Cyprus Holiday

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Celebrate your Easter holidays in Cyprus and join in with local traditions

If you’re thinking of taking your holidays in Cyprus, it might be worth considering a visit over the Easter period. Cypriots make a real effort in celebrating Easter, with lots of traditional customs and family orientated activities. Coupled with the fantastic warm and sunny Cyprus weather, this makes Easter one of the best times of the year to take your holidays in Cyprus.

 

The Greek Orthodox Church places particular importance on Easter, or Pascha as it is known in the native tongue; locals enjoy huge celebratory feasts on Easter Sunday – which always falls on the first Sunday following the spring equinox’s full moon. Easter signifies newness and rebirth, so if you take your holidays in Cyprus at this time of the year, you will very likely see the locals giving their homes a fresh coat of paint or white-wash, cleaning and tidying and also filling the shops to stock up on new outfits and footwear.

A taste of Easter on your Cyprus holidays

In the UK, the food of Easter is chocolate and hot cross buns; if you’re taking your Easter holidays in Cyprus, see if you can sample some of the traditional fare that they make for this special occasion. Holy Wednesday sees local women making cheese cakes called Flaounes – square or triangular shortcrust pastries filled with cheese, egg and mint. While out and about enjoying the Cyprus weather, you are likely to smell the delightful aroma of Tyropitte loaves carried around on the breeze.

 

Your enjoyment of your Cyprus holidays will be helped along by the sight of Cypriot families gathering together on Easter Sunday to celebrate, share picnics and take pleasure in traditional entertainment – all helped along by a healthy dose of wine! Charcoal roasted lamb and a variety of Greek delicacies will be passed around while the children have fun playing games; the favourite traditional game during Easter holidays in Cyprus is to crack red dyed eggs on each other – these eggs will have been painted in preparation on Holy Thursday; the red dye is used to represent the blood of Christ and the cracking of the eggs during Easter Sunday play denotes his breaking free from his tomb. Whoever’s egg remains intact is considered the winner.

 

There are many other traditions that the locals observe at this special time of celebration, particularly church activities to honour Christ. The processions held on Holy Friday are spectacular to witness, so step away from your Cyprus hotel if you’re on your holidays in Cyprus during Easter and venture into the local villages to see for yourself. The churches are filled with local families during the evening of Holy Saturday – bonfires are lit to burn Judas and the midnight service ends with the local priest lighting the candles held by every member of the congregation. After blessings are exchanged, the crowds carry their lit candles back home and tuck into Magiritsa and Avgolemoni soups to celebrate the breaking of the 40 day fast.

 

If you want to enjoy a Cyprus holiday in Easter, why not have a look for some of the special deals that are offered by Cyprus hotels at this magical time of year? There are many beautiful hotels in Cyprus, like the Columbia Beach Hotel and Beach Resort, which are well situated by the sea and local villages – allowing you to enjoy a taste of Cypriot Easter tradition, while taking advantage of the luxurious surroundings and amazing Cyprus weather.


 

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