Holidays Archives - LoveCyprus | We Love Cyprus and you will Love it too.

Vasilopita –The Greek Lucky New Year’s Cake

contact — Wed, 29 Dec 2021 08:50:43 +0000

The Vasilopita is the center of attention.

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!

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The 16 hotels you can visit for (subsidized) holidays this year

LoveCyprus — Wed, 27 May 2020 09:35:24 +0000

The Social Security Services of the Ministry of Labor, Welfare and Social Insurance, inform the public for the operation of Annual Holidays Subsidy Scheme for the year 2020.

For the operation of the scheme mountain resorts as well as hotels in Pyrgos Tillirias will be used, which will offer all-inclusive accommodation for the approved applicants in order to fully benefit from their summer holidays.

The Annual Holidays Subsidy Scheme will be valid from 5/7/2020 to 18/9/2020.

Mountain resorts and hotels in Pyrgos Tillirias used for the materialization of the scheme, will be benefited from the scheme as it will contribute to their survival, following a not-so-great lead-in spring.

The public can obtain the relevant application form and access to additional information about the scheme from the District Social Insurance Offices, the Citizen Service Centers (KEP) and on the Social Security Services website, www.mlsi.gov.cy/sid

The submission of the Applications must be made between 20/05/2020 and 05/06/2020.

Applicants must accompany their application form with all required certificates (attendance at school, service at the Cyprus National Guard, marriage certificates etc). Failure to do so will affect the number of dependents to be considered.

The amount approved by the Central Holiday Fund for 2020 is 900,000 euros.

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Police will remain on high alert during Easter holiday, its spokesman tells CNA

LoveCyprus — Fri, 10 Apr 2020 06:24:50 +0000

Police will remain fully operational and in a state of high alert during the Easter holiday period to ensure citizens comply with government restrictions to contain the spread of coronavirus, Police spokesman Christos Andreou has told Cyprus News Agency.

Andreou said that the Police would continue to carry out its strict checks for full citizens’ compliance with the measures, noting that “Police’s operational readiness will be enhanced even more”.

He stressed that police reports are by no means an end in themselves, noting however that violations of the relevant decrees issued by the Health Minister would be reported without exception.

He said that Police understand the need of citizens to perform their religious duties and held family gatherings in Easter period, however, he added, we are at a key point in the effort we are all making to contain the pandemic thus it is s not the time to relax measures currently in place.

He noted that it is the responsibility of every citizen to comply with the measures and to stay at home.

Andreou said that both static checkpoints and motorized patrols would be increased during the Easter holidays.

Police spokesman also said number of cases relating to serious crime recorded a decrease by 3.9% this March, when measures started to put in place, compared to the same period last year.

He said the number of reported cases relating to serious crime stood at 129 in March compared to 163 in the same period last year.

Andreou said that the number of reported cases of burglary rose to 110 compared to 114 in the same period last year, while the number of reported cases of theft rose to 64 compared to 48 in the same period last year.

He also said that the number of drug cases in March of this year reached 71 compared to 78 in the same period last year.

He finally, said that that the number of fatal accidents recorded from the beginning of this year until now was 12, of which one occurred in March, compared to 8 fatal accidents in the same period last year.

Source: CNA

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