16th February 2017Did you know what day is today?
-It’s not just another Thursday, but the well-known fun Annual National Day for the island of Cyprus and especially for all citizens of Limassol!
– It’s called in Cypriot dialect: “Tsiknopempti”; which actually marks the official start to the Limassol Carnival which lasts for 10 continuous days.
– It is a traditional Catholic Christian feast marking the last Thursday before Lent and the Greek Orthodox Easter.
Cypriots celebrate “Tsiknopempti”, which literally means “Thursday of the Smoke of Grilled Meat”. It is celebrated 11 days before Clean Monday or the well-known over the island as “Kathari Deftera”; in Green Monday!
Cypriots celebrate by going out to the streets and consuming large quantities of grilled meat, such as souvla, souvlaki & seftalies. All the town of Limassol set up grills in central squares with carnival music and dances.
The tradition of cooking the meat is on a charcoal barbeque The smell of burning charcoal and the meat cooking covers the whole of Limassol and you will see the souvla, kebab and other meats, cooking on a barbeque or the well-known “foukou”; the traditional Cyprus spit.
The best place to enjoy “Tsiknopempti” in Limassol is the Old Town; where visitors will see all the narrow streets lined with people cooking their meat, and enjoying the carnival atmosphere as this is the time when people traditionally begin to wear their carnival costumes.
The whole of Limassol Old Town turns into one large street party, with lots of dancing in the streets and everybody just having a great time.
For more info about city activities over this year’s Carnival Period press on this link: http://bit.ly/2kBrRF4
