Petros, a proud and stately pelican, is the famous mascot of Mykonos, if not the most famous mascot of the Greek islands. His mate is the lovely, pink-feathered Irini. It is said that sometime in the early 1990s they were joined together in a marriage ceremony on the harbor with a fisherman wearing a top hat performing the “rites.”
Guests, who were told beforehand that the fisherman would be in “formal attire,” came dressed in their finery. Here is the back-story but first, in the interests of full disclosure, it must be revealed that it was an arranged marriage.
The birds would meet for the first time on the harbor at the ceremony. While Irini waited there pacing nervously, Petros, who many feared would be a reluctant participant, was brought to the harbor in the mayor’s limousine.
Fears were quickly allayed when Petros hopped from the limo, went directly to Irini, raised his head and massive beak skyward and made loud, squawking sounds which the guests described as “joyous.” Irini, who was sometimes bad-tempered, stood regally aloof during the mating call. Then, to the delight of the crowd, she made the first move, nudged Petros with her neck, and led him to the basket of fish awaiting them. On cue, the fisherman declared them “wed” and threw his top hat into the air. Musicians played N’ Agape (love me), and everyone danced. It is said that the pair became inseparable, like lovers in paradise. On Mykonos today, you will see them strolling on the harbor, enjoying morning and evening swims, and having lunch or dinner at whatever taverna offers the best and freshest baskets of fish.
Petros is really Petros II. The first Petros was an injured bird washed to the shore, rescued by a fisherman and nursed back to health. He became a beloved pet of the locals for many years until he passed away in 1985. In the early 1990s a travel agent found a bird in Germany, named him Petros II, and sent him to Mykonos as a replacement for the beloved original.
Irini was already on the island when the new bird arrived, creating the impetus for the locals to arrange a “marriage.” Today there are three pelicans (and possibly more) on Mykonos, each well loved and each responding to the name “Petros,” because while most visitors to the island know that Petros is the mascot, few know the story of the arranged marriage. So please, keep the secret.
TO TELOS (THE END)
Published in The National Herald, April 2014