Amargeti's Traditional Festival

Amargeti, is a quaint little village situated amidst beautiful nature in the east of the town of Pafos. The village’s name probably derives from the name Amargueti, a common name amongst the ladies of the Lusignan court. Lusignan occupied Cyprus between 1192-1487.

The Amargeti Traditional Festival showcases local traditions, arts and crafts as well as local produce. There will be workshops demonstrating and introducing participants to traditional embroidery and weaving techniques, pottery and painting, basket and silk weaving. There will also be cooking demonstrations where you can learn how to make Halloumi and Anari cheeses, Palouzes (creamy dessert of grape juice and flour), Resi (a wedding dish made of coarsely wheat boiled in meat broth), Koulourouthkia with Epsima (cookies in grape syrup) and Kattimerka (pastry desserts).

An old-style winepress will be on display and you could participate at the traditional wine making processes, where grapes are repeatedly trampled in vats by barefoot participants to release their juices and begin fermentation. The pomace, that is the solid waste left over from pressing the grapes will be distilled on site to produce Zivania, a traditional local spirt.

The village’s traditional olive mill will be set up to demonstrate olive pressing and visitors will be offered kapira (toasted bread) soaked in mavrolado (dark olive oil) which is olive oil made out of olives that have been boiled and dried in the sun. Local people will also demonstrate a traditional threshing technique using an old threshing machine called patoza which removes stalks and husks from the grain.

The village will offer visitors free guided tours of the Folk Art Museum, there will be a photo exhibition and a farm with domesticated animals open to the public.

The Amargeti festival is an excellent opportunity to get to immerse yourself in the old traditional, rural life.