I love this time of year when we have carnival, Green Monday, Easter, mild weather, flowers in bloom… and the knowledge that we have used neither heating nor air-conditioning, therefore we (should) get our lowest electricity bills of the year!
It is also at times like this that I am amused and fascinated at human nature and traditions.
For example, we had Green Monday last week, then the UK had Pancake Day the day after. On Green Monday the skies were filled with the sight of flying kites and people ate a healthy meal packed with vegetables. On Pancake Day, hoards of people got together and made and ate pancakes socially. Yet on any other day of the year, the two practises are far more rare. Okay, in the case of pancakes there are people who indulge regularly, but the point is, the funny human trait of doing something en masse on one particular day of the year because it is 'tradition'.
For the island, kite flying should be a regular pastime for children; getting them out in the fresh air and enjoying an activity with their parents, but I never see or hear of kites flying other than on Green Monday. In fact, there aren't many shops that sell kites all-year round, yet there is a kite explosion with every size, shape and design you can imagine in the run-up to the event.
I guess, if these things were part of daily life, they wouldn't be as special. Pancakes always taste better on Pancake Day, as do hot cross buns and tsoureki (sweet bread) at Easter. They give us something to look forward to and break the year up into sections and milestones, as well as keeping shops ticking over with the specialist trade that Valentine's Day, Christmas and other holidays bring.
I personally love Green Monday, and being out in the fields. Again, I should be enjoying Lenten picnics with family on a regular basis, but am not 'forced' to do so unless there is a public holiday, and so I am grateful that tradition dictates I do this. At least we still have these holidays that make us stop, enjoy, savour and take stock - in many other countries they are dying out.
At a recent church memorial I attended, the priest made a speech about how in these times of crisis we should not be wasting our money on frivolities such as the carnival. He went as far as to say that we should donate the money to the church instead, as it is in need of paying off its loan for the building of said church. I was saddened to hear him saying this at a time when we need to be able to take a breather from the troubles and remember that good times can be had; that there is joy in our traditions and that we don't have to have all the money in the world to enjoy spending time with people we care about. I won't comment on the church loan part!
Traditions are one of the things I love about Cyprus, and I don't think we will ever be short on reasons to spend quality time with the family and friends, or enjoy a big, shared meal. But my waistline is certainly glad they don't sell that crazily delicious tsoureki all year round!
First appeared in The Cyprus Weekly - 08/03/14
