Rural Festival of Statos-Agios Fotios

The old agricultural practices may be dying, however there are still a few people in the Heartland of Legends villages who safeguard our folk legacy and traditional professions. If you want to experience peasant traditions, hit the road to Statos village in Pafos district, which hosts a unique rural festival.

Festivalgoers will have the chance to see old and disappearing agricultural activities like plowing the soil with ploughshare and oxen, threshing the barley with doukani (a threshing machine driven by oxen or mules) or planting vines using a forked stick (a wooden “Y” shape stick).

The festival features an exhibition of traditional tools, equipment and professions. Walk in the local wineries and taste their different types of wine. Pass by the various stalls and watch how the local delicacies and products are prepared:

• palouzes (creamy dessert made with grape-juice mixed with flour)
• soutzioukkos (strings of almonds or walnuts dipped in palouzes)
• zivania (a distilled pomace beverage)
• trachanas (a thick soup based on a mixture of grain and fermented milk)
• halloumi and anari cheeses
• bread
• resi (wheat with meat dish)
• tsamarella (dried meat)
• glyka tou koutaliou (spoon sweet preserves)
• koulourouthkia with epsima (cookies in grape syrup)
• kattimerka (pastry desserts).

Our little friends will have the chance to join children’s activities like face painting, bouncing castle, watercolor painting and pottery. The festival peaks with a music program of traditional songs and dances.