A Midsummer's Night Dream at the Golden Bay Beach Hotel

Apart from being one of the most prestigious hotels in Cyprus, the Golden Bay in Larnaca  aspires to preserve our customs, folklore and traditions. Every summer, the management team of the Golden Bay organise a special Cyprus Night featuring traditional folk dances, the making of baskets, flutes and, of course trahanas,  halloumi cheese and loukoumades   .  Naturally, the Executive Chef prepared a wide variety of traditional Cyprus dishes and desserts which we enjoyed under the stars  by the beach.

 

The good old traditional way of making halloumi cheese

 

 

The Final Product - Halloumi

 

 

This lady is showing us how to make halloumi in the traditional way - when factories and technology did not exist.

 

 

Cooking trahanas

Trahanas - just delicious for a soup on cold winter nights

 

 

Cyprus Night - Golden Bay

Traditional Cyprus Baskets

This lady is showing us how to make traditional Cyprus baskets.

The making of a flute

Traditional Cyprus Baskets

 

 

A midsummer's night dream at the Golden Bay

 

This fabulous night ended with folk dances from Greece and Cyprus.

 

Ο Χορός της Στάμνας - The Dance of the Clay Jug

 

Syrtaki (Zorba the Greek)

Comments

[Jeff]

Excellent post! Loved all the photos and the videos so much!

[Laura]

Those baskets are gorgeous!

[Lakis Ioannou]

I still remember my mother and my aunt making our daily halloumi at home. It's so nice to see that the Golden Bay shares and preserves our culture and traditions. As for the dances, they are truly amazing!

[Faith Barndt]

I keep saying this... One day I will experience your country! I can't wait.

[Sophia]

This looks like a great summer party!! Thanks for sharing the photos - they're brilliant. It's been ages I haven't tasted the real homemade halloumi. So much better than the one you get at the supermarket.

[Constantinos T]

Folk dancing in Crete is acknowledged everywhere as something special as in contrast to elsewhere around the globe, it is not just staged for the sake of the tourist but it is a part of the festive side of life. It is not unusual to find that these festivities carry on into the early hours of the morning.

The Cretan dances are bound by traditions. it is no coincidence who is to start and who is to end the chain. At weddings, there is a fixed order for who is to dance and when. Very often a whole family or parties will "pay" for a dance, and it is considered impolite to participate unless you are invited, however later at night everybody is normally welcome to take part. Is it the same in Cyprus?

[Mark Hammot]

Wow! What a fun night!

[Alexia M]

I believe folklore and tradition should be preserved in every single country of the world. It's even more important to find real ways to share it with others. The Cyprus night at the Golden Bay is an excellent example. I could watch those videos over and over again. Anastasia, thank you for yet another great post.

[Lisa A]

Buonasera Anastasia. How wonderfull pics and videos!!! The dance of the clay jug is so expressive and of course I like Zorba the greek!!! I understand halloumi is a kind of cheese. Can I find it in Italy?

[Anastasia]

I think you can find it in big supermarkets.
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[Karolina]

OMG!!! I love the photos and the videos so much!!!! This must have been a very special night and I'm glad you enjoyed yourself.