected to bring crowds for hikes or bike rides among the thousand blooming peach trees that can be spotted from miles away.
Veria and the surrounding area has many beautiful accommodation options. You can find lodgings even if you decide to take a trip there in the last minute. If you decide to participate in the activities organized by the Veria Tourism Club, or decide to visit the area on your own, you need to follow the regulations for the prevention of the spread of Covid-19.
It’s worth travelling to Imathia during this time. According to the Veria Tourism Club, the blooming peach trees are an opportunity to “set our eyes on a dreamy setting, share our positive energy, live a few days among the blossoms, experience and appreciate the small, vital, joys of life.”
The blooming peach trees on the foothills of mount Vermio are the Greek “hanami” that invites us to experience the lively spirit of nature in spring and take in its colours and fragrances.
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