Pafos Press 10 August 2024
The art of weaving continues to be served by women who live in the village of Phyti in Pafos, who spoke to KYPE about their weaves, the plumistas of the boufa, but also a man, Athinodoros Georgiou from Pachyammos in Tellyria who even has his own of the loom.
Today, Phytio embroidery is continued mainly by the few Phytio women who live in the community and by women who moved after their marriage or for other reasons to Nicosia and Paphos, but also by weavers who are trained by the Cyprus Handicrafts Service and dispose of their production in Service.
As they say, phythkiotiko is one of the most important loom embroideries of the Cypriot countryside and belongs to the category of the oldest handicrafts of our country. Initially the colors they used were red and blue, as they were the only ones that could be procured. But later, as they mentioned, the embroideries were enriched with other colours such as yellow, green and orange.
The weaver Theano Mavrelli mentioned that she has been involved with Fitio embroidery since she was 12 years old. The art, as she said, she learned from her mother and grandmother and later she also made her own designs. It was, as he characteristically said, "our job because they didn't send us to High School". As soon as they completed their studies in Primary School, they made boufa and kneaded breads.
Regarding the museum she has created in the community of Phytis, Mrs. Mavrelli mentioned that she created it together with her husband after his retirement from education. The museum is visited by many locals as well as foreigners, she said
Her husband, Charalambos Mavrellis, said that he explains the art of Phytiotik to the foreign visitors of his community.
The art starts with the threads, he said, and noted that an ancient plumi pattern takes two to three days to make, because it is complicated, he explained.
They also make Karpasitika designs. Regarding the future of the phytiotik, Mrs. Mavrelli expressed her concern that in the future they will not make phytiotik because the younger generations are not involved in making them.
Panagiota Kyriakou Aristidou, a resident of Phytis, spoke about the art of the loom and about her textiles. The forgotten art of weaving continues in the community of Phytis, she told KYPE. Despite her years, Mrs. Aristidou continues to weave her favourite embroideries on her loom, also using the colours black, red, orange, yellow, blue and green.
The weaver uses, as he said, a special traditional loom that was made by local craftsmen. Our embroideries, he continued, are called plumistas of the bouffa and their designs plumia. He said that at the end of each plume there are fringes with tassels, white or coloured that were tied on the hand. Finally, he noted, another feature is that they have a good side and an upside.
Athinodoros Georgiou from Pachyammos in Tellyria was also involved in the weaving art, who also had his own loom. He was taught the art of weaving after his military service in 2007 as part of an EU program for young secondary school graduates in Cypriot handicrafts which he attended since his whole life has been close to tradition. Afterwards, he said, he went back and learned other types of weaving art, the Phytiotiko, the Karpasitiko, the Lefkonikiatiko and the art of the Sakas which is mainly a male art.
He then built his little loom so he could carry it. He also mentioned the woven pine of the cariotes that is manufactured in the area of Laona. These are rags with various patterns, cut rags with a good combination of colours. This fabric is manufactured in Drouseia, Arodes, Inia and Kathikas.
It is noted that until 1970 they also wove in the neighbouring villages of Lhasa, Simou, Drynia, Giolo, Stato Agios Fotios, Choulo, Polemi, Agios Dimitrianos and elsewhere.
