Many local shops are now offering late night shopping, the roundabouts in Limassol each have festive decorations including ambitious three dimensional models of king-sized snowflakes! Local children can be heard practising all the well-loved carols - and yes, despite the sunny days, Christmas has arrived in Cyprus!

Christmas in Cyprus is certainly more commercialised than it was a decade ago and began in early November - a whole month earlier than in previous years!

Nevertheless, it is not nearly as commercialised as in many other European countries and is still very much

a time for families! Although Christmas is an enjoyable festival, Easter remains the most important festival in the Orthodox calendar. Christmas in Cyprus is still very much a family affair, and villages throughout Cyprus remind visitors of the biblical story with small caves transformed into nativity scenes. In Paphos close to the catacombs of Ayia Solomoni on the main road leading to the harbour is the sizeable cave in 'Fabrica Hill', which at this time of year is transformed into a beautiful nativity scene that is very popular with local children.

Spiritual preparations for Christmas began forty days before Christmas Day and during this time many local people fast, refraining from meat and dairy products. In days gone by, the weeks leading up to Christmas was the time when local housewives would buy a new outfit of clothes for each family member to bring them good luck in the forthcoming year.

Children eagerly await Saint Basil...

Local children traditionally look forward to the arrival of St Basil on New Year's Day. He arrives with many special gifts including prosperity and good health for the family, and nutrients for the soil so that next year's harvest will be terrific - as well as toys and other goodies for children of all ages. The shops are full of European style Christmas decorations and although there are artificial Christmas trees for sale, most families still prefer a tree that has been grown on the slopes of Troodos.

Christmas shopping - Cyprus style!

Christmas shopping is a very relaxed affair in Cyprus, and one of the best places to look for presents is in the market. There are markets in each of the main towns and they have stalls piled high with all types of festive goodies - many of them edible! In Limassol a wander in the streets around the castle will reveal several small craft shops selling unusual and beautifully made presents. Amongst the shops is Alexia who makes beautiful ornaments in stained glass and 'Melia' the candle workshop where you can choose either the traditional Cyprus candles with their wonderful fragrance or the latest designs and shapes of candles - there is something for every room! The new Sea Sponge Museum by the Old port has a wealth of great gift ideas including sponges, loofahs, local herbs and herbal teas.

So many gifts to choose in each town

In Paphos, the old streets around the Municipal market reveal different craftsmen making a wide range of potential gifts, whilst in Larnaca a visit to the House of Crafts will reveal a wide range of paintings, toys, wood carvings and other crafts that have all been made by local craftspeople. In Nicosia, if you wander around the winding streets of Laiki Yitonia you will again find skilled craftspeople making such traditional gifts as pottery, jewellery and copper pans. On the southern outskirts of the city, you can find the Cyprus Handicraft Service where many different craftspeople can be found working under one roof. It is great fun to watch them at work, and the well-stocked shop is full of their work. If you don't have time to travel to Nicosia, you can find a retail branch of The Cyprus Handicraft Service in each main town.

Why not combine shopping with a great day out?

Cyprus is the perfect place to combine Christmas shopping with sightseeing. A trip to Lefkara is interesting and of course the
village is well-known for its distinctive embroidery and filigree silver work. In Yeroskipou you can enjoy a visit to the beautiful 11th century five-domed church of Ayia Paraskevi and then buy some colourful baskets that double up perfectly as Christmas stockings! Visiting the Cyprus Delights {Loukoumia} factories in the village is fun and there are 22 different flavours to sample and you can watch them being made - and don't forget the local sugared almonds they are simply the most delicious in the world!

In Droushia the 'copper man' makes beautiful traditional styles of pans and spoons that look really good as decoration by an open fire. The village has a new little weaving museum where you can watch how rugs are made and then buy one - they are brilliant as hard-wearing covers for the back seats of cars! In Lemba, a small hamlet on the outskirts of Paphos there is a wonderful little pottery making contemporarily styled coffee sets and wine goblets - this is definitely the way to enjoy Christmas shopping! If you need further inspiration and details of local craft workshops, pop into the local Cyprus Tourist Organisation.

Eat, drink and be merry!

Whilst roast turkey and joints of ham are popular in many European countries, in Cyprus pork has always been the special festival food. In Cyprus, pork is considered a sacred meat and was always especially enjoyed throughout the festive season. In days gone by, each family reared a pig especially for Christmas and this was ceremoniously slaughtered by the man of the house. He would then carefully prepare the meat, salting it liberally and sprinkling it with plenty of coriander, which was considered by many to bring good luck.

A variety of delicious traditional dishes…both savoury

A number of traditional dishes made from the pork have been developed over the years, the most well known being loukanika which are delicious sausages that have been soaked in red wine and gently smoked to develop their flavour, and now available for most of the year in local supermarkets. Hiromeni is another special pork dish that is made by soaking the joint in local wine for several days before hanging it at the side of a log fire to be smoked. At one time Lountza, the gently smoked ham could only be enjoyed at Christmas time, but these days it is available all year round in the local supermarkets.

...and sweet...

Local housewives make a delicious Christmas cake, which is not unlike the British style cake, and its origins in Cyprus can be traced back to when the island was a British colony. Cypriot Christmas cake contains many of the local specialities including almonds, walnuts and Cyprus Brandy. The Cyprus style cake is made with glykes - these are local fruits that have been preserved in a special sweet syrup. Traditionally the Christmas cake is sprinkled with orange water once it has come out of the oven to add to its special taste. Housewives also prepare plenty of kourambiedes for their family. These are delicious shortbread biscuits that contain pieces of almonds and are covered with a thick and tasty layer of icing sugar. The other favourites are melomakaronas that are delicious little buns soaked in delicious honey.

Local folklore too...

Many Cypriots believe in the kalikanzari who are supposed to be naughty goblins who cause havoc on earth for the twelve days of Christmas. The goblins are said to be the souls of unborn babies and who are restless for the twelve days of Christmas. It is said that showing them a scarlet thread will make the kalikanzari behave and that leaving a plate of Christmas food up on the house roof will help keep them happy!

In Cyprus it is certainly a time to eat drink and be merry in the company of loved ones and close friends and Cypriots living abroad try very hard to get home to enjoy the festive season in their home village. Visitors are warmly welcomed throughout the holiday and are warmly wished Happy Christmas!

Looking ahead to the New Year!

New Year has extra magic in Cyprus because Saint Basil arrives with presents on the 31st December. Early on New Year's Day all housewives serve Vassilopitta, the special New Year's cake to their family and someone is lucky enough to win the hidden coin that ensures good luck for the forthcoming year. It is said that Saint Basil brings love and luck to the unmarried so on New Year's Eve evening, young girls can be seen trying their luck in love with an old superstition. It is said that if a girl throws a small olive branch into the open fire and it crackles and jumps, her loved one, really loves her, alas if the olive branch just burns quietly away…

and the very special New Year's Cake

On New Year's morning the Vasilopitta is served to the family. The first slice is put on one side for the church, the second for the poor and the third to be thrown up on the roof for the Kalikanzari. All the family members are served a slice in age order - the most senior family member first, and of course there is much delight when the hidden coin is found! New Year's Day is definitely a day to be happy because local tradition tells that however you feel on 1st January is how you will feel all year through, and it is definitely another day to be enjoyed with the family…