Christmas festivities will have a European flavour this year, as the local Russian newspaper Vestnik Kipra and Yermasoyia municipality organise the biggest Christmas fair ever held on the island.

In many European countries, Christmas fairs are an integral part of the festive tradition. People come together in outdoor Christmas markets and celebrate the festive season as a community. Vestnik Kipra and Limassol’s Yermasoyia municipality have joined forces this year to bring the tradition to Cyprus.

The joint project is funded solely by private sponsors and participants and will be held over 19 days in the tourist area of Limassol, from December 14 until January 1. Entrance is free and many of the proceeds will go to local charities.

“I knew from the beginning that this will be a very challenging task,” Natalia Kardash, president of the organising committee and chief editor of Vestnik Kipra, told the Sunday Mail. “We have already organised many large-scale events in the past, such as the Cyprus-Russian Festival, but they were only for one day. The Christmas fair is a 19-day project that includes about 50 different events.”
The fair promises a variety of entertainment for the fair-goers. Participants can take part in a number of competitions, including a contest for the most fashionably decorated Christmas tree, the most originally built snowman and the most imaginative light installations, just to name a few. The voting includes a money box system, where visitors can donate money to their favourite entries. The top three winners will keep the money as their prize, while the donations collected by the remaining entries will be donated to local charities.

Local talent will get the chance to be showcased through concerts and Christmas performances and a theatre group from St Petersburg will also be coming to perform their traditional interactive New Year plays for children.

Traditional Christmas stalls will exhibit and sell arts and crafts where visitors can buy unique, handmade Christmas presents. Cypriot products will also be on display. Local village producers will give visitors the chance to taste traditional Cypriot food and drinks and to buy handmade souvenirs from their area.

Feeling homesick or wish you were abroad during the holiday season? The fair takes care of that too. Certain days will be dedicated to specific European countries such as Hungary, Austria, the Nordic countries, Russia, the Ukraine and Greece. Visitors will have the opportunity to experience their particular Christmas traditions, taste their local dishes and take part in a range of activities.

“Our aim is to create a true Christmas spirit in Cyprus. We have such good weather on the island that it’s a shame to not celebrate Christmas outside, like so many other European countries,” Kardash explains. “We want to include all communities and give people a fantastic Christmas experience combined with famous Cyprus hospitality.”