TALA - CRAFTS

From in-cyprus:  Edited by Praxia Aresti


DECORATED PUMPKINS

During older times, pumpkins were used as vessels for the keeping and carriage of water, wine, and oil.  To make them more resistant, they would smear them with terebinth tar (turpentine). Then they would begin to decorate them with various representations from that era. The whole procedure for the decoration of the pumpkins was called “ploumisma”.

Today the decoration of the pumpkins is done with the pyrographer; various representations of animals, birds, and several other decorative elements are created with it.

In the community of Tala today, there are still two persons that continue to do this job and possess a large collection of decorated pumpkins. These persons are Mr. Lambros Christodoulou and Mr. Vrasidas Neofytou.

WOOD CARVING

The craft of wood carving in the community of Tala was limited to the making of several agriculture / farming tools and various furniture for the house. A bit of carving craftsmanship, with representations of flowers, birds, and other decorative elements, was used upon the cabinets and on the mirrors.

Some of the farming tools that were made then are the ploughshare along with the yoke, which were used for the cattle’s and cows’ harnessing in order to seed and cultivate the fields.
Also, wooden dippers were made for the stirring the “resi” (traditional wedding meal), the “palouze” (type of must-jelly), and the “trachanas” (soup / porridge with dried curd, flour, and lemon).
They made the “faoutes” (plural of “faouta”, from the italian “Fagotto”), with which they would pound the “resi” in hand; they were also using them for the pounding of the clothes (they pounded the clothes with the “faouta”, adding hot water and soap for the clean up).

They made pack-saddles for the donkeys, cases upon which they placed the water crocks, and the “mistarko” –a V shaped board upon which they placed their foot when wearing the “podina” (high leather boot).  Other tools that they made were the “kope” or “fournoftio”, which they used for inserting breads in the oven, and the planks upon which they placed the breads.

Unfortunately, all these things have vanished and only the tools, used today mainly for decoration purposes, are extant.

Today there are two persons in the village engaged with woodcraft to some extent, in a way not bearing an essential resemblance with the old craft but rather dealing with the making of old tools’ imitations and the processing of various wood or root types and their conversion to decorative items.

Courtesy of the Community Council of Tala

WEAVING

The “voufa” (weaving machine) is known in many places of Cyprus.

In old times being a (female) weaver was a very good profession since textiles –in those days –were hard to find and very expensive for someone to have.

With the weaving machine they weaved cloth out of silk that came from the processing of the silkworm’s cocoon. Wedding dresses and bridegroom’s shirts were sawed out of these silk cloths. For the making of sheets, they weaved the thread produced by cannabis and used the wool that they weaved out of sheep for scarves.

Some of the best weavers lived in Tala Village at Paphos. However the “kkilimia” or “pepsia” (woven carpet) as they were usually called in the village were the main job for the weaving machine. Out of old clothes that the family no longer needed, they would cut out stripes and spin them with threads thus creating new fabrics. This proves that the inhabitants of the community were the best recyclists.

There are no weavers in the village today; the last one that existed was the mother of the Archbishop of Cyprus, Mrs Thekla Christodoulou.