Celebrating Easter with Muslim compatriots.
An example of pure human relations.
As every year, the same this year, I was invited for Easter lunch at my niece’s in-laws.
For this purpose my sister from Larnaca called asking me to follow them, I told her that I had decided something different this year and I explained my plans.
I wanted to go to the Turkish Cypriot village of Galinoporni to meet Tziafer and Salih who speak Greek since birth.
My plan was to have my first stop at Lythragkomi village to have a morning coffee with Erol who at present lives in the house of the priest of the nearby church of Kanakaria. Erol is a retired man from Koshi village who also speak good Greek.
Both these Muslim friends, I met for the first time on my last visit to the Turkish-occupied Karpasia.
I put in the car some flaounes, few red eggs, wine and some coffee as Easter gifts, enough for any occasion.
At the Turkish checkpoint at Strovilia was on duty a young Turkish officer, who by chance is on duty at most times I pass by there. Her name is Rabiyan.
Rabiyan is cheerful by nature and a friendly type of person with a simple mediterranean beauty and a sweet smile in her face.
I talk with her for short every time I am there, briefly describing to her the program of my visit. Through these short conversations, she told me that she is married, has two beautiful children, a daughter and a son and lives in Galatia which is her husband’s village.
Yesterday, after we talked for a while, I asked her the name of her husband and as a kind of a joke I told her that I would go to meet him.
Go, she told me, you will be able to meet him because he is off work today.
I left faithfully following my program. First stop is Lythragkomi, then to St. Simeon for a while and then in Galinoporni.
After I met my friends and I spent some time with them and having completely unexpectedly met in Galinoporni some other new friends who I talked for long with them, I decided to hit the way back.
Entering the car I realized that I had enough time, so I decided to make reality the visit to Rabiyan’s husband.
But I had many misgivings, something stopped me, was not phobias what I felt, it was the bad image that was wedged myself from the past.
Galatia is a purely Turkish village, whose inhabitants spoke only Turkish and it was forbidden to Greek Cypriot to entry in it.
Galatia is the village where our fellow villager and previously missing Pieris Adamou was found dead.
All this created in me a picture of nationalists and intolerant people.
It was not only this that stopped me, it was also the question how Rabiyan’s husband would accept such a visit, what should I say to him, how would I present myself, how could he perceived such an unexpected visit of a stranger.
On the other hand, I thought that a girl like Rabiyan that is full of joy and emits such a strong positive aura, could not be married to a bad man.
Married with evil men look like withered roses ready to shake their petals, however, Rabiyan is a bud soaked in joy and full of life.
My positive thought, and my pure intent, made me go. I had no hesitation in me no matter how naive and foolhardy it sounds.
Arriving in Galatia, I stopped at a cafe and asked one of the few regulars if he knew Rabiyan’s husband. The man once he properly understood who I was looking for, he offered to lead me to the house of the man who I was looking for.
He rides his bike and I followed him by my car.
We arrived in a house with a big yard in the front and a big family having lunch in the shade.
The man nodded me to stop and shouted to the family, he told them someone was looking for them.
Two burly young men came to the gate, and a middle-aged venerable gentleman followed them.
They talked in Turkish with the man who accompanied me and one of the two youngsters approached me saying, I am Emir Ali the man you are looking for. My wife called and informed me of your possible visit. You came just in time, come inside to eat with us.
I walked the great courtyard reaching the laid table. I introduced myself to everyone and they gave me a seat to sit, the girls ran in to the kitchen to bring me a plate.
I was at Rabiyan’s in-law’s house.
At the table sat Emir Ali’s father, his mom, his two sisters, and the husband of his sister. The grandkids too, the girl and the boy of Rabiyan and the two boys of Emir Ali’s sister.
Emir Ali and his sister’s husband spoke tolerable Greek that they learn while working for several years with Greek Cypriots in our region.
The rest spoke only in Turkish. The great desire and the need of communication didn’t let the language difference to stand as an obstacle to this meeting.
On the table was freshly cut salad with vegetables from the garden of the house, chicken and lamb chops on the grill. A cold beer was perfect for this lunch.
We had long pleasant conversations on various issues.
They talked about the village and the vineyards, about their wine and soutziouko they produce.
On the back of the house the view is vast, you can see as far as the eyes can reach. A valley with vineyards and Platanissos village in the distance, another Turkish village where its inhabitants spoke Greek.
Emir Ali’s father showed me his antique tractor, a Massey Fergusson of the 50s.
While perusing the tractor, my gaze went over to a bunch of dried olives hanging on a wooden block of the tractor’s shelter.
I asked for its purpose, what is the use of it. His father took some leaves and left to return holding a smoking lit. We smoked to protect us from the evil eye and to even find a similarity in our daily lives.
After we drank our Cypriot coffee and making sure that would not be our only meeting, I left full of exultation and lucky for my new acquaintances.
Yesterday the day of Easter I experienced a long forgotten Cypriot hospitality, meeting pure and truthful Cypriots.
I feel lucky and happy that once again, my strong intuition didn’t betray me.
Yesterday, likely for some people I would have sinned, but God rewarded me with a new pure friendship and a lesson of pure human relations.
Rabiyan was still on duty when I returned. I thanked her for the hospitality that her in-laws offered me and told her how very fortunate she is to become a member of that family, and I'm glad I met her family and such a nice people.
An example of pure human relations.
As every year, the same this year, I was invited for Easter lunch at my niece’s in-laws.
For this purpose my sister from Larnaca called asking me to follow them, I told her that I had decided something different this year and I explained my plans.
I wanted to go to the Turkish Cypriot village of Galinoporni to meet Tziafer and Salih who speak Greek since birth.
My plan was to have my first stop at Lythragkomi village to have a morning coffee with Erol who at present lives in the house of the priest of the nearby church of Kanakaria. Erol is a retired man from Koshi village who also speak good Greek.
Both these Muslim friends, I met for the first time on my last visit to the Turkish-occupied Karpasia.
I put in the car some flaounes, few red eggs, wine and some coffee as Easter gifts, enough for any occasion.
At the Turkish checkpoint at Strovilia was on duty a young Turkish officer, who by chance is on duty at most times I pass by there. Her name is Rabiyan.
Rabiyan is cheerful by nature and a friendly type of person with a simple mediterranean beauty and a sweet smile in her face.
I talk with her for short every time I am there, briefly describing to her the program of my visit. Through these short conversations, she told me that she is married, has two beautiful children, a daughter and a son and lives in Galatia which is her husband’s village.
Yesterday, after we talked for a while, I asked her the name of her husband and as a kind of a joke I told her that I would go to meet him.
Go, she told me, you will be able to meet him because he is off work today.
I left faithfully following my program. First stop is Lythragkomi, then to St. Simeon for a while and then in Galinoporni.
After I met my friends and I spent some time with them and having completely unexpectedly met in Galinoporni some other new friends who I talked for long with them, I decided to hit the way back.
Entering the car I realized that I had enough time, so I decided to make reality the visit to Rabiyan’s husband.
But I had many misgivings, something stopped me, was not phobias what I felt, it was the bad image that was wedged myself from the past.
Galatia is a purely Turkish village, whose inhabitants spoke only Turkish and it was forbidden to Greek Cypriot to entry in it.
Galatia is the village where our fellow villager and previously missing Pieris Adamou was found dead.
All this created in me a picture of nationalists and intolerant people.
It was not only this that stopped me, it was also the question how Rabiyan’s husband would accept such a visit, what should I say to him, how would I present myself, how could he perceived such an unexpected visit of a stranger.
On the other hand, I thought that a girl like Rabiyan that is full of joy and emits such a strong positive aura, could not be married to a bad man.
Married with evil men look like withered roses ready to shake their petals, however, Rabiyan is a bud soaked in joy and full of life.
My positive thought, and my pure intent, made me go. I had no hesitation in me no matter how naive and foolhardy it sounds.
Arriving in Galatia, I stopped at a cafe and asked one of the few regulars if he knew Rabiyan’s husband. The man once he properly understood who I was looking for, he offered to lead me to the house of the man who I was looking for.
He rides his bike and I followed him by my car.
We arrived in a house with a big yard in the front and a big family having lunch in the shade.
The man nodded me to stop and shouted to the family, he told them someone was looking for them.
Two burly young men came to the gate, and a middle-aged venerable gentleman followed them.
They talked in Turkish with the man who accompanied me and one of the two youngsters approached me saying, I am Emir Ali the man you are looking for. My wife called and informed me of your possible visit. You came just in time, come inside to eat with us.
I walked the great courtyard reaching the laid table. I introduced myself to everyone and they gave me a seat to sit, the girls ran in to the kitchen to bring me a plate.
I was at Rabiyan’s in-law’s house.
At the table sat Emir Ali’s father, his mom, his two sisters, and the husband of his sister. The grandkids too, the girl and the boy of Rabiyan and the two boys of Emir Ali’s sister.
Emir Ali and his sister’s husband spoke tolerable Greek that they learn while working for several years with Greek Cypriots in our region.
The rest spoke only in Turkish. The great desire and the need of communication didn’t let the language difference to stand as an obstacle to this meeting.
On the table was freshly cut salad with vegetables from the garden of the house, chicken and lamb chops on the grill. A cold beer was perfect for this lunch.
We had long pleasant conversations on various issues.
They talked about the village and the vineyards, about their wine and soutziouko they produce.
On the back of the house the view is vast, you can see as far as the eyes can reach. A valley with vineyards and Platanissos village in the distance, another Turkish village where its inhabitants spoke Greek.
Emir Ali’s father showed me his antique tractor, a Massey Fergusson of the 50s.
While perusing the tractor, my gaze went over to a bunch of dried olives hanging on a wooden block of the tractor’s shelter.
I asked for its purpose, what is the use of it. His father took some leaves and left to return holding a smoking lit. We smoked to protect us from the evil eye and to even find a similarity in our daily lives.
After we drank our Cypriot coffee and making sure that would not be our only meeting, I left full of exultation and lucky for my new acquaintances.
Yesterday the day of Easter I experienced a long forgotten Cypriot hospitality, meeting pure and truthful Cypriots.
I feel lucky and happy that once again, my strong intuition didn’t betray me.
Yesterday, likely for some people I would have sinned, but God rewarded me with a new pure friendship and a lesson of pure human relations.
Rabiyan was still on duty when I returned. I thanked her for the hospitality that her in-laws offered me and told her how very fortunate she is to become a member of that family, and I'm glad I met her family and such a nice people.
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