The dramas of Easter - Paula Manoli-Gray

Happy Easter – Kalo Pascha to everyone!

I do love Easter, but it does come with its dramas, and I don't mean the agonising temptation of Easter eggs and the guilt that follows!

Let's start with the pipe bombs and fireworks. I know I covered this a few weeks back, but there have been some developments… 

After numerous battles with the neighbourhood kids to stop them setting off fireworks in the park next door to the house, one of the kids told us that a policeman had told him that sparklers and small fireworks are okay to use unsupervised and they are allowed to buy them. We don't know if the policeman happens to be his dad, uncle or his dad's uncle's koumbaro, but we had to bite our tongue after a trip to a new discount superstore in Larnaca. There, we found that fireworks are sold freely. You just have to pick them up from the display at the beginning of the shop, pop them into your trolley, pay for them and then you are free to let them off wherever you desire. They even have suitably ominous names like 'fire bomb'. And then we wonder why children can't see the harm in using these things; after all, you can buy them along with your bananas and milk. I didn't see a warning sign or indication that they wouldn't be sold to anyone underage either. 'Only in Cyprus', as we are used to saying…

What I do like about Easter on the island is that we combine elements of Western Easter with Orthodox Easter.  As my own children are 'half and half' (half Cypriot, half English), they get to enjoy the differences of both their cultures, such as the contrast of dyed red eggs and chocolate eggs, religious traditions like decorating the Holy Sepulchre (epitafio), and fairytale traditions like the Easter bunny and egg hunts. Which leads me on to drama number two.

My kids are still in private nursery so we have yet to experience this first hand, but I have heard numerous horror stories from mums whose kids are in the state system (which my son will start in September). Apparently, state schools – including the pre-school – annually show a film of the crucifixion of Christ, complete with dripping blood from the crown of thorns and graphic images of the nails being driven in. I don't know if this is every school or just the village schools I have heard of, but not surprisingly, it has left children in tears and suffering from nightmares. I have also heard that pre-schoolers are taken to church to drink the blood of Christ (wine) so that they may be cleansed of demons. Yes, they are told that they need to be cleansed of their demons at the age of five.

I don't know how I will react if my son has to partake in any of the above next year, but for now, Easter is still a nice time for him, untarnished as yet.

So, if you celebrate – however you celebrate - may you enjoy this time and all the elements that make it uniquely Cyprus, even if your kids do come back from school drunk!

Easter with the kids

The children's play places, Wow Action Park, Party Place and Fun Factory, will all close only on Easter Sunday and will be open the rest of the week, with differing timetables, so check with the establishment for their particular times. Contact: 7000 0025 (Wow) / 2425 3300 (Party Place) / 7000 4095 (Fun Factory).

Leoni Pitman will be holding Easter craft sessions at her Splash 'O' Colour premises Wednesday, April 23 (10am-5pm), Thursday, April 24 (10am – 5pm), and Friday, April 25 (9am – 5pm). The crafts include Easter lanterns, Easter pottery painting and Easter hanging ornaments, amongst other crafts, and the cost per child is €7.50. Contact: 99095148.

Cyherbia Herb Garden, Maze and Woodland will be holding an Easter Egg Hunt starting on Easter Monday (April 21), until Sunday, April 27, from 10am – 5pm.

Located in the Larnaca district village of Avgorou, the event includes hundreds of Easter eggs hidden in the unique maze – the only one on the island – for children to hunt. There will also be other Easter themed games such as an 'I Spy' game in the Herb Garden with the goal to find and name the hidden bunnies, egg and spoon races, sack races and tug-of-war.

On the Monday and Tuesday, and the last day (Sunday), there will be an Easter bonnet and craft competition where children can create their own bonnets and baskets in the craft-area. The creations will be judged on Sunday, April 27, with one winner per craft. Leoni from Splash 'O' Colour will be running the crafts area.

Entrance is €5 per person, which includes a glass of herbal ice tea for adults and participation in the egg hunt and games for children, with each child receiving a small prize too. There is an extra charitable fee for the crafts of €3.50 with a portion of the proceeds going to the 'Stanna Needs Angels Fund' to assist Stanna Wieclawska pay for an urgently needed spinal operation to avoid paralysis.

Miranda Tringilis – owner of the gardens says: "Easter time is a fantastic opportunity for families to go out in the beautiful natural environment Cyherbia offers; kids can play in the clean air and sunshine and parents can join in or relax in the Tea Room. Cyherbia offers kids new adventures and educational activities on every visit."

For more details, contact: 99915443.

On Wednesday, April 23, Angela Ashby will be holding a Beatrix Potter themed Easter Spring Tea Party event at Faneromeni Park.

The whole event will revolve around author Beatrix Potter's charming characters, including Peter Rabbit, Flopsy, Mopsy and Cottontail.

The line-up of the games includes egg and spoon races, 'eggie' golf, an Easter hunt with a twist, hoppy races and pin-the-tail-on-the-bunny. Other activities will consist of face painting, story time and cut-outs to take funny photos.

At the end of the event, all the children will receive a spring-related surprise gift from Peter Rabbit's garden.

Taking place from 10am – 12pm, the event costs €5 per family, which includes all the games and a tea party with food. Participants are asked to bring a picnic blanket, drinking water… and their camera!

Organiser Angela Ashby says: "Beatrix Potter and her characters embody everything spring is about and this themed event will be fun and entertaining, and will feature children's favourite characters from the books. Faneromeni park provides plenty of shade, and the opportunity for families to stick around after the event and enjoy the park, so it's a complete day out for everyone."

For more details, contact: 97610998.

 

Flaounes

This was posted last year, but since then our members have multiplied and we now also have Famagusta, Paphos, Limassol Nicosia and Cyprus Parents Network, so I thought I'll share this with you all once again…………Flaounes....a little pastry parcel filled with a tasty cheese filling, traditionally made at Easter time in Cyprus. Sometimes food does not always just stimulate our taste buds, sometimes taking a bite might stimulate something deep inside us, a distant memory, a familiar feeling of surroundings lost in the past or fond memories of relatives that have passed away...flaounes always take me to a very special place,one bite takes me back to the happiest time in my childhood..my time in my beautiful little village, spent with my Grandmothers. You can only imagine the freedom felt by my brother and me as children, set free in an orchard,climbing trees,exploring the village and always treated with such fondness from the villagers because we were the grandchildren returned from England. Easter, though, was so special in the village, memories of my Grandmothers busy making koulourakia and of course these tasty flaounes, and going to Church on Saturday evening carrying my candle and a little basket filled with a flaouna and my bright red egg, ready to eat after the priest cried out 'Christos Anesti' at midnight!! I have never felt the same at Easter away from my little village, most of my relatives have visited Leonarisso in the North, always coming back with very sad reports, but I have never been, always feeling something stopping me from going...I feel I just don't want to spoil all those beautiful memories and just keep them special in my heart.... Christos Anesti!!!

For the dough

5 cups self-raising flour

2-3 tablespoons sugar (optional)

1 teaspoon baking powder

6-7 cherry mahaleb grains (available in local supermarkets)

6-7 small mastic grains (available in local supermarkets)

1 teaspoon sugar

1 cup oil

1.5 cup lukewarm milk

For the filling

1 kg flaouna cheese or any other hard cheese

1/2 cup semolina

1 sachet Yeast

6-8 eggs

6-7 small mastic grains

1 teaspoon sugar

1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder

Fresh mint finely chopped

1 cup sultanas

1 1/2 cup sesame seeds

1 egg for brushing

Method

Grate the cheese one day in advance and place it in the fridge to dry. Stir once or twice.

Whisk the eggs for the filling and combine the cheese with the semolina and yeast.

 Add as many eggs as needed (about six) to make a rather firm mixture.

Cover with a kitchen towel and set aside.

Make the dough by mixing the flour , baking powder, mastic and the cherry mahaleb pounded with 1 teaspoon sugar. Pour in the oil and rub into the flour using your fingertips until the mixture resembles fine breadcrumbs. Knead with as much milk as needed to make a plyable dough.

Cover with a kitchen towel for half an hour.

Before starting rolling out the dough, finish the filling by adding the mint, baking powder, sultanas cherry mahaleb and the mastic pounded with 1 teaspoon sugar.

Stir well. Rinse the sesame seeds, drain and place on a kitchen towel.

Roll out the dough thinly to give a square shape of medium size.

Place each piece of dough on the sesame seeds and press on the bottom side only.Put some filling in the centre of each piece and fold the four sides to form a square shape, leaving the filling in the centre uncovered.

 Place the flaounes on an ungreased, lightly floured baking tray and brush them with some beaten egg.

Bake for about 40 minutes in a pre-heated, moderately hot oven (160*C) until golden brown.

Androulla xx

4 Secrets to Being A Happy Mother

Set Your Own Standards
Being a mom comes with its fair share of advice, both warranted and otherwise; you’ll no doubt hear the opinions of in-laws, friends, and complete strangers, and they’ll have the latest on just exactly how you’re supposed to raise your kiddo. Add this to the mountains of parenting magazines out there telling you what to do as well, and you can easily become overwhelmed. 

Take a Time-out
When it comes to time-outs, sometimes you need to be the recipient rather than the giver. Everyone needs a break now and then, so don’t feel guilty about sneaking away to take a long, hot bath or to curl up with a good book. When you return to your parental obligations, you’ll be refreshed and ready to tackle finger-painting, refereeing, or whatever else comes your way!

Connect with Other Moms
A little moral support never hurt anyone, and no one can understand what your life is like better than a fellow mom. Just chatting with someone who truly gets it, even if that person is an online friend, can help reduce your stress level and let you know that you’re not alone in the journey.

Prioritize
There are just too many tasks that come with motherhood to get them all done, all the time. That’s why, in order to be a happy mom, you’ve got to start prioritizing. Take a few minutes in the morning to list three to four chores, or errands, that absolutely have to get done. Leave the rest for another day. After all, if you clean and toil 24 hours a day, 7 days a week, you’ll miss the best part of being a mom. 

Hot Cross Buns

This year we have a combined English and Orthodox Easter, so it's going to have to be Flaounes alongside Hot-cross buns, which sounds good to me.....as a Cypriot born and bred in the U.K, I feel privileged to grow up within two cultures, everything is different within you because of this, our humour,our values, some of the choices we make and of course our knowledge of two very different cuisines....Moussaka followed by Apple Tart...Traditional English Roasted Turkey on Christmas Day and Souvla,Pastitsio and Kollokassi on Boxing Day...yes, indeed we are lucky!!! Today, we'll start with those lovely sticky traditional English Easter cakes, Hot Cross Buns and tomorrow it'll be flaounes!! Enjoy!!

Ingredients

For the buns
625 g Flour
1 tsp Salt
2 tsp ground mixed spice
45g unsalted butter, cut into cubes, plus extra for greasing
85g Sugar
Zest of one Lemon
1 sachet yeast
1 Egg
275ml tepid Milk
125g Mixed Dried Fruit..I prefer to use sultanas
For the topping
2 tblsp plain flour
Vegetable oil for greasing
Honey, gently heated for glazing

Method

For the buns, sieve the flour, salt and ground mixed spice into a bowl, then rub in the butter using your fingertips. Make a well in the centre of the mixture, and then add the sugar and lemon zest and yeast.
Beat the egg and add to the flour with the tepid milk. Mix together to a form a soft, pliable dough.
Turn out the dough onto a lightly floured work surface. Add the mixed dried fruit or sultanas into the dough until well combined. Knead lightly for 5 minutes until smooth and elastic.
Grease a large, warm mixing bowl with butter. Shape the dough into a ball and place it into the prepared bowl, then cover with a clean tea towel and set aside in a warm place for one hour to prove.
Turn out the proved dough onto a lightly floured work surface and knock back the dough. Shape it into a ball again and return it to the bowl, then cover again with the tea towel and set aside for a further 30 minutes to rise.
Turn out the dough onto a lightly floured work surface and divide it into 12 equal pieces. Roll each piece into a ball, then flatten slightly into a bun shape using the palms of your hands. Cover the buns again with the tea towel and set aside to rest for 5-10 minutes.
Grease a baking tray with butter and transfer the buns to the tray. Cover with a tea towel and set aside in a warm place for a further 40 minutes to rise.
Preheat the oven to 240C/475F/Gas 8.
Meanwhile, for the topping, mix the plain flour to a smooth paste with 2 tablespoons of cold water.Spoon the flour mixture into a piping bag and pipe a cross on each bun.
Transfer the buns to the oven and bake for 8-12 minutes, or until pale golden-brown. As soon as you remove the buns from the oven, brush them with the hot honey, then set aside to cool on a wire rack.

Androulla