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Christmas

Here below we mention enough from the old customs and which some of them exist up to today in the community of Tersefanoy.

Customs of Christmas

From the beginning of December is observed a big activity in the households of the community that concern the preparations for the big feast of Christmas.

Housewives began the general cleanness of the houses by doing the white painting of the walls with plaster or lime which was been dissolved in water.

Afterwards, they did the dusting, shining, arranging of furniture and household items. They baked crackers as well.

On Christmas day people go to church.

After that, they go to their houses and all the family sat in the table with their best men and ate pork meat, soup of frumenty or soup of egg lemon, in a cheerful pleasant and festival familial environment.

Most of the families have pigs that they grow and 2-3 days before the Christmas they slaughtered it and also they put it in a cauldron with hot water in order to remove its hair. With the meat of pig people manufactured «lountzes» (=it is something like ham), gammons and sausages. They hung the sausages high in the fireplace in order to cook them slowly-slowly. They also put a quantity of meat into wine in order to make it to be cooked with wine. People used the abdomen of the pig in order to make a food named «pasti». They also used the head and the legs of the pig in order to make a food with the name of «Zalatina». They fried the rest and then they keep it in some ceramic bowls (named «alifta koumnia» in Greek) with the crushed lard (named «larti» in Greek), which when it congealed, it reserve the meat for a long it maintained the meat for enough time interval.

The small children took the balloon of the pig and they inflated it. They made a ball and played football in this way.

Customs of New Year's Day

At the evening of the eve of New Year Day the family, with their friends and their best men, gathered for food and for various games with playing cards «spastra», «kounkan» and «31». At 12 o'clock, when the year changed; they exchanged wishes and gifts and continued their games

At noon of New Year Day, after the meal, the landlord cut the New Year's cake which has a lucky coin inside. Whoever founds the lucky coin in his piece of cake would be the luckiest person of the New Year.

This custom is maintained up to today.

Epiphany Day

At the eve of Epiphany Day the housewives baked «xerotiana» (this is the name of a Cypriot traditional sweet) in order to eat with their families. Then, they threw some on the houses roofs' so bugbears or «Kalikatzaroi» eat and leave.

After the end of ceremony at the church the Priest of village goes around all houses to bless them with Agiasma (Holy water) accompanied from two children that kept the Agiasma.

 

 
 
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