The Dancing, Drinking and Fun of Cyprus' Carnival

On our last night in Cyprus, we went to the center of Limossos to a tavern on a sidesteet, during tonight's carnival. That is the time when people dress up in costumes and party later than usual, in honor of the festival preceeding Easter. We squeezed into a corner table in the low-ceilinged taverna and a man came in dressed as a sheik...then two women entered dressed like birds, then a man dressed as a bride. We ate meze...dozens of small dishes starting with salad, then beets, roasted mushrooms, and octopus, and lamb with onions, then pork in a brown sauce, egads, then potatoes, then a stuffed grape leaves, and little round fritters, then a towering platter with a lit sterno and meat to heat up. The waiters kept filling our wine glasses, and the table was filled with streamers that we threw down the long table, aiming for glasses....then the music began.

The musicians played the traditional tunes, sounding sort of middle eastern, and the people began to dance in a small area in front. Women sat up during the music and swayed their hands out, undulating to the beat of the little guitars and drums...people clapped and gyrated, and one of our group, and older writer named Stan, got up to dance with Maria, who knew how to dance to the music. A woman beside us tipped her head way back, feeling the music, and it was a festive and fun night the beginning of carnival in Cyprus. We left the restaurant and two of our party wanted to stay, they were tempted by the Brazilian music in a nearby club. We bade them good bye to take a cab while we woke up our bus driver to take us home to the hotel to fly back to our lives at 6:45 tomorrow.