Traditional Cypriot Easter Customs

Easter or ‘Pascha’ is a holiday period many people wait with anticipation for, especially in Cyprus. During Easter, the majority of the locals engage in fantastic Easter traditions and customs, which as always include plenty of traditional food and a lively atmosphere. The combination of the energy and holy atmosphere makes it the perfect time to visit the island. Let us introduce you to some traditional Cypriot Easter Customs.

The Easter period begins with a custom that starts on Lazarus Saturday. Following on Palm Sunday morning, the people take olive branches to the church, in remembrance of the Jerusalem crowds that carried them during Christ’s welcoming to the city.

Another custom that is a big part of Easter is the food. Even though old, these food customs are preserved in Cyprus to this day. The three main one’s worth mentioning are the avkotes, red eggs and flaounes. The red eggs are a decoration for the avkotes, which are essentially buns or bagels. Tradition dictates that the eggs should be dyed by boiling ingredients such as rubia roots, onion leaves or special seaweeds in the water with the eggs, making the shell turn to red or yellow colours.  

As the Cypriot proverb goes, no flaounes before Easter, no dowry before the wedding, the saying is indeed very relevant for Easter. Flaounes are deeply linked with Easter in Cyprus and their kneading preparation starts on Holy Friday.

The Epitaph custom is celebrated on Good Friday. During the daytime women decorate the epitaph of Jesus with flowers. During the night at the church “myrofores” sing psalms around the epitaph while anointing it. Later on, men carry the epitaph out of the church on their shoulders and walk around the village along with the villagers mourning for Jesus’ death.

Good Saturday is probably the most diverse and eventful day of the Easter period. In the morning at the church priests throw bay leaves at the congregation – a symbol of victory throughout Greek history – while the people start banging their seats for 1-2 minutes straight. At nightfall, Cyprus turns from making noise to making light, the old-fashioned way. Bonfires are lit all around, including in towns, cities and villages. Crowds of participants gather around them to admire the prep of constructing them burn in flames. The symbolism behind this custom is the punishment of Juda who betrayed Jesus.  

If you haven’t noticed already Easter is celebrated with food, like any other Cypriot holiday or event eating is a must. On Easter Sunday lamb gets roasted on splits in people’s homes and backyards, turning the day into a lamb feast. The day continues with traditional games (mainly in the villages) and exchanging hugs and kisses throughout the day.

Next time you visit Cyprus during Easter, experience these unique Cypriot customs while staying at one of Louis Hotels in Paphos, Limassol or Protaras.