Filenews 16 September 2021 - by Dora Christodoulou
Tomorrow, Friday at 9.00am in the community of Kritos Terra, the ceremony of reviving the use of the area of "Plystarkos" in the centr of the village takes place. This is located at the exit of the village, on the road that leads to the church of the village and under the flourmill of the late Nikolas Filippidis.
The laundry room was constructed at the end of the tunnel which started from Kefalovryso and ended just below the flourmill, carrying the water to irrigate the orchards of the villagers. At the exit of the tunnel on the left side of the stone, they had carved on a plate about 15 metres long, 8 troughs, about one foot deep and about 70 points in diameter, 6 round and 2 square.
The side of each trough towards the groove, they pulled it out with skill to leave the unclean water, towards the groove and when they wanted to close it they used a small garment that was wedged in the small open hole.
The women of the village went to the laundry room every day carrying on their shoulders all the soiled clothes, in areas that were entangled by reeds, which they placed next to the trough. In the laundry room only women could go. The men were forbidden to approach, so above the laundry room was built a high wall, so that no one could look down on where the women were. All this was done because women during their washing, used to lift the hem of their skirt and tie it in their waist so that it would not rain when they entered the water of the groove and because it seemed part of their bare feet it was not allowed to be seen by men. The women also used part of the tunnel as a bath to bathe.
This process ended around 1960 when things began to change for the better and each woman took the laundry room and bathe in her house after each house had been supplied with water.
