Wine villages across the island are celebrating the “grape wish” on Thursday, to mark the feast of the transfiguration of Jesus Christ.

On this day, vine growers take the first ripe grapes of the year to the church to be blessed, keeping alive a tradition that celebrates gratitude for the fruit and the beginning of the grape harvest.

Tradition scholar Anna Tselepou said the “grape wish” is one of the most important popular ecclesiastical traditions, with particular meaning for grape cultivating areas, where vineyards are an integral part of the local history and lore.

Tselepou said these traditions were a valuable cultural heritage, which contributed to preserving traditions and handing them down from generation to generation.

The tradition is older than the church, with references dating to antiquity.

In Christianity, it references the transfiguration of Jesus Christ, as the grapes are turned into wine, symbolising change and renewal.