I have gathered some information just as a starting point for the idea of a street market or festival. My plan is to gather as much information as I can and then think of some kind of way to create an imaginary event. Then to create all the design for this event.
Leather goods
Woven goods
Ceramics
Copperware
Silverware
Baskets
Woven goods
Ceramics
Copperware
Silverware
Baskets
Jewellery
Embroidery
The famous traditional handmade Lefkaritika lace
The famous traditional handmade Lefkaritika lace
Worry Beads
Plate smashing
The smashing of plates is an old time Greek tradition which spread around many of the Greek islands including Cyprus. Demonstrated at weddings, and other parties and celebrations, plates would be thrown to the floor and smashed whilst singing and dancing. Previous to the plates, knives were thrown, in particular towards the feet of performing artists on stage, with the thrower shouting "Opa!" to signify respect to the artist and enjoyment of their performance. This practice soon died out due to many mis-haps and injuries, and soon the throwing of plates took over. It is said this custom is an expression of 'Kefi', which roughly translated means 'the spirit of joy, passion, enthusiasm, high spirits, or frenzy'. Plate smashing can still be found in some parts of Cyprus, and in Greece, however this tradition has also now mostly been replaced, in this instance with the throwing of flowers, due to the obvious 'safety' problems associated with many plates being smashed. In many bouzoukia or other modern establishments, girls with baskets or plates with flowers will go around the tables and sell them to the customers, who then throw them to the performers on stage.
Worry Beads
The kompoloi, or string of beads, is a familiar sight in the hands of many Greek and Cypriot men. It became a popular form of plaything amongst men in Greece and many of the Greek islands. The word komboloi incorporates the word kombos, meaning the knot. The fascination and magic derived from these knots running through ones fingers may well have come from the thoughts conjured up from playing with the string of beads, which are always made with an uneven number of beads. The kompoloi is said to be more than just a means of passing time, it reflects a way of life. They are certainly relaxing, with the sound of the beads clocking together combined with the feel of the smooth beads between once fingers. The beads can be bought in many weights, sizes, colours, and materials and can make a nice cost effective gift, or a very expensive one.
Tuesday 13th
Unlike the western belief, in Cyprus the unlucky day is Tuesday the 13th, and not Friday the 13th.
Evil Eye
Some Cypriots believe that someone can catch the evil eye, or 'matiasma', from someone else’s jealous compliment or envy. After a person has caught the evil eye, they usually feel bad physically and psychologically. To avoid the matiasma, those who believe in it will often wear a charm; a little blue marble glass with an eye painted on it or a blue bracelet. Blue is believed to be the color that wards off evil eye, however, it is also believed that people with blue eyes are the givers of the matiasma.
Kallikantzaroi - Christmas Goblins
Kallikantzaroi are supposed goblin-like creatures that live in the center of the earth, and find their way into people’s homes via the chimney. Cypriots believe that they make all kinds of mischief such as dousing the fire, riding on people’s backs, braiding the tails of horses and making the milk sour. It is believed that they visit only at Christmas time.
In order to keep the Kallikantzaroi away, the hearth is kept burning day and night throughout the twelve days of Christmas. As well as this, a family member will go around the house every day during these twelve days and bless the house, whilst sprinkling holy water around, for protection.
Name Day
You will notice that Birthdays are not such a celebrated event in Cyprus as they are in the UK, however Name Days are very much celebrated. Children are typically named after the Patron Saint of their region, with the eldest son often being named after his paternal grandfather, and the eldest daughter after her paternal grandmother. Because of this tradition, you will often find cousins with the same name. The Name Day is the feast day of the saint after which a child was named. Some Saint's Name Days actually get celebrated more than one time per year. The tradition is for a party to be thrown on the person's Name Day. A barbeque and buffet at the house is usually prepared and there is lots of singing, dancing and drinking. Invites are not usualy given to join the celebrations of a Name Day - friends, family and neighbours are just expected to visit. Some may only stay a short time, as they will have other friends or family with the same name to visit. It is customary to take a small gift to the person celebrating their name day, usually this would be flowers or a small plant. Each Greek Orthodox Church is also named after a saint, therefore there are also community celebrations for its Name Day, known as 'Panigiria', which include food, fireworks, and fairs. On the eve of the saint's day, villagers and street-vendors may gather in the grounds of the patron saint's church to sell local delicacies.
Orthodox Easter
Unlike the Christian Easter, Orthodox Easter is the first Sunday after the full moon of the vernal equinox, so the date varies each year. In 2014, both Orthodox and Christian Easters will coincide on the same dates, Friday 18th April (Good Friday) to Tuesday 22nd April . In 2015, Cyprus Orthodox Easter will be from Friday 10th April (Good Friday) through to Tuesday 14th April. Orthodox Easter follows a period of 50 days of lent, during which fasting takes place. Easter in Cyprus generally last for 5 days, from Good Friday, through to the following Tuesday. Most major shops and businesses will close for much of the Easter period. On Easter saturday, everybody heads for the churches for the midnight sermon.
Upon exit from the church, they can be heard greeting each other with the words "Christos anesti", which means 'Christ has arisen', and others may reply "Alithos anesti" , which means 'indeed he has arisen'. Candles and bonfires are lit, and fire crackers are let off all around the island. This is the end of fasting, and most people go home to eat traditional easter soup Cypriot Easter Soup(mayeritsa)and flaounes, which are traditional easter cheese pastries.
Easter Sunday is a day of rejoice, feasting, drinking, singing and cracking red dyed eggs. The idea of the eggs is to tap your egg hard against your opponents egg, and the person who holds the last uncracked egg will be lucky. It is mostly children who play the eggs, but many adults do too.
Barbeques will be lit up all around the island as spring lambs are roasted on the spit, and the wine flows freely.
FOOD
Souvla (σούβλα) a Cypriot style barbecue, where large pieces of pork are slowly cooked on a rotating spit for up to 3 hours. Souvla is often eaten on a Sunday.
There are many foods which are traditional made and eaten at certain times of the year. At Easter, Cypriots make a specific type of bread or pastry called Flaouna (φλαούνα) which is made to celebrate the breaking of fasting period during lent. They are made with pastry, cheese and often have raisons and sesame seeds and are traditionally prepared on the Good Friday and eaten on Easter Sunday. At Christmas a special cake, called Vasilopita (Βασιλόπιτα) is baked. Hidden inside there is a coin which brings good luck to the person who receives it.
Green Monday (Καθαρά Δευτέρα) is a movable feast that occurs at the beginning of the 7th week before Orthodox Easter Sunday. It is marked by the family getting together and eating fasting foods, such as fish, vegetables, salads, dips and breads. On Green Monday, a special type of bread is made called Lagana (λαγάνα).
And then there are the many other food items which are made and consumed, year round. Cyprus is well known for Halloumi, Ouzo, Mousaka, Koupepia which is meat and rice wrapped in vine leaves, Loukoumi known to most English people as Turkish Delight, Glyko which is preserved fruits and nuts and Baklava, a rich pastry made with honey. They are definitely culture that takes pride in their food.
Meze -The definite introduction to Cypriot food ! - Meze consists of around 30 different dishes, meat or fish based. A unique eating experience, and a must try for every visitor to Cyprus.
Afelia - Pork marinated in wine and coriander.
Sheftalia - Grilled spiced mince balls.
Koupepia - grape leaves stuffed with minced meat and rice.
Stifado - Beef stew casseroled with wine, spices and lots of onions.
Loukanika - Sausages soaked in red wine and smoked.
Kleftiko - Lamb slowly cooked in a sealed clay oven and seasoned with bay leaves and other spices.
Lountza - Smoked pork done in a very Cypriot way
Halloumi - White cheese made from sheep's milk, spiced with peppermint and normally served grilled.
Talatouri - A much tastier version of the Greek Tzatziki, a yogurt dip with fresh mint and garlic.
Shiamali - Semolina cake sometimes done with orange or almonds .
Daktyla - Pastry done in the shape of fingers with walnut or almond, cinnamon and syrup.
Loukoumia - Cubes of gelatin flavoured with rose water and covered with powdered sugar.
Shoushouko - Grape juice solidified filled with almonds or walnuts, formed in a shape of long rods.
Kolokotes - A pastry filled with red pumpkin, raisins and cracked wheat.
Koupes - Fried cracked wheat filled with mince mint and spices.
Wine and Beer:Cyprus wines and wine production is amongst the worlds oldest dating back to around 2000 BC. There are over 100 varieties of grapes cultivated in cyprus, most of these are in Limassol and Paphos districts and on the foothills of Mount Olympus.
Probably the most famous wine is the dessert wine called Commandariamade from the Nama grape variety and dating back a few tens of hundreds of years:
Cyprus beer comes under one name, KEO, an extremely popular beer that is regularly a prize winner in world beer competitions.
Cyprus spirits include Zivania, a strong drink similar to Raki normally served cold, and Cyprus Brandy which is again of high quality, probably the best known Cypriot brandy being Five Kings.
TRADITIONS
Plate smashing
The smashing of plates is an old time Greek tradition which spread around many of the Greek islands including Cyprus. Demonstrated at weddings, and other parties and celebrations, plates would be thrown to the floor and smashed whilst singing and dancing. Previous to the plates, knives were thrown, in particular towards the feet of performing artists on stage, with the thrower shouting "Opa!" to signify respect to the artist and enjoyment of their performance. This practice soon died out due to many mis-haps and injuries, and soon the throwing of plates took over. It is said this custom is an expression of 'Kefi', which roughly translated means 'the spirit of joy, passion, enthusiasm, high spirits, or frenzy'. Plate smashing can still be found in some parts of Cyprus, and in Greece, however this tradition has also now mostly been replaced, in this instance with the throwing of flowers, due to the obvious 'safety' problems associated with many plates being smashed. In many bouzoukia or other modern establishments, girls with baskets or plates with flowers will go around the tables and sell them to the customers, who then throw them to the performers on stage.
Worry Beads
The kompoloi, or string of beads, is a familiar sight in the hands of many Greek and Cypriot men. It became a popular form of plaything amongst men in Greece and many of the Greek islands. The word komboloi incorporates the word kombos, meaning the knot. The fascination and magic derived from these knots running through ones fingers may well have come from the thoughts conjured up from playing with the string of beads, which are always made with an uneven number of beads. The kompoloi is said to be more than just a means of passing time, it reflects a way of life. They are certainly relaxing, with the sound of the beads clocking together combined with the feel of the smooth beads between once fingers. The beads can be bought in many weights, sizes, colours, and materials and can make a nice cost effective gift, or a very expensive one.
Tuesday 13th
Unlike the western belief, in Cyprus the unlucky day is Tuesday the 13th, and not Friday the 13th.
Evil Eye
Some Cypriots believe that someone can catch the evil eye, or 'matiasma', from someone else’s jealous compliment or envy. After a person has caught the evil eye, they usually feel bad physically and psychologically. To avoid the matiasma, those who believe in it will often wear a charm; a little blue marble glass with an eye painted on it or a blue bracelet. Blue is believed to be the color that wards off evil eye, however, it is also believed that people with blue eyes are the givers of the matiasma.
Kallikantzaroi - Christmas Goblins
Kallikantzaroi are supposed goblin-like creatures that live in the center of the earth, and find their way into people’s homes via the chimney. Cypriots believe that they make all kinds of mischief such as dousing the fire, riding on people’s backs, braiding the tails of horses and making the milk sour. It is believed that they visit only at Christmas time.
In order to keep the Kallikantzaroi away, the hearth is kept burning day and night throughout the twelve days of Christmas. As well as this, a family member will go around the house every day during these twelve days and bless the house, whilst sprinkling holy water around, for protection.
Name Day
You will notice that Birthdays are not such a celebrated event in Cyprus as they are in the UK, however Name Days are very much celebrated. Children are typically named after the Patron Saint of their region, with the eldest son often being named after his paternal grandfather, and the eldest daughter after her paternal grandmother. Because of this tradition, you will often find cousins with the same name. The Name Day is the feast day of the saint after which a child was named. Some Saint's Name Days actually get celebrated more than one time per year. The tradition is for a party to be thrown on the person's Name Day. A barbeque and buffet at the house is usually prepared and there is lots of singing, dancing and drinking. Invites are not usualy given to join the celebrations of a Name Day - friends, family and neighbours are just expected to visit. Some may only stay a short time, as they will have other friends or family with the same name to visit. It is customary to take a small gift to the person celebrating their name day, usually this would be flowers or a small plant. Each Greek Orthodox Church is also named after a saint, therefore there are also community celebrations for its Name Day, known as 'Panigiria', which include food, fireworks, and fairs. On the eve of the saint's day, villagers and street-vendors may gather in the grounds of the patron saint's church to sell local delicacies.
Orthodox Easter
Unlike the Christian Easter, Orthodox Easter is the first Sunday after the full moon of the vernal equinox, so the date varies each year. In 2014, both Orthodox and Christian Easters will coincide on the same dates, Friday 18th April (Good Friday) to Tuesday 22nd April . In 2015, Cyprus Orthodox Easter will be from Friday 10th April (Good Friday) through to Tuesday 14th April. Orthodox Easter follows a period of 50 days of lent, during which fasting takes place. Easter in Cyprus generally last for 5 days, from Good Friday, through to the following Tuesday. Most major shops and businesses will close for much of the Easter period. On Easter saturday, everybody heads for the churches for the midnight sermon.
Upon exit from the church, they can be heard greeting each other with the words "Christos anesti", which means 'Christ has arisen', and others may reply "Alithos anesti" , which means 'indeed he has arisen'. Candles and bonfires are lit, and fire crackers are let off all around the island. This is the end of fasting, and most people go home to eat traditional easter soup Cypriot Easter Soup(mayeritsa)and flaounes, which are traditional easter cheese pastries.
Easter Sunday is a day of rejoice, feasting, drinking, singing and cracking red dyed eggs. The idea of the eggs is to tap your egg hard against your opponents egg, and the person who holds the last uncracked egg will be lucky. It is mostly children who play the eggs, but many adults do too.
Barbeques will be lit up all around the island as spring lambs are roasted on the spit, and the wine flows freely.
FOOD
Souvla (σούβλα) a Cypriot style barbecue, where large pieces of pork are slowly cooked on a rotating spit for up to 3 hours. Souvla is often eaten on a Sunday.
There are many foods which are traditional made and eaten at certain times of the year. At Easter, Cypriots make a specific type of bread or pastry called Flaouna (φλαούνα) which is made to celebrate the breaking of fasting period during lent. They are made with pastry, cheese and often have raisons and sesame seeds and are traditionally prepared on the Good Friday and eaten on Easter Sunday. At Christmas a special cake, called Vasilopita (Βασιλόπιτα) is baked. Hidden inside there is a coin which brings good luck to the person who receives it.
Green Monday (Καθαρά Δευτέρα) is a movable feast that occurs at the beginning of the 7th week before Orthodox Easter Sunday. It is marked by the family getting together and eating fasting foods, such as fish, vegetables, salads, dips and breads. On Green Monday, a special type of bread is made called Lagana (λαγάνα).
And then there are the many other food items which are made and consumed, year round. Cyprus is well known for Halloumi, Ouzo, Mousaka, Koupepia which is meat and rice wrapped in vine leaves, Loukoumi known to most English people as Turkish Delight, Glyko which is preserved fruits and nuts and Baklava, a rich pastry made with honey. They are definitely culture that takes pride in their food.
Afelia - Pork marinated in wine and coriander.
Sheftalia - Grilled spiced mince balls.
Koupepia - grape leaves stuffed with minced meat and rice.
Stifado - Beef stew casseroled with wine, spices and lots of onions.
Loukanika - Sausages soaked in red wine and smoked.
Kleftiko - Lamb slowly cooked in a sealed clay oven and seasoned with bay leaves and other spices.
Lountza - Smoked pork done in a very Cypriot way
Halloumi - White cheese made from sheep's milk, spiced with peppermint and normally served grilled.
Talatouri - A much tastier version of the Greek Tzatziki, a yogurt dip with fresh mint and garlic.
Puddings:
Loukoumades -Deep fried doughnuts with honey syrup.Shiamali - Semolina cake sometimes done with orange or almonds .
Daktyla - Pastry done in the shape of fingers with walnut or almond, cinnamon and syrup.
Loukoumia - Cubes of gelatin flavoured with rose water and covered with powdered sugar.
Shoushouko - Grape juice solidified filled with almonds or walnuts, formed in a shape of long rods.
Kolokotes - A pastry filled with red pumpkin, raisins and cracked wheat.
Koupes - Fried cracked wheat filled with mince mint and spices.
Wine and Beer:Cyprus wines and wine production is amongst the worlds oldest dating back to around 2000 BC. There are over 100 varieties of grapes cultivated in cyprus, most of these are in Limassol and Paphos districts and on the foothills of Mount Olympus.
Probably the most famous wine is the dessert wine called Commandariamade from the Nama grape variety and dating back a few tens of hundreds of years:
Cyprus beer comes under one name, KEO, an extremely popular beer that is regularly a prize winner in world beer competitions.
Cyprus spirits include Zivania, a strong drink similar to Raki normally served cold, and Cyprus Brandy which is again of high quality, probably the best known Cypriot brandy being Five Kings.
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