T he food is perfect, the residents are hospitable and relaxed, and the customs that still reign there are something you’ll nd unexpected. It is as though Aphrodite herself dipped her ngers in, because women are very important on this island. Apart from driving on the left, Cyprus has several other inter- esting customs that make it unique around the world.
Savršene peščane plaže, tirkizno more i više od 300 sunčanih dana godišnje samo su neki od razloga zbog kojih turisti biraju Kipar za odmor, a čim sletite, shvatite da je Kipar mnogo više od toga Flawless sandy beaches, turquoise waters and more than 300 sunny days a year are just a few of the main reasons that tourists choose Cyprus for their holiday. But you will realise the moment you land that Cyprus is much more than that
DAUGHTERS RULE
Daughters are a real treasure in Cyprus. They were traditionally the ones who stayed in their own house af- ter marriage, with their husband joining their household. If a father had three daughters, he had the responsibili- ty of building three houses for them. A future husband would come with some sort of dowry and a suitcase of belongings. If somehow things didn’t go right with the marriage, the woman would stay in her house, while her husband could only leave with the suitcase he brought with him. It is perhaps because of this custom, which is slowly disappearing today, that this island has such a low divorce rate.
Er Srbija leti do Larnake 2 puta nedeljno Air Serbia flies to Larnaca 2 times a week
MEGALOMANIACAL WEDDINGS
Weddings in Cyprus are celebrations that are proba- bly attended by the most people you can imagine. There are always at least a thousand people at weddings. Every- one is invited – friends, relatives, acquaintances, neigh- bours... Everyone comes to the church wedding, passes in front of the newly-weds, congratulations them, places an envelope in the box, has a drink, eats what’s on o er and leaves, because weddings in Cyprus don’t last long. The guests gather only to give their contribution to help the young couple more easily start their life together.
SURNAMES DON’T MATTER
The family name in Cyprus is as important as a ski suit, i.e., it’s completely immaterial. There is no question about taking a joint surname at weddings. Almost all members of a family can have di erent surnames and they can change their last names whenever they want.
FIRST NAMES ARE IMPORTANT
Unlike surnames, rst names are an important issue for Cypriots. When a child is born, girls are named after the mother of their mother, while boys are named after the father of their father. Name days, representing the day celebrating a saint after which one is named, are al- so very important for Cypriots. This is more than a birth- day, with major celebrations held, while guests are not invited, but rather expected to show up and congratu- late the one celebrating.
BAKSUZNI UTORAK .
rodi, ukoliko je devojčica, žena daje ime bebi po svojoj majci, a ako je de- čak, suprug daje ime po svom ocu. Imendan, dan kada se slavi svetac po kojem neko nosi ime, takođe je veoma važan dan za Kiprane. To je više od rođendana, prave se velika slavlja, a gosti se ne pozivaju, očeku- je se da samo dođu i čestitaju.
UNLUCKY TUESDAY THE 13 TH
Grdno ste se prevarili ako ste mi- slili da će neko na Kipru obratiti pa- žnju na petak 13. Ali ako 13. u mesecu padne u utorak, za Kiprane je to pra- vi baksuzni dan. Tog dana stanovni- ci se pozdravljaju frazom „i kakja ora“ (loše vreme) da bi ih pratila sreća.
If you thought someone in Cyprus might pay atten- tion on Friday the 13 th , you’d be grossly mistaken. But if the 13 th day of a month falls on Tuesday, that’s a truly un- lucky day for Cypriots. On that day Cypriots greeted each other with a special phrase, “i kakya ora” (bad weather), in order for good luck to nd them.
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