Blog
A Guide to Some Traditional Cypriot Customs
Cyprus is one of the most popular destinations for British expats; more than 70,000 people who used to live in the UK have now made this Mediterranean island their home. English is one of the country’s main languages, alongside Greek and Turkish, and it’s also a comparatively cheap place to live.
However, there are one or two aspects of life which may take you by surprise if you are considering international removals to Cyprus. Here Hamiltons Removals outline a few customs and traditions which any new Cypriots should be aware of.
Weddings
If you are involved in, or invited to, a Cypriot wedding there will be some aspects which will be familiar – and plenty which are not. For instance, the couple wear red scarves (a symbol of virginity and fertility) and wear crowns as a symbol of God’s blessing. During the ceremony, rice is tossed at the couple, again as a sign of fertility. However, the couple still exchange vows and rings, and the bride tosses away her bouquet towards unmarried girls and women after the service.
The practice of throwing either knives or plates, both of which were imported from Greek culture and formed part of the wedding reception, has now largely died out on safety grounds. Instead, visitors or guests are more likely to throw flowers instead – which are far less likely to cause any damage or injuries.
Name Days
Birthday celebrations in Cyprus are kept comparatively low-key. Of far greater importance are the Name Days, which relate to the patron saint of any particular region. Anyone with the name Costantinos, Costas, Dino, Costantia or Tina will celebrate St Constantine’s Day, while Elenas and Elenis can look forward to St Helena’s Day.
Anyone with the exact name or any of its variants can look forward to either a barbecue or a buffet at their house, along with plenty of singing, dancing and drinking. Invitations are not traditionally given to join the celebrations – friends, family and neighbours are just expected to visit. This tradition also has its roots in the Greek Orthodox Church and it extends to whole neighbourhoods where the parish church shares its name with a saint.
Carnival
This is celebrated in late February or early March and is in honour of Dionysus, the God of Feasts and Good Cheer. For ten days, there are feasts, fancy-dress parties, street parades (usually on the first day) and everyone is in a festive mood. For anyone considering removals to Limassol, the celebrations in the city (pictured above) are generally believed to be the liveliest and the most entertaining.
Easter
This celebration is longer and more varied than its UK equivalent. It lasts for five days, not four, and is preceded by 50 days of fasting during Lent (usually this starts as soon as the carnival events have come to an end). The country takes its fasting very seriously, with meat, fish and dairy products all banned in the seven weeks before Easter. Most shops and businesses are shut for the whole five days, and on Easter Saturday many Greek Orthodox Cypriots head to church for the midnight sermon.
After the service, candles and bonfires are lit and firecrackers let off all round the island; this signifies the end of the fasting period. On Easter Sunday families celebrate with feasting, singing and dancing.
Christmas
After Easter, this is the second most important festival in the Cypriot calendar. It’s less commercialised than it is in the UK and it is very much focused on the family. Christmas carol singing and leaving cookies and milk out for Santa Claus are both common traditions here.
There’s also plenty of special food made for the festive season, including Christopsomo (a soft, sweet bread which translates as ‘The Bread of Christ’ and is meant to be shared by hand, not cut), melomakarona (cinnamon and orange cookies, glazed in honey syrup and covered with nuts), and kourabiedes (almond biscuits coated with icing sugar).
International Removals to Cyprus with Hamiltons Removals
We provide shipping and removals to all areas of Cyprus, including Limassol, Kyrenia, Larnaca and Nicosia. Our service can include full packing and unpacking or just the shipping of your belongings, where we offer either a dedicated container for your sole use, or a groupage service where you will share the container with other people’s possessions. We cater for commercial as well as domestic moves, and are highly experienced in moving specialist items, pets and cars.
If you’d like to know more about our international removals to Cyprus, follow this link or call us on 01379 855203.
Moving to Wells-next-the-Sea with Hamiltons Removals
Wells-next-the-Sea is world-famous for its wide, sandy beach and its picture-postcard town centre, which have attracted plenty of film-makers and tourists in recent years. Here Hamiltons removals, who can offer high-end removals if you are interested in moving house to Wells-next-the-Sea, look at the town’s history, facilities and house prices.
The History
Wells-next-the-Sea was originally just called Wells because of the number of spring wells the town had. These rose through the chalk foundations which were common in the region. In the 14th Century, however, the ‘next-the-sea’ suffix was added, to distinguish the town from other places called Wells across the UK.
The town was a seaport even before the name change, with grain and coal the major exports and imports. It was also a fishing port with its own fleet of vessels, catching Cromer crabs, lobsters, mussels, skate and King’s Lynn brown shrimps. While the town’s importance as a port has declined, the fishing fleet remains – a fact reflected in the local restaurants, which usually have plenty of seafood on the menu.
The Facilities
The beach at Wells-next-the-Sea is part of the Holkham Estate and is around a mile from the town. If you want to conserve your energy before you get to the sand and the sea, you can take the Wells Beach bus service. Many wading birds can be seen on the foreshore, including oystercatchers and avocets.
The town lies in the Norfolk Coast Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty and the lack of light pollution also means it’s ideal for stargazing as well as birdwatching. And if you prefer crustaceans to birds, then you can always go crabbing on the quay.
Independent shops are the order of the day in the town centre with plenty of local butchers, bakers, greengrocers and fishmongers (although there is a Co-op as well). Wells Maltings, which also houses the town’s tourist information centre, is now the hub of the local arts scene.
If you are looking for a day out, try nearby Holkham Hall – the 18th century country house is open to the public on Sundays, Mondays and Thursdays. There is also a full programme of events in the grounds of the estate including concerts and theatrical performances, as well as seasonal events at Easter, Halloween and Christmas.
Transport Links
The town is on the main A149 coast road between Holkham and Stiffkey and is often winding and quite narrow. There is a Coasthopper bus service which operates seven days a week and runs hourly on Mondays to Saturdays and almost hourly on Sundays and public holidays.
Although the town no longer has a mainline train station (one line west to King’s Lynn was never reinstated after 1953 storm damage, while the line to Norwich and further south was a victim of the Beeching cuts of the 1960s) there is still a heritage steam railway which attracts plenty of visitors. The Wells and Walsingham line is a 10 ¼ inch gauge railway and uses part of the old tracks.
House Prices
All these facilities and seaside views come at a price if you are interested in moving house to Wells-next -the-Sea. Rightmove reports that the average price of a home in the town is now in excess of £0.5 million, although terraced and semi-detached properties are usually considerably cheaper.
There is also a local charity, Homes for Wells, which helps provide homes for local people; they currently own or manage 30 houses in and around the town and they buy properties with the help of grants and loans.
Moving House to Wells-next-the-Sea with Hamiltons Removals
As a leading Norfolk removals company, we can help with all aspects of your move to Wells-next-the-Sea. We can offer optional extras, such as packing and unpacking all your possessions (even if they are large or unusual items) and cleaning your old home. We can help with domestic and commercial moves to all parts of Norfolk, including Cromer, Sheringham, Burnham Market, King’s Lynn, Diss or the county town of Norwich.
To learn more about our high-end removals to Norfolk, follow this link or call us on 01379 855203.