Traditions and Customs
The traditions and customs of a society can best be observed in ceremonies and on special occasions. Between the Turkish Cypriot community, some of these are wedding ceremonies, feast days (Ramazan), birth, children's starting to school , etc. Another important characteristic of the Turkish Cypriot is their hospitality. In the past, the importance of the guest was proportional with their social status and their age. Serving the guests usually started with coffee or sherbets, especially those of honey, rose and carob. Fruit paste serving was also of importance.
Folk Dances
The Turkish Cypriot people do their folk-dances at the ceremonious occassions such as marriages, kina nights, harvest days, etc. These dances are generally played in the following sequence : meeting dances, henkerchief dances, “zeybek” dance, women dances, dramatic dances, and butcher dances. Meeting dances are made up of women and men meetings. The women's dances are generally slower in tempo.
Traditional Hand Crafts
Yemeni (Traditional Head Scarf)
Yemeni was widely worn by Turkish Cypriot woman. It was a symbol of richness. The material for Yemeni was produced at home by using thin cotton thread and was finely decorated with pretty symbols of flowers, leaves, and branches. The edges were sown with various motifs.
Lace-Work of Lefkara
This is one of the most important handicrafts of Cyprus. The linen that is to be worked on is first tied and stretched on a pillow. Different techniques like cutting out and sewing in shapes are used to decorate the final product. After the motifs are completed, an arch is sewed all around the lace. In the past, they mainly used for personal use. Currently, they are produced mainly for economical purposes, and are sold to the tourists.
Hesap Works
Hesap works were produced both for economical and personal use. This name is given to these works because while decorating them with different motifs, each strand is counted one by one.
Silk Works
One of the most widely used handcrafts in Cyprus was the use of silkworm cocoons. After carefully removing the silkworm in them, the holeless cocoon was used in either picture works or in decorating dresses. Pictures were worked on white, black, or claret red colored Japanese linen.
Plant Knitting
It is the name given to the use of the leaves ir thin branches of plants, as they are or by cutting them into thin ribbons , in different ways. Mesarya and Karpaz regions are the main regions where plant knitting is practiced.
