Athens, the Greek capital, was shrouded in smog for more than 10 hours on May 2, local time. Standing on a high-rise in central Athens, the mountains on both sides of the famous Attica Valley have become blurred, and there are even clouds at the foot of the mountain thicker than on the top of the mountain.
Some Greek meteorologists believe that such rare pollution is mainly due to the monsoon sent by the Sahara dust in Africa and the local people released fireworks and large-scale open-air barbecue caused by the interaction of soot.
May 2 this year coincides with Orthodox Easter, Greece’s most important traditional holiday of the year. According to reports, this traditional festival comes at a time when Greeks are ending their 40-day meat fasting period. Not only did Greeks celebrate by going to church the night before and releasing fireworks, but on the day of the festival families baked lambs and invited friends and family to sample the food.
Since November 7 last year, Greece in response to Coronavirus outbreak has been implementing more stringent blockade measures, many people have been tired of the ultra-long restrictions, so the folk and church side of the arrival of this traditional festival attaches great importance. According to some older Athenians, the festival released fireworks and held barbecues on a scale rarely seen in decades. This has also greatly increased the level of air pollution.
