Folk art

The famous Cypriot wooden chairs are made in the village of Fini. Chair making was a difficult occupation that is why only one villager is involved with their creation. Charalambos Charalambous is the only villager who has kept this traditional art alive in Fini.

A piece of the Cypriot tradition is also architecture. During the 1th century until the 20^th century, the residents of Cyprus used wood, stones and mud bricks. Mud bricks were made from straw and mud which the residents themselves built. The roof was made of reeds and thick wood pieces which were usually from olive and oak trees. During the beginning of the 20^th century the houses in the towns also began to use steel for the construction of the houses.

Traditional Olive Mill

The Fini village developed a special and large tradition in the creation of the traditional vourka, whose history is lost during the centuries. During the last few years this art had been well known mainly to the men shepherds of the community who created sacks for wine in a similar way.

The potters and their art processed the clay in order to satisfy the needs of the people for storage, transportation and maintenance of their products. Until the Turkish invasion in 1974, the island’s heart of potter were the following villages:

• Varosi
• Lapythos
• Kornos
• Fini

The art of weaving is mainly exercised by women but also by a few men called “Anyfades”. Earlier on each house in the village had its own argyle and was used for the creation of the weave along with wool, cotton, silk and flax.

Fythkiotiko is the most well-known type of Cypriot weaving. The name comes from the village of Fyti which seems to have played an important role in its development. The Fythkiotika are characterized by multicolored geometrical embossed or plumes, as they are called by the weavers which are formed into cotton material of natural color.

Embroidery

The embroidery art of Cyprus and the Cypriot embroidery items are famous all over the world. The materials which were used were cotton, flax and silk. Lace “Reticello” received an excellent position in the trade from an early time. Even in our days it is known and famous by the name of “Lefkaritika”. The main areas where embroidery bloomed were Lefkara, Omodos and Athienou.

The types of embroidery are many. According to their color they can be divided into two large categories:

The Cyprus outdoors is famous for its preservation of the traditional lifestyle, the morals and the customs as well as the hospitality of its inhabitants. Each village has its own characteristics. The village of Omodos in the Limassol district ,  is not only well known for its wine and its arkatena pretzels, but also for its lace, the famous pipilles.