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It is with great honour that I am with you tonight, at the 1st Cyprus Cultural Festival of Therus, organised by the Acheritos Community Council, which has been put under the auspices of the President of the Republic Mr.Nicos Christodoulides. He, due to unfulfilled obligations, could not be present, so I convey his greeting to today's event.
Acheritou is one of the largest villages of the Mesaoria plain. "Mesarka" has been rightly described as the granary of Cyprus, due to the cultivation of large areas of cereals in it. Besides, the word "straw" is mentioned by historians as one of the possible etymologies of the name of Acheritos.
Summer in Mesaoria was not just an ordinary agricultural work. It was a celebration, an important event for the grain-producing communities, an uprising of all the inhabitants of the communities of Mesaoria who looked forward to it as a reward for a whole year's labour. Euphrosini Rizopoulou-Igoumenidou depicts the harvest in a very vivid way '... the most important ritual events are linked to the harvesting of cereals. The harvest was done with sickles, that is why the polos(i)erka (many hands) was necessary. Families relied on mutual aid, but workers from other regions were also secured. The work was done to the rhythm of songs, with rhythmic movements of the sickle..."
The immense importance of the harvest can also be seen from its depiction and transfer to the arts. Who does not remember the paintings of the rural life painter Casialos depicting the summer, with men at the sickle and women at the harvesting, tying and carrying the bundles. Who did not applaud the elaborate dance of the scythe, a dance taken from the ritual of summer and the skill of the scythe operators.
Unfortunately, this first Festival of Thera is taking place not in your village, in Acheritou, but in the refugee area, in Agios Georgios Vrysoulos, in an area where you settled, the land of Acheritou, from which you can see your houses and fields every day. Over the years, although the small settlement of Acheritou in Vrysoules has evolved into a large community, and despite the fact that we are in the fiftieth year of the refugee movement, the desire to return remains unquenched. This desire strengthens the efforts of the Government of Nicos Christodoulides for a solution to the Cyprus problem and leads to an intensification of our actions, which we hope will bring the desired result of the reunification of our land and the return of the refugee people to their ancestral homes.
Friends,
Cultural events such as tonight's, which are organized by our municipalities and communities and highlight popular culture, are important. Such events preserve historical memory and tradition while shedding light on traditional occupations and arts that have either been abandoned or tend to be abandoned. They represent the world of yesterday and project it creatively into the present, aspiring to keep it unchanged in time. They are undoubtedly a form of resistance in today's era of alienation and individualism.
The Festival programme includes a dance of sowing, harvesting and threshing, a re-enactment of the harvest and a presentation of how bread is made, as well as public participation in this process, all of which are commendable efforts. With the Pancyprian Cultural Festival of Theriault, the Community of Acheritou brings back to our memory our roots and our cultural origins. The Festival provides the means to preserve and transfer our rich cultural heritage to new generations.
In conclusion, I would like to congratulate the Community Council and all those who worked for this beautiful event, and I hope that the Cyprus Cultural Festival of Theroux will become an institution.
In conclusion, I would like to congratulate the Community Council and all those who worked for this beautiful event, and I hope that the Pancyprian Cultural Festival of Theroux will become an institution. I wish everyone a wonderful evening.
Thank you.
(MGM)
Contents of this article including associated images are belongs PIO
Views & opinions expressed are those of the author and/or PIO
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