Are you planning on traveling to Crete and get to known aspects of its tradition? Well, then you should definitely visit a traditional mitato. The largest part of the island is covered by mountainous extents of ground and its inhabitants work mainly on agriculture and stock breeding.
The shepherds, who spent most of their life on the mountains of the island, created a second home there, an "igloo" on the mountain, mitato. These are small dome-shaped buildings, of similar architecture to the dome-shaped Minoan tombs, which you will encounter mainly on the peaks of Psiloritis. There you will also see the oldest mitato in Nida Plateau, which is dated from 1841, and the most recent one from 2000. It usually consists of three rooms. In more details, the main room, where the shepherd lives and the process of the milk for the production of cheese takes place, while a hearth is usually located in the center of the room. The milk after being congealed is placed in another room to age, the "tirokeli" (cheese cellar). Moreover, next to mitato is located the sheep pen, where the sheep were kept during the night.
Since the shepherds spent several days in the mountains of Psiloritis, they had to have a shelter to protect themselves from the bad weather conditions during the winter and so they created "mitata", which became the center of their lives on the mountain. Their cultural value is manifested by the fact that the archaeological service has declared the "mitata" in Anogia as listed monuments.
They often receive visits from friends, acquaintances or just passers-by, whom they welcome breezily and treat them to their traditional cheeses and a glass of wine. Two great events focusing on the "mitata" of Psiloritis take place every year. The first event is the sheep shearing, or as they call it in Crete the "koura" (shear) of sheep. It is a ritual for the shepherds that usually takes place during the period from the 15th May to the 15th June. The relatives and friends of each shepherd as well as other shepherds gather at the "mitato" and shear the sheep. This event evolves into a small feast as there are also several locals playing folk tunes while the attendees sing rizitika (traditional) songs. The antikristo lamp is braised near-by (traditional way of roasting lamb where the pieces of meat are placed around the fire and not over it and baked for several hours), while there is also abundant wine.
The second great event is the celebration of Mitato. The feast day of Agios Mamas, protector of animals, is also the celebration of mitato. In July the shepherds with their families and friends light a candle to the Saint, who protects them, and then they gather in mitata. There the men congeal the milk and women cook traditional dishes such as the well-known Pilaf and antikristo mentioned previously. The shepherds stage another small feast to celebrate their profession with songs, dances and plenty of wine and raki.
Enjoy a remarkable experience, visit a mitato and get to know the mode of life of the inhabitants and the shepherds themselves, who will always welcome you cheerfully and treat you to "briskoumeno" (dainties).
