Vasilopita pronounced vah-see-LO-pee-tah, is the Greek lucky new year’s cake or bread served at midnight on New Year’s Eve, to celebrate the life of Saint Basil.

After baking the Vasilopita cake, a coin is inserted through the base.

When cut, the person who finds the coin is said to be granted luck for the rest of the year!

So just before 24:00 exactly at midnight, when the change of the year is about to take place, the lights go out and counting down from ten to one and immediately after, everyone wakes up again wishing and happy birthday and a happy new year with the spectacle fireworks in the sky.

Vasilopita enters the table where the householder, after crossing it with the knife, says three times: Happy Birthday and of the Year! and begins to cut it with the first piece of Christ, the Virgin, the House, the Housewife, the Housewife, the Poor, St. Basil, etc. Then begins the feast with songs and dances (New Year’s Eve).

Finally, Vasilopita is often traditionally cut and served in businesses and associations, usually during the first week of the year as a token to welcome the new year with health and prosperity.

And of course, the member or employee that finds the coin is given money or a special gift!

Happy New Year and Happy New Year!

The post Vasilopita –The Greek Lucky New Year’s Cake appeared first on LoveCyprus | We Love Cyprus and you will Love it too..

The Coca-Cola Christmas truck made its appearance in 1995 and to this day has given life to the magic of Christmas to millions of consumers around the world!

From the 4th to the 24th of December, the iconic Coca-Cola truck will pass through its journey from Larnaca, Limassol, Nicosia and Paphos, offering joy and gifts to young and old! It will visit the main streets of each city and will park in large supermarkets and Malls, inviting consumers to be photographed with Santa Claus and his elves!

The dates and times of the visit of the Coca-Cola Christmas truck are presented below:

4/12/21 Larnaca: Ioannides Supermarket, Metropolis Mall 17:00-18:30

5/12/21 Limassol: Sklavenitis Kato Polemidia 17:00-18:30

6/12/21 Nicosia: On the road (Engomi, Aglatzia, Latsia, Center of Nicosia) 17:30-20:00

7/12/21 Nicosia: Papantoniou Engomi 17:00-19:00

8/12/21 Nicosia: Alpha Mega Engomi 17:00-18:30

11/12/21 Paphos: Papantoniou Greece 17:00-19:00

12/12/21 Limassol: Sklavenitis Columbia 17:00-18:30

14/12/21 Nicosia: Papantoniou Engomis 17:00-19:00

15/12/21 Larnaca: Alpha Mega Larnaca 17:00-18:30

16/12/21 Paphos: Alpha Mega Paphos 17:00-18:30

18/12/21 Nicosia: THINK 30 Stasikratous, Lakatameia Metro 16:00-17:00/ 18:00-19:30

19/12/21 Limassol: Alpha Mega Capsalos 17:00-18:30

20/12/21 Larnaca: Larnaca Metro 17:00-18:30

21/12/21 Paphos: Garden of Eden (TSAKARIAS) 17:00-18:30

22/12/21 Limassol: Papantoniou Ύψωνας 17:00-19:00

23/12/21 Nicosia: Mall Lakatameias / Athienitis 16:30-18:00

23/12/21 Nicosia Makariou Avenue Nicosia 19: 0-20:30

24/12/21 Nicosia: Neo Plaza 15:00 – 16:30

24/12/21 Nicosia: Makariou Avenue Nicosia 18:00-19:00

In the stories of the Coca-Cola HBC Cyprus page on Facebook and Instagram you can follow the journey of the Christmas truck and send your photos! Look for it in the streets of Cyprus and share the optimism and joy!

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On December 23, 24, 29, 30 and 31, 2021, Santa Claus will be on the city streets on a motorcycle from the Nicosia Museum of Historic Motorcycles.

Tuesday, December 21, 2021- Makariou Avenue (outside the City Plaza)

• 15:00 – 15:30 Christmas program by the String Orchestra of the European Conservatory
• 15:30 – 16:00 Christmas carols by the European Conservatory Choir
• 16:30 – 17:00 Dance presentation by Olariu Dance Academy
• 17:30 – 18:30 Christmas presentation by the Cyprus Police Philharmonic
• 19:00 – 20:00 Dance by System D-7 Dance Studio

Wednesday, December 22, 2021 in Eleftherias Square (under the bridge)

• 18:15 – 18:45 Christmas program by the Symphony Band of the Municipality of Strovolos – European University of Cyprus
• 19:00 – 20:00 Christmas carols from Musicopolis Music School

Thursday, December 23, 2021

• 16:00 – 16:30 Open presentation by the Music and Theater Workshop Maria Chrysostomou in Eleftherias Square (under the bridge)
• 16:30 Street theater by Clown Kapello on Stasikratous Street
• 17:00 – 17:30 Dance by E-Motion Dance on Stasikratous Street
• 18:00 Christmas carols by the Children’s Choir of the Municipality of Nicosia on Stasikratous Street
• 18:15 Christmas carols by the Adult Choir of the Municipality of Nicosia on Stasikratous Street
• 18:30 – 18:45 Christmas carols by the Children’s Choir of the Municipality of Aglatzia on Stasikratous Street
• 19.30 – 20.30 Santa Claus with the Coca Cola Bus on Makariou Avenue
• 19:30 – 20:30 Dance by the System D-7 Dance Studio team on Stasikratous Street
• 18:30 – 18:45 Christmas Melodies by the Philharmonic Orchestra of the Pancyprian High School on Ledra, Faneromeni, Onassagorou streets

Friday 24 December 2021

• 12:00 – 13:30 Music trip with Christmas aroma on Makariou Avenue (outside City Plaza)
• 16:00 – 16:30 Open presentation by the Music and Theater Workshop Maria Chrysostomou in Eleftherias Square (under the bridge)
• 17:00 – 20:00 Dance action by the Dance Group i Tango on Stasikratous Street
• 18.30 – 19.30 Santa Claus with the Coca-Cola Bus on Makariou Avenue

Sunday, December 26, 2021

• 9:30 Santa Clauses run and walk in the city singing – Santa Run by RuNicosia – start from the Hotel Cleopatra and the APOEL Club
• 12:00 Finish of Santa Run on Makariou Avenue (outside City Plaza) with an Unplugged concert
• 16:00 – 16:30 Christmas carols from the Wind Quartet in Eleftherias Square (under the bridge)
• 17:00 – 17:20 Demonstration by the Rhythmic Gymnastics Association Melissanidis in Eleftherias Square (under the bridge)
• 17:30 – 18:00 Zumba kids and Kangoo kids street dance by Marianna Dance and Fitness Studio in Eleftherias Square (under the bridge)
• 18:00 – 18:30 Zumba adults and Kangoo adults street dance by Marianna Dance and Fitness Studio in Eleftherias Square (under the bridge)
• 21:00 – 21:15 Dance from the Dance School on Silk – Aerial Silk Performance on Makariou Avenue (outside City Plaza)

Monday 27 December 2021

• 12:00 – 12:30 Street music from the Wind Quartet in Eleftherias Square (under the bridge)
• 16:00 – 16:30 Christmas carols by the Choir of the A Piacere Conservatory in Eleftherias Square (under the bridge)

Tuesday 28 December 2021

• 16:00 Christmas carols by the Charisma Choir in Eleftherias Square (under the bridge)
• 17:00 Christmas carols by the Municipality of Kythrea Choir in Eleftherias Square (under the bridge)
• 18:00 – 18:25 String Orchestra of the Municipality of Strovolos on Makariou Street (outside the City Plaza)
• 18:30 – 18:50 I sing for a purpose with the Choir Small Volunteers of the Municipality of Strovolos on Makariou Street (outside the City Plaza)
• 19:00 – 19:20 Christmas Melodies by Music Moments Accordion Band

Wednesday, December 29, 2021

• 10:00 – 21:00 Christmas activities to inform young people and the public about European programs from the Center of Social Innovation in Eleftherias Square (under the bridge)
• 17:00 – 17:10 Salsa Duet street dance by Dance Motion at the opening of the Ledra-Onassagorou sidewalks
• 18:00 Street dance from Bailando Dance School, at the opening of the sidewalks Ledra – Onassagorou

Thursday, December 30, 2021

• 12:00 – 13:00 Musical-theatrical Event “The Little Child” by Irena Avraamidou in Faneromeni Square

Friday 31 December 2021

• 11:00 – 12:30 Christmas carols by the band The Rest on Makariou Avenue (outside City Plaza)

Sunday, January 2, 2022

• 17:00 – 17:20 Demonstration

The post Christmas in Nicosia appeared first on LoveCyprus | We Love Cyprus and you will Love it too..

Agros, Kyperounta, Platres, Kalopanagiotis and Kakopetria will be decorated and illuminated festively, in the spirit of the days under the melodies of Christmas.

The scope of the Ministry of Tourism is to offer an authentic experience to all local and foreign visitors, by keeping the local character of our mountainous areas.

Houses with local products and handicrafts for sale, wine gastronomy shops, nature activities, such as walking or cycling in nature paths, village tours and other surprises will complete the Christmas atmosphere.

Restaurants and accommodations in those areas, will follow the festive spirit by offering a festive menu and breakfast.

The Christmas villages will operate from December 10^th, 2021 until January 6^th, 2022

The Ministry of Tourism emphasizes that all Christmas villages will operate according to the health protocols of the Ministry of Health.

Opening Hours: 11:00 – 16:00 on weekdays and

11:00 – 18:00 on weekends

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One Of the most popular tradition games is a “Secret Santa”, where people anonymously gift each other, as an act of love and rejoice.

Secret Santa is primarily a Western tradition. A philanthropist named Larry Dean Stewart is thought to be the “original Secret Santa”, who came up with the idea of giving anonymous gifts during the holidays.

For more than 25 years, Stewart secretly donated $100 bills to people in Kansas, according to USA TODAY. He also donated $25,000 in the form of $100 bills to New Yorkers after the 9/11 terrorist attacks. It wasn’t until 2006 that Stewart came out as the “Secret Santa” everyone had been wondering about for so long.

If you’ve played Secret Santa before, you know the drill: A group of people are assigned to buy a gift for another person anonymously. The game is named like so because the gift receivers have no idea who their “secret Santa” is.

Oftentimes, secret Santas will draw names out of a hat to determine who they need to buy a gift for. In many versions of the game, people try to guess who their secret Santa is after they’ve opened their gift.

The idea of starting Secret Santa in the workplace has been a very good decision as it brings some excitement amidst daily hoards of work.

Everyone can write their names on a random sheet of paper and people can pick up any random name, all the while keeping it a secret. There are Secret Santa generators as well that automate and generate a name among your colleagues to gift.

Many companies, Indian firms, MNCs have embraced this Western tradition because it is a great way to initiate bonding between employees and the company.

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Get to the Latchi Port and hop on Akamas Latchi Blue Lagoon Boat Trip – Mediterranean One for the first adventure of the day! Book your place beforehand as the demand is quite high during July and August! The cost for the cruise is around €15 for adults and €5 for kids and include various stops such as Bath of Aphrodite, St. George Island, Plaji Bay (Ancient Theatre), Manolis Sea Caves, Blue Lagoon, Fontana Amorosa and Cape Arnaout.

The cruise starts at 10.30 and returns back in the port at 13.30, just in time for lunch. The beautiful cruise stops guarantee an unforgettable experience with long lasting memories.

When you leave the port head to Periyiali Restaurant, 3 minutes drive, to satisfy your hunger with fresh fish and a variety of gastronomic courses!

What is amazing with Periyiali Restaurant, is the combination of amazing food with the best views of the area as the restaurant is located literally on the beach at Chrysochou Bay.

Finish your lunch and head to Island Beach Bar just a minute away from Periyiali Restaurant!

Island Beach Bar is ideal for your afternoon dive, cold coffees and refreshing cocktails while enjoying the beautiful sunset ?

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Even if it’s really challenging, since we’re not free to socialize physically, we sorely need to be positive and think of the broad cause that each of us is generously offering by exercising social distancing.

Therefore, to add a fun note to this challenge, we have compiled a selection of entertaining activities for the whole family.

We have carefully looked and discovered some of the creative activities that you might enjoy online.

• CrossWord Puzzles
• Word Search Games
• Maths for kids exercises
• Math Game Time
• Math Play Ground
• English Fun Games
• English Game Zone
• Games for Fun
• Fun Games
• Word Search Challenge

Of course, app stores are a great source for finding endless fun choices.

The post Having Fun with Technology! appeared first on LoveCyprus | We Love Cyprus and you will Love it too..

With Widelo Marketplace you can Start Selling Online Locally and Internationally without registration, hosting, maintenance and monthly fees.

Widelo.com is a new cutting-edge marketplace platform that offers to vendors the opportunity to be part of a global marketplace by having their own Widelo online store account.

The platform supports more than 2000+ categories and thousands of products codes.

Widelo.com uses an Advanced CRM Cloud System for vendors to be able to Manage their Online Sales at any given date and time.

At Widelo Marketplace, vendors can elevate and expand their business activities to a New Level regardless if they already have an existing online shop or not.

Widelo.com:

• Get Online Instantly
• There is no need to build any Website or Ecommerce on your own. Widelo offers you all the Tools to Start Selling in Minutes.
• You can manage your Widelo Online Store account, on a 24/7 basis.
• Widelo gives you access to several Statistics, Reports, Reviews, Sales and Invoices and other data.
• You can sell Locally and Internationally.
• No registration Fees are requested, there are no hidden fees or monthly ongoing fees.
• There is only a commission percentage on the total transaction value of whatever you sell.

The Steps are very Simple.

1. Register your Store

2. Log in to your Widelo online store Account

3. Upload your products

…and Start Selling Online locally and internationally. 

You may register your store Now at www.widelo.com

The post Widelo.com – Start Selling Online Locally and Internationally appeared first on LoveCyprus | We Love Cyprus and you will Love it too..

On the 1^st of April, 1955, EOKA (National Organization of Cypriot Fighters) organization was established.

The organization purpose was to fight and gain Cyprus independence from the British and unite Cyprus with Greece (Enosis).

Archbishop Makarios III was the founder of the organization that was led by the General George Grivas.

After four years of its founding, EOKA organization battled against British.

Even though the British army was initially exhausted from the Suez Crisis, in 1957 they decided to send extra forces to the island in order to hunt EOKA fighters down.

One of the most well-known fighters of the organization was Grigoris Afxentiou.

Grigoris Afxentiou bravely fought in a heroic battle against British in the mountains of Machara and died on March 3, 1957.

In 1958, Archbishop Makarios III who was exiled to Seychelles, agreed to proceed with the independence of Cyprus.

Therefore, in February 1959 Cyprus signed the Zurich agreement.

The London and Zurich Agreements for the Republic of Cyprus ended with an arrangement between Turkey, Greece, United Kingdom and Cypriot    political members on the 19^th of February 1959.

Against this basis, a constitution was adopted and negotiated with two more Alliance Treaties and Guarantee in Zurich, on the 11^th of February 1959.

On the 16^th of August 1960, Cyprus was proclaimed an independent country.

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The current times are quite difficult on everyone and there is a high level of uncertainty for what tomorrow brings.

However, panic never helps, and we want to help you prepare as much as possible for a quarantine (if it ever comes to that).

Here is what should be included in your grocery list:

• Frozen fruits and canned vegetables
• Tuna or salmon
• Chicken or turkey
• Lentils
• Eggs
• Pasta
• Rice
• Oats
• Water
• Toothpaste
• Face wash
• Moisturizer
• Shampoo & conditioner
• Hand sanitizer with at least 60% alcohol.
• Extra laundry detergent
• Hand soap
• Toilet Paper

We should all be responsible and take care of ourselves and those around us by following the officials’ instructions on how to prevent the virus from spreading!

We hope this problem to be faced as soon as possible and return to our usual routine ?

Until then, #stayhome and #staysafe

The post What should you buy during a possible Covid-19 quarantine? appeared first on LoveCyprus | We Love Cyprus and you will Love it too..