Basic HTML Version
20
ually and as a couple. Bread depicting a snake
served as the couple’s house bread, while baked
dough in the shape of birds decorated the house
in celebration. Replicas of all of these wedding
breads are on exhibit at
To Ploumisto Psomi
,
where knowledgeable and willing escorts are
available to introduce visitors to this amazing
local tradition.
Celebrating New Arrivals with Bread
A wedding was naturally followed by the birth
of a baby. This brought a family such happiness
that it had to be shared with friends and rela-
tives, and special decorated bread was part of
the celebration of the occasion. Special small
portions of bread,
lihousouthkia
(newborns),
were hung on a piece of string and offered to
relatives and friends who came to visit and con-
gratulate the mother.
Special Bread for Every Occasion
Religious feasts were also celebrated intensely
outside the church. The preparation for these
feasts included house-cleaning and the bak-
ing of special decorated breads in anticipation
of the arrival of friends and family. The more
important the feast, the greater the variety and
the more elaborate the decoration of the breads,
and the breads produced in the wood-burning
ovens in Cypriot villages were astonishing:
elaborately decorated Christmas bread (
Chris-
topsomo
or
Genopita
), exquisite breads for the
New Year (
Vasilopita
), Jesus’ crown of thorns
and his bound hands for Easter, and egg-hold-
ing breads in various superb shapes. Replicas
of these breads and many others are exhibited
at
To Ploumisto Psomi
in specially constructed
exhibition stands with proper lighting and in-
formative explanatory documents.
Dorita Voskaridou: the Woman behind the
Project
Dorita Voskaridou, the researcher and writer
behind
To Ploumisto Psomi
and the creator of
the museum, prepared each replica bread in
the museum. She is always at
To Ploumisto
Psomi
to personally guide visitors through the
exhibitions and to explain the symbolism of
each bread decoration. Thanks to Ms. Voska-
ridou, visitors will be thrilled to discover the
hidden meaning behind the recurring symbols
that used to decorate traditional breads: a cross
indicates faith; a grapevine symbolises Christ
and the Church; stars indicate divine guidance;
a triangle represents heaven, earth and man; a
snake is the keeper and protector of the home; a
frog symbolises the transformation of man from
The book To Ploumisto Psomi by Dorita Voskaridou
Dorita Voskaridou