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the lace, offering training on its technique. The
lace is made on a fabric in separate patterns with
geometric shapes - square, triangular and round -
and they are given characteristic names based on
how they turned out, since the embroiderer does
not follow any specific motif. A characteristic
exclusive toAthienou is the freestyle separate lace
pattern depicting performances, which is created
on a special pad without using fabric, and the
design of which is inspired by the embroiderer.
The geometric motifs are called “pittes”. These
are created from memory because of their
geometric shape.
Basketry from the Livadia community
The art of basketry or basket weaving, using
reeds, is practised professionally in Cyprus
in the communities of Menogi, Liopetri and
Livadia. More communities used to practise
it up until 1985, such as Astromeritis, Akrotiri
and Kaminaria; however, Livadia was also
popular for its “psatharkes” (traditionally used
for roofing), with the community’s municipality
taking active precautions to preserve the art since
the 19
th
century. The art of basket weaving using
reeds has barely changed through the passage of
time. The tools required are minimal. and the raw
material is reed.Artists weave all types of baskets,
such as the “kofines” used to collect and transport
agricultural products, baskets for shopping,
storing and moving food and punnets for washing
and for fishing. The “psatharkes” were used
mainly to insulate the roofs of renovated homes,
or even as fences.
Matting of Kapouti village
Matts were weaved by women from the occupied
village of Kapouti, situated 7km northeast of
Morphou, and which had a population of roughly
a thousand residents when the 1974 Turkish
invasion took place. The river Aloupos flowed
from the north end of the village, and Ovgos river
flowed from the south. The birch that is used as
the raw material for matting grows in the small
ponds that are formed from these two rivers. There
is information that a similar craft was used in
Akrotiri, Limassol, using “samatzi” (the outer part
of the birch), a different reed. The art of matting
with a special reed, according to the sayings of
elderly Kapouti residents, is very old and was
passed on from generation to generation up until
the residents were displaced from the village, in
1974. The entire family would be involved in
creating a matt: the men would cut and cart the
birch, the women would weave and the children
would help. Matting requires special knowledge
Basketry
