Special report
Glasgow Hellenic’s culture & heritage trip to Cyprus
As part of an EU programme designed to promote young people’s learning about their cultural heritage, 12 of the Glasgow Hellenic dance group spent a week of August 2005 immersed in the historical, religious, and cultural life of Cyprus. Along with young Greeks from Cyprus, Thebes (Greece), and Calabria (Italy), we took part in a structured programme of cultural activities based at the Saint Ioannis Camp at Kalopanayiotis in the Troodos mountains.
It was a memorable experience. For some of us it was the first encounter with the richness of Cyprus’ archaeological and early Christian heritage, as well as the island’s unique political situation.
It was an introduction to many aspects of Greek culture, as well as Greek-Cypriot and Greek-Italian culture. We found out what makes Cyprus a little bit different from Greece as well as the many common threads.
We discovered something about the fascinating Greek legacy in Italy’s southern region of Calabria – and were invited there as part of a similar programme next year.
And we showed everyone there how “Greekness” can survive even in Scotland, especially through our dancing, of which we did plenty, both old and new. Music featured daily and at unexpected moments — from spontaneous Byzantine singing in corners to traditional Greek island drinking songs; from modern laika (popular songs) and tsifteteli (belly dancing) to southern Italian tarantella, and ‘Strip the Willow’. It was a truly unique fusion of cultural expression through dance and music.
Our home base for a week in August 2005—a camp at the village of Kalopanayiotis in the Troodos mountains of Cyprus. The village is famous for the church of Agios Ioannis Lampadistis with its amazing 13th and 16th century frescoes. In fact this small area of Cyprus prides itself as having three UNESCO world heritage sites—as well as ‘our’ church, the 13th century chapel of Panagia tou Moutoulla and the painted church of Archangelos Michail both within 10 minutes of our camp were also on our itinerary. There were 13 of us, and a group of about 40 in all—Greeks, Cypriots and Italians with a common bond of Greekness in our history. Here are some of the reports from our own quite eclectic group of South African, Serbian, Swedish, Cypriot and Athenian Scottish Greeks! We would like to thank especially The Harry Nicholas Trust for additional funding, and Aris & Marjory Arestis, former Greek-Scots, for their hospitality in Cyprus.
Nevena Marjanovic
Cyprus was an experience that I will never forget. As one of the group who has no links to Cyprus, as I am from Serbia, I found the trip very interesting and fun. I got to see not only the touristy side of Cyprus with its beach resorts and nightlife, but also the other side, not usually seen by visitors - the real, Cypriot side. The people I spent that week with meant this trip was a once in a lifetime opportunity as we were from all walks of life. Visiting the many monasteries and churches also gave me an insight into a religion which I have been a part of since birth but knew very little about. The people that met us at each holy place, along with the not so holy, were all very friendly and gave us lots of very interesting information about Orthodoxy, Cyprus and Cypriot traditions. I wish that it could have lasted longer as we only got used to the very hot weather at the end of the week.
Konstantinos Kibaris
Cyprus: having never been there before, and only having heard various stories of its greatness from those I know who have experienced it, I could only go there with an open mind. Thankfully it didn't disappoint, and the picturesque beauty of the mountain valley village that was our dwelling - complete with gravity defying structures built on almost vertical inclines - was bettered only by the outstanding hospitality the Cypriots afforded us. Of all the things about the trip that stuck with me, the main thing I will never forget is the nighttime atmosphere we were always able to create after our long days under the sun, 'appreciating' the ancient culture. Music. Games. Dancing. Food. Tradition. All from 4 different cultures melded together like long lost cousins who seem to have everything in common. Even the language barriers couldn't slow down the spirit of the ball we all had at every opportunity; whether it was in the enclosure of the camp hall, or on the walkway of a coach, causing a spectacle for anyone driving level with it. Whether we will ever be able to take part in this type of event again is uncertain, but if one thing is for sure it's that this was unique for us. Even if I don't get to take part in another, I’ve had enough of a taste of cultures different to my own to know that there's no point in limiting myself in ignorance for the rest of my life. Keep an open mind; and next time you frown on something strange about an ethnic tradition, remember being British can seem pretty weird in a lot of the world too.
Georgia Stafylarakis
This was the first time I have visited Cyprus and the trip was an entirely different and interesting way to see a country for the first time. The Glasgow Hellenic Dancers were joined by groups from Italy, Greece and Cyprus to take part in the programme. One of the most difficult obstacles to overcome was the language barrier but this made the "getting-to-know-each-other" part of the programme even more challenging and exciting. We visited a number of different places that offered us an insight into the rich culture and heritage of Cyprus. But the places we saw played just a small part in the whole Cyprus experience. It was everything from the people, the food, the singing and dancing and even the donkey rides, that all added that extra bit of sparkle. It was an informative and eye-opening trip that left us all a little sad as we had to say our goodbyes to our newfound friends and a wonderful country.
Georgios Vardaxoglou
If someone asked me a year ago where he/she should go on holidays in Europe, I would probably suggest Greece or Spain. But now, I changed my mind. I would definitely suggest Cyprus. I spent about 10 days on the island this summer with some amazing people and we had a great time, I think, due to many factors. Firstly, we really enjoyed the natural diversity of the island; from beautiful beaches and turquoise waters to very hot and dry areas to fresh and green mountains. Secondly, we were given the opportunity to discover the rich history of the island (I have to admit I was not fully aware of its history) and the whole Mediterranean area, when we visited Nicosia, its museums and archaeological sites. In addition, the local people on the mountain of Troodos and its villages gave us a taste of the island’s culture, customs and traditions, which was really unique. I should not forget to mention our hosts, Father Kyprianos and a group of young Cypriots, and two other groups (one from Greece and one from South Italy) who all made our lives “tiring” – without them we wouldn’t have immersed ourselves in music, dancing and singing. In a few words, would you like to visit a place with natural and cultural diversity? Would you like to explore the historical roots of the Mediterranean area? Would you like to experience the real Greek hospitality? Then, visit Cyprus.
Anne McKay
Now there's a trip that won’t be forgotten in a hurry! Even though it was tiring, it certainly was a memorable experience. Meeting people from very different backgrounds and cultures to us was brilliant, and even though we were all so different we still managed to bring our Greek connections together and that’s when I realised we were not really that different after all. Young people from Cyprus, Greece, and Italy still have the same problems as we do in Glasgow - fall in love, fall out of love, gossip, and basically everything that I thought was not possible to be happening anywhere else was really happening to all. Overcoming the language barrier I thought was going to be our biggest battle, but I was really amazed at how everybody pulled all stops and tried anything to communicate with everybody else. Now this is something, because normally young people are often too shy or too busy to make new friends and try new things, but I was very proud to be one of the leaders of our group as everybody tried and succeeded in getting to know the others from Cyprus, Greece, and Italy and even made some good friends in the process.
by Elena Stylianou
Up until 1974, Cypriots - both Turkish and Greek - lived side-by-side. However, the situation changed when Archbishop Makarios on the 15th July 1974 was toppled by the military junta ruling Greece at that time. This gave Turkey the much longed for excuse to invade the Republic of Cyprus, which it did on 20th July 1974. Today, 35% of the island is occupied by Turkey and its ‘official’ name is the Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus, founded in 1983. It is not recognised by any country except Turkey.
In April 2003, the borders which divide the two communities of Cyprus were opened, allowing for the first time Greek and Turkish Cypriots alike to go freely into the north or south of the island. This was a huge step, in my opinion, towards a once again unified island. However, with the opening up of the borders came once again more problems. The majority of Greek Cypriots I have spoken with since the opening of the borders feel that they shouldn’t need to show any form of identification as they still deem Cyprus to be ONE country.
During the summer camp experience, we got the opportunity to go to the north of Cyprus. I felt that this was a great chance to see and experience a part of my native country which I had never before known. For the entire time of the camp, I was very much looking forward to visiting the North as I didn’t know what to expect. Just like many others, I had mixed feelings and preconceptions.
My first impressions of entering into Northern Cyprus was quite a surprise as the border controller was asleep in his little shed! What does that say about Turkish security?! And here was I thinking that this would have been a similar daunting experience to that of the corrupt Russian border control which I encountered on many occasions while studying in Russia!
Travelling east towards the town of Ammochostos (Famagusta), we drove past a number of residential homes and buildings which now stand derelict or completely destroyed. The effects of the 1974 invasion are still very much visible to any visitor to the north. There are signs everywhere warning that photographs are prohibited! This of course didn’t deter me in the slightest! Travelling along the coast of Ammochostos Bay, we visited a number of places of interest which reinforced one of the main themes of the summer camp – the cultural heritage of Cyprus. One such place was the tomb of St. Barnabas. It was built to commemorate the principal saint of Cyprus, whose life was intertwined with the spread of the Christian message.
We then visited Salamis, an ancient archaeological site. Most of the ruins date back to the Roman period at the time when Salamis was part of the Roman province of Cilicia. Within the grounds, we saw the amphitheatre; the gymnasium; the Roman baths; various pieces of mosaic and a Greek/Roman agora. After seeing the cultural side of things, we drove to Famagusta’s famous beach where we saw closer scenes of derelict hotels which were bombed during the war of 1974. The one thing that struck me was the beautiful clean sandy beach and I can now see why Ammochostos has long been famous for its miles of sandy beaches. The name Ammochostos means ‘hidden in sand’.
Before leaving the North, our tour guide (Father Konstantinos) decided that we needed a much deserved rest so stopped at a café/bakery shop in the centre of town where we could see some of the Turkish delights that were on offer. Well, I had been told to try the famous ice-cream and I was not disappointed in the least! I’ve never seen anything like it before – it was so stretchy but yet SO tasty!!
I particularly enjoyed the trip to the north as my knowledge of Cyprus has been enriched and I feel that I can appreciate much more the history and culture of a country which is part of my identity and the person I am today. Attending school in Cyprus, we were taught all about the 1974 invasion and how Turks are the enemy but my way of thinking on this issue - unlike some other Greeks and Cypriots - is that we need to move forward. I’m not saying forget about our history but the situation will never change unless our mentality and views begin to become more open. This, of course, can be applied to many of today’s political issues.
This trip has given me a taster to Northern Cyprus and I will definitely be returning in order to explore further a Cyprus I never knew. A dream of mine since I was young is to be able to see a united Cyprus where Turkish and Greek Cypriots live together as a community once again. That is the reason whenever anyone asks me what nationality I am, my response is always Cypriot as I believe that we are all of the ONE country.
The youth of St. Luke’s Church, in association with Outward Bound, have been very active around Scotland this summer. The older kids spent the weekend of 18th and 19th June exploring the Union Canal between Edinburgh and Falkirk. The more junior members spent four days from the 24th June at the Outward Bound Centre, situated at Loch Eil.
The Union Canal was opened in 1822 as a 50km water-link between Edinburgh and Falkirk. After meeting our instructors, we all piled into the Outward Bound van and made the short journey to the Union Canal, trailing our canoes behind us. We packed our belongings into large barrels, tied them inside the canoes and made a shaky launch into the canal. With two people per canoe, we set out on our first few metres of the canal. Some of us demonstrated natural nautical ability, while some of us struggled with the basic paddle stroke and the subtle requirements of steering. I was certainly in the latter of these two categories! However, we made good progress and were enjoying the unusually warm and humid weather as we reached the Union Canal Centre of Linlithgow.
This is a point from which tourists can take boat tours of the area or pause for a good old cup of tea. We tied up our canoes and stopped here briefly for rehydration and shade from the concentrated rays of the sun, as some of us were turning an unhealthy shade of pink! Onwards on our journey and we came across the Almond Aqueduct, which stands an impressive 75ft over the River Almond. This was certainly a Kodak moment as we floated so high above the ground, taking in the stunning scenery lying below. A few hours paddling later and we reached our campsite. The team split up to complete the tasks of putting up the tents and dinner preparation. I’m sure it’s only coincidence that the males headed to the tent-poles and the females to the kitchen…hehe.
As the sun went down we played a murder mystery game, which was designed to encourage and develop our communication skills. Then we headed for our sleeping bags to get some rest, which proved quite challenging, despite the energy expended by our tired limbs. This was due to the loud, incessant chatter of the nocturnal cows in the neighbouring field. After cursing the noisy bovines we eventually snored our way through the night and woke up early and enthusiastic for another day’s paddling. We rolled up the tents, re-packed the barrels and we were off in the canoes again, on our second and last day on the canal.
Sunday was a duller day, but the humidity and occasional rain meant there was a jungle-like atmosphere to the canal. The highlight of this day, and probably the entire trip, was paddling through the only canal tunnel in Scotland. This tunnel is just on the outskirts of Falkirk, is 631m long and 3.6m high. It was carved and constructed through solid rock to appease a local landowner at the time who was not best pleased at the prospect of seeing a canal from the windows of his home, Callendar House. We entered the gloomy tunnel and took in the amazing sight of the rocky walls, the stalactites hanging from the ceiling and the shadows of our own boats in front of us. Exiting the tunnel, there was a constant gush of water from above which some of us successfully managed to avoid, and some others ‘accidentally’ had the misfortune to paddle through. So soaked and a little worse for wear, we paddled a little further down the canal to our end-point, where we dragged the canoes out of the water and piled into the van to drive up to the impressive Falkirk Wheel and back down south to Glasgow.
The weekend after this the younger kids of the church headed up north to Loch Eil, near Fort William, to the Outward Bound Centre. This is an awesome building with extensive, beautiful (but midge-infested) grounds and was previously a shooting lodge owned by Cameron clan chief, before its focus as a centre for outdoor sporting activities and team-building exercises. The children spent the first night familiarizing themselves with the building and settling in to their accommodation.
Early the next morning, they were up and raring to go. Fueled up with a full breakfast, and lunch under their arms, they set out into the grounds of the centre, where they were involved in numerous team-reliant activities, such as using just 3 crates to cross a ‘lava-stream,’ and games requiring them to communicate without speaking. The kids were successful in all their tasks and this was a good introduction to the challenges ahead of them. In the afternoon, they faced a huge task: to build a raft using just 4 barrels, 6 poles and some rope. They were split into two teams to design a structure for the raft and presented their ideas to the other team. They joined together to decide upon the best design and went down to the shore of Loch Eil to build the structure. After much discussion and alterations, the only thing left to do was to put the raft to the test. So out they went, paddling around the loch and I’m pleased to announce the raft remained intact until it was time to take it apart and head back to the centre for dinner.
There was no opportunity for the children to rest in the evening. Their instructor took them straight outside again for another task: a blind trail. The kids were required to hold on to and follow each other in one long line from the centre, through the nearby trees and around a pre-prepared assault course. ‘Easy!’ you say? Now consider the fact that they had to do this blindfolded. The children rose to the challenge and after a few incidents of letting go and losing the route, they triumphed and headed back to the centre and to a good night’s sleep.
It was now Sunday morning and so time to pack up and prepare for the return to city-life. Before the drive back to Glasgow, they stopped for a spot of rock-climbing and abseiling at the foot of Ben Nevis. Everyone made a brave attempt at rock-climbing and was introduced to the responsibilities of supporting and b-laying the ropes for another climber. The abseiling proved much more challenging and everyone did well to inch their way down the slope or cheer on from the bottom.
As the children descended from Ben Nevis, so their Outward Bound journey came to an end and they returned to St. Luke’s to meet their parents.
So we’ve had two very successful outdoor adventures this summer for the Hellenic youth of Glasgow. We are very grateful to the Stavros Niarchos Foundation for the experience and the opportunity to partake in these activities, which we would not usually have the chance to do, and thank our Outward Bound instructors for looking after us.