Thursday, May 30, 2013

Orthodox Easter in Cyprus

Easter was celebrated late in Cyprus this year, due to the difference between eastern and western church calendars, which varies from year to year.  Easter in the most significant holiday in the Orthodox Church, and the occasion is marked by a range of traditions and practices during the weeks leading up to Easter, and then during the Easter period itself. 

Lent is widely practiced in the 40 days leading up to Easter.  On Palm Sunday before Easter, seaside fishermen sit and plait 'vaynes' or palm leaf holders, which when finished look like small swallows nests on sticks.  Fishermen sell these and young children fill them with flowers and take them to church on Palm Sunday when they follow an icon of Christ around the church in a procession commemorating Christ's entry into Jerusalem.  During 'holy week' prior to Easter, there are church services during the morning, afternoon and evening.  On Thursday most households do their Easter baking of 'flaounes', a kind a cheese cake found in Cyprus.  

Flaounes at Easter in Cyprus
Epitafios procession in Nicosia old town
Good Friday begins with everyone taking flowers to church so that young girls can decorate the 'Epitafios', which is a four posted structure, which symbolises the tomb of Christ.  The whole structure is decorated with flowers, and then on the evening of Good Friday, processions take place all around Cyprus with the Epitafios for each church being carried through the streets, followed by hundreds of people singing hymns and also passing beneath it.  Fireworks are often lit from nearby balconies while the procession passes, and it then finishes up back at the church again.  Also on Easter Friday, all the icons at the front of each church are covered in a black shroud.

Church bonfires on Saturday night
On Easter Saturday, there is a sermon in each church around lunchtime during which church doors, chairs and candleholders are shaken, when the news is announced that Christ is no longer in his grave.  The real sermon of resurrection takes place at midnight, when thousands of people go to church with a candle to receive the 'holy fire' (which actually originates each year from the Church of the Holy Sepulchre in Jerusalem, and is distributed across the orthodox world on specially chartered aircraft).  When the priest announces that Christ has risen, all candles are lit and everyone says the greeting 'Christos anesti' (Christ is risen), to which the other person responds 'Alithos anesti' (He is risen indeed). Fireworks are lit and huge bonfires are lit in the church yards.  On Easter Sunday morning this year, you could still see many of these fires still burning across Nicosia.  

Then on Sunday morning, flaounes are eaten and Lenten fasts are broken.  Picnics are family gatherings then take place all over Cyprus, with the main meal usually being a lamb cooked on a spit.  In many villages it is also the custom on Easter Sunday and Monday for everyone to have lunch in the church yard.  Each family brings food and wine, and whole villages share a meal together.

There is a richness of tradition and community connection around the various Easter activities in Cyprus that I think is sometimes lacking in western contexts, and we enjoyed being a part of the reflection and celebrations this year.  

The Epitafios.  People pass under it as
part of the tradition



Fires still burning in Nicosia on Easter Sunday morning
after the bonfires of the night before



Tasteful (?) decorations appear all around
Nicosia at Easter time





Sunday, May 19, 2013

My Sri Lankan Kitchen

Only 5hrs after the Eurovision Song Contest had finished, I awake on Sunday morning at 6.30am.   I am woken NOT by the pitter patter of feet down the hall like most days but instead to the smell of curry.  Downstairs in my kitchen I can hear Menaka and her 2 friends chopping, frying, chatting and laughing.  "Oh, that's right" I recall "today is Menaka's birthday party".

And what a party it was.  All week was spent shopping and preparing with Menaka's mobile running hot from her friends; "I heard you're having a party...did you forget me?" Word had got around the Sri Lankan community that she was having a party at her 'bosses' house. We joked that night at dinner that she needs to make some excuse about 'not enough chairs - sorry' but then decided otherwise at the thought of the reply perhaps being "no problem; I can bring my own chair, I will come to your party".  Menaka invited 5 of her closest friends, 15 of her closer, trustworthy acquaintances, and then about 10 ex-pats whom she has met through us and been associated with through babysitting work etc.  For a single woman on a small income to put on such a large party almost single handedly was quite significant.  It was a real privilege for Ross & I to host it here in our house and to see Menaka's more social side.


From the early smells of curry frying to the last minute salad preparations it was a real joy to see our kitchen so immersed in Sri Lankan cuisine.  I secretly wished I could be part of the cooking team but instead I just took sneak peeks and tiptoed around putting chairs out.


When her friends arrived, they all politely introduced themselves and shook our hands, and Menaka introduced them to the kids".  Joint parties like this with host families are not the norm, so it was great to celebrate all together.

Drinks began alongside some pork bites and then a few kind words were spoken of the lovely Menaka before saying grace and the meal being served.  Chicken curry, potato salads, fried rice, curried beans, dahl, papadums and green salad.  Mmmm Mmmmm....most people went back for 2nds - it was too delicious for words in my opinion.  Made me think how bored Menaka must be from cooking the standard weekly meals for our family.  Time to toughen up kids and get used to some more curries!

It was great to see so much pride in the food that she and her
friends had made for us all
Almost straight after the meal, Menaka had the music turned up in the living room and the dancing began.  Nobody needed any encouragement; within a minute the dance floor was full and one man in particular made us all laugh and admire his dance moves.  The balloons came out and we danced with them between our heads.  Anna and her friend Katie enjoyed that one.






The party concluded slowly with Menaka and her friends continuing to party downstairs and many of us oldies lazing around drinking tea with our feet up.  Not a bad way to spend a Sunday afternoon.










To someone who has been such a significant part of our stay here in Cyprus and whom we will remember for a long time to come: Happy Birthday Menaka!

eating

cake time

We all had to eat a bite of Menaka's slice of cake.  Angus
refused as he didn't like bananas. 
Menaka on the morning of her birthday 


A gift from the family 
After a pizza dinner on Friday night, she was
 treated to the standard iced Piper b'day cake

Thursday, May 9, 2013

Eurovision in Malmo

It's Eurovision song contest time again, this year coming from Malmo Sweden with the final next Saturday night.  The stage is set for all the high drama and political intrigue of the voting.  

Herewith a brief form guide of the 39 entries in alphabetical order:

Albania: channeling a mix of bon jovi, acdc and scorpion, all in an Albanian rock band.  Should have stayed at home

Armenia: straight rock track; not a bad song, but definitely not a winner

Austria:  No, too bland

Azerbaijan: this country really want to get the Eurovision crown back.  Solid entry, and they have the Caspian Sea oil so may get some votes

Belarus: ho hum, another boring eurovision anthem; no chance of winning

Belgium: good song, but I think no chance of winning

Bulgaria: I like this song, but I fear the rest of Europe won't.  Great drum work; they also have some weird 80's electropop/balkan fusion going on; alas not a winner

Croatia: great voices, dalmatian accapella, no chance of winning

Cyprus: nice song, but luckily won't win.  Country does not have the cash to host next year

Denmark: strong contender if they can attract the nordic and baltic states bloc vote; Sam's favourite tune

Estonia: snore......yet another bland entry

FYR Macedonia: fusion between balkan ballad a bad turbofolk; starts well, but ends up as an interesting experiment that fails

Finland: something about a wedding; no chance

France: No

Georgia: power ballad and strong contender, may get up this year if Caucasus countries vote as a bloc; Turkey may also support due to new oil pipeline through Georgia

Germany: something not right about this song, but can't put my finger on it. Will definitely not get 12 points from Cyprus following recent banking crisis

Greece: Balkan ska, good track.  Think both Greece and Cyprus need some alcohol after economic strife this year; not a serious contender, but will still get 12 points from Cyprus if it makes the final

Hungary: singer has interesting look; boring song; won't win

Iceland: Thor finds a voice!  Nice tune but not a winner.  Iceland lacking gravitas in terms of political influence

Ireland: atleast it's not Jedward; catchy tune but no chance

Israel: Nana Mouskouri protege?? No chance

Italy: Surprisingly good track; not quite 'eurobeat' enough to win

Latvia: a bit like Jedward but without the hair; good fun but not a contender

Lithuania: No, although there is some good eyebrow action from singer

Malta: could be a dark horse.  Good tune, well sung.  Shame Malta does not have much political influence

Moldova: The druid action behind the singer is intriguing, but the song does not inspire. Will not make the final

Montenegro: Ah Crna Gora, you've done it again.  Could be so good, but misses badly.  Weird mix of ninjas, pole dancing and guys in chemical suits.  Won't make the final

Norway: something a bit dark about this one; don't really like it

Romania: oh dear, falsetto can only take you so far. Angus has been imitating this song all week and driving us slightly mad

Russia: power ballad, will no doubt do well but I think not a winner

San Marino: No

Serbia: good song, catchy chorus.  With recent progress on Kosovo issue and talks of EU accession, Serbia could attract some serious votes this year; possibly a chance, but I don't like the singers outfits

Slovenia: not a real contender

Spain: cute song, with intro pipes and something about a white horse; I like the tune, but alas I think not a winner

Sweden: Great song, good look and dancers. But unlikely to win given Sweden as hosts.

Switzerland: Hmm, good fun but not a winner

The Netherlands: different song, interesting tune.  Could make finals but not a winner

Ukraine: good song, strong contender.  We live next to Ukranian embassy, so champagne will flow if this wins

UK: What are they thinking over there? Engelburt last year, and now Bonnie Tyler?  Nul points

So there you have it.  My 2 cents worth on each of the entries this year.  Shame Bosnia and Turkey are not participating this year.  They always put in a strong showing.  

So for mine, the top three entries:

1.  Georgia


2.  Ukraine

3.  Denmark


Enjoy the show!



Sunday, May 5, 2013

Anna's birthday, and an escape to the Karpas

Last Sunday we celebrated Anna's 4th birthday.  The event was much anticipated by Anna, and she dutifully counted down sleeps for the weeks leading up to the day.  She had a party with some friends on Saturday, and then we celebrated the actual day with a trip to the mountains.  Birthday presents this year included a guitar and also a bike, so she did very well.  When she went to choose the bike, there was a choice between a nice girls bike with butterflies and pink ribbons, or a bmx style boys bike called 'the Aggressor'.  Suffice to say 'the Aggressor' won hands down!  Hmm, I wonder what this tells us about Anna?  She loves all things active, and spends her days at the moment constantly bouncing a basketball around the house (sorry Menaka who lives downstairs!).  
A happy 4th birthday Anna!
The party
A day in the Troodos mountains last Sunday.  Our church
has a parish in the mountains that only operates in summer.  
Angus testing out the ski slopes on his bike
We had a public holiday for May Day last Wednesday, followed by Orthodox Easter this weekend, so at the moment we're in the midst of a 6 day break.  We've just returned from spending some time up in the north east of Cyprus, in a region called the Karpas Peninsula.  This is by far the remotest part of the island, and sits within the occupied north.  It's a region of spectacular beaches and coastline that is largely undeveloped, although in some ways is as dysfunctional as it is beautiful.  Infrastructure for visitors is fairly basic, and it's hard to get around without atleast some basic Turkish language. 

Ruins at Agios Filion, Oasis Beach.  Karpas Peninsula
We stayed in couple of places on the Karpas, both of which were on the beach and comprised of basic wooden shacks with beds.  Meals were taken restaurants overlooking spectacular bays, although the standard menu selection of shish, fish or chips started to wear a little thin towards the end of our visit.  Whilst on the Karpas we spent time at an old Greek Orthodox monastery and church called Apostolos Andreas, which is is a pilgrimage site for Greeks from the south on a few significant occasions each year.  The monastery is reputed to be the sight of numerous miracles throughout history, but is now quite run down.  The Apostle Paul spent time there on one of his seagoing voyages, along with various other saints.  Fresh water flows from a spring beneath the monastery, which is located on the coast very close to the north east tip of Cyprus.  


Probably the best known location in the north is Golden Beach, which is a spectacular stretch of sand used by turtles for nesting at various times of the year.  We also spent time in a small village called Dipkarpas, noteworthy due to the fact that it's one of the very few places in the north where Greek Cypriots and Turkish Cypriots continue to co-exist.  Dipkarpas is also quite run down, and on one side of the main street there is a Greek cafe, and on the other a Turkish cafe.  Likewise a large mosque and an old Orthodox church lie in close proximity.  

The future of the Karpas Peninsula is uncertain.  There is growing pressure on development along the peninsula, with significant related concerns about the environmental impacts of unregulated development and a general lack of planning.  It's certainly a part of the world that would have huge potential if it was developed well, but in many ways its isolation may also help to protect it.

We have really enjoyed a change of scenery this weekend, and it's been great to get in the water again.  Also with the kids currently on school holidays, it was good to get away.  A long summer awaits!


Old mosaics among the ruins


View from the restaurant



Taking in the sunset from our rooms


Poppies around the ruins of Agios Filion church




The local fishing fleet


Apostolos Andreas monastery, near the
north east tip of Cyprus




Golden Beach


Anna hard at work
The north-east tip of Cyprus
Wild donkeys on the Karpas


Basic accommodation, but a great view and natural 'pool'
for an ocean swim each morning.
Golden Beach sand dunes