Timeline 1880-2012
ACTIVITIES ON THE STAGE: Catharsis in drama.
According to the Greek philosopher Aristotle in his work ‘Poetics’, the only activity that can be considered as cathartic is the stage where the different programs may cause “sudden emotional climax that evokes feelings like pity, laughter and other extreme changes in emotion resulting in restoration renewal and revitalization” to the people watching. (Sydnay,2009)
The roots of the Festival refer back to the Greek antiquity and the celebrations of the Festival continued without any interruption throughout the centuries and during the various conquests of the Island.
Whatever the conditions were; political or economic, nothing stopped them to celebrate the Festival, expressing in this way their willingness to resist and survive. The Cypriots as well as the foreigners always attended and took part in the Festival.
The way people celebrate at the seafronts and at non coastal areas
Celebrating with water fights (at non-coastal areas)
Symbolic of purifying the Soul
The passage of time and the cohabitation of the customs (Pagan - Christian) have created a meaningless Festival.
There is no sign of Catharsis through the Water Element
Summary Diagram for Current Celebrations
The festival began and ended with a Turkish Parade using clarinets, drums and torches
The celebrations began to weaken
“During the day of the Holy Spirit, crowds are gathered at the coastal areas, at the Holy-‐Sea (Ais-‐ Yialos) as it is called at that day. After washing their feet in the sea, they sail boats by the shore and have fun by throwing water to each other for jocularity with different instruments or shedding each other in the sea for jocularity. In the inland parts of Cyprus where no sea is nearby, the residents resort to rivers or wells to have fun by wetting each other and bath. The ones who stay home during that day, they throw water to each other by any means. It is not considered a good thing not to get wet during that day.” (Sakelariou A., 1890)
People were attending the Festival for ritual and symbolic reasons.
The custom of singing, dancing and having competitions on poetry and rhyming songs, is an old custom back to the ancient time and its lasts until today. Similar poetry competitions in the form of dialogues were held in Greece since ancient times. An example of that are the contests between Homer and Hesiod.
Turkish Boatmen were playing drums and making noises, Negress women were dancing belly dance replacing the Turkish ladies who were not allowed to dance because of the Quran.
Everyone gathered at the seashore and pier: Wash with water, eat, drink, sing and have poetry compeditions
The “slippery skin” was a game that people used to play in the past. A large beam, with its’ surface been suffused with grease, was fastened horizontally from the dock towards the sea. At the end of the beam there was a small flag. The participants had to walk all the way throughout the long slippery beam and catch the small flag. Commonly nobody was able to reach the target and fell in the sea.
The Festival engaged a commercial character. During the first half of the 20th century and more earlier, the Festival was an opportunity for people to celebrate as well as to shop various goods from different parts of Cyprus and abroad. People around Cyprus as well as from nearby countries came to the Festival to sell their products/goods to the crowd.
People used to bring food and drinks with them
The Festival began to weaken since the time the humans started organizing the activities. And by 2012 there have made dramatic changes.
The intervention of the municipal authority of each coastal area was focused primarily for tourist reasons.
Larnaca municipality organises a series of programs that last for six days that includes songs concerts, dances, recitations and poetry competitions, erotic couplets, musical instruments and so on.
It is an open-‐air fair with the concentration of many vendors that are gathered along the beach selling toys, nuts, local products and offering lucky deals to the people.
Fireworks are displayed during the Festival giving a special note on Monday evening, which is the main day of the Celebration.
People turn to have water fights washing each other with water at their courtyards and street since the Palm Tree Promenade is missing the 'Water element'