Agathonisi is a speck of land that marks the boundary between the Dodecanese islands and Samos, a small, undiscovered paradise with pure people in the ancient sense of the word agathos. It is the northernmost island in the group and lies very close to Samos. The unspoiled natural landscape complements the simple traditions of day to day living and authentic Greek hospitality. It is an earthly paradise, with an undisturbed ecological balance and primitive religious and folk traditions; the air is scented with the aromas of wild herbs and freshly-based bread and the wind carries on it the gentle sound of the waves lapping the beach and the seagulls flapping wings. The island may be small, but the religious folk festivals held there are numerous and moving. The feasts of Ayios Georgios on April 23, Ayios Pandeleimonas on July 27, and the Dormition of the Virgin on August 15, are all observed with a panigyri that starts with the prosforo or special bread baked in a wood-burning oven that is shared among the pilgrims along with sweets and dishes made with locally-reared meat. The Apodosis of the Theotokos nine days later, on August 23, is observed at Megalo Horio. The feast of Ai Yiannis Thermastis on August 29 is celebrated with a communal meal of grapes, prickly pears, and sea urchins as tradition holds that consuming any other foods on that day would cause overheating or thermi. The ancient custom of klidonas also revived with locals purifying themselves from evil spirits by leaping over low bonfires lit in public squares.