Every year on September 5, there is at Messenikolas the so called Pazaraki, the unique trade fair of the Nevropolis area. This was formerly held at a place called Aspra Litharia (White Stones), located on the Nevropolis plateau. This location was inundated by the lake waters in 1959. This trade fair used to be a major commercial and social event for the villagers of the area in the 1950’s and 1960’s, when the area was more populous. The people had the chance to make all their necessary purchases before the coming winter. Clothing, trousseau items, candy, dairy products and even children’s toys were displayed on the peddlers’ benches. The evenings were spent in shindigs, accompanied by feasting, wine drinking and dancing to the tunes of errant musicians’ bands.

Today despite the dramatic population decline, the Pazaraki is still a venue for business and a source of merriment as September ushers us gradually to the melancholic days of autumn.