The Culture of Cyprus

Cypriots are recognized for their hospitality, sincere and friendliness. The costume for female Cypriot consists of the chemise, outer garment and long pantaloons trapped around the ankle. The fundamental Cypriot male costume consists of vra'ka, pleated baggy trousers and the waistcoat, jacket and zibouni.

Most of Cypriot meals are accompanied by yogurt and fresh salad. Meze is a common food in restaurants. It consists of a large variety of dishes that includes salads, grilled fish or meat.

Some of the sports activities in the country are archery, badminton, basketball, bowling, football, golf, hiking, horse riding, jet skiing, scuba diving, squash, tennis, table tennis, volleyball, windsurfing and yachting.

Most Cypriots believe in the Greek Orthodox Church with 78% of the population, followers of Islam is 18% and the remaining 4% are the religious groups which include Jews, Greek Evangelic, Anglicans, Roman and Christians. The official language of the country is Greek. Other languages that are spoken in Cyprus are English, Turkish and Arabic.

Cypriot music includes a range of folk, classical and genres. Some common rock bands in the country are Johnny & the Liars, Katadotes, Ophiochus, Quadraphonic, Scarlet Snow Prelude and Triple Jam. Some of the notable composers of classical music are Agis Ioannides, Andys Skordis, Evagoras Karageorgis, Michalis Chrysanthou, Nikos Troullos and Vassos Argiridis. Different kinds of Cypriot dances are "Kartzilamas" (an energetic dance for the Cypriot men), "Kartzilamas" (women dance which demonstrate their grace and humbleness), sousta (dance for both men and women which describe the spirit of community), datsia and syrtos (performed in social gatherings, religious festivals and weddings).

The following are the major secular festivals of the Greek Cypriots: Greek National Day (25 March), Anniversary of EOKA (1 April), Independence Day (1 October), OHI (NO) Day (28 October).