Filenews 18 February 2025 - by Michalis Hadjivassilis
The Ministry of Justice is racing to catch up with Easter to regulate the issue of lambratzia. The relevant bill is submitted tomorrow to the Council of Ministers by the Minister of Justice and Public Order, Marios Hartsiotis, and will be sent to Parliament under the urgent procedure.
However, the deadlines are tight, since there are 61 days left before Easter, while there are fierce reactions from the Union of Municipalities and Communities that do not want to take over this power as well, namely to grant permits and check whether the conditions are met.
The bill was processed by the Legal Service and attempts for the first time to place the custom of lighting the lampratzia under terms and conditions so that lives and property are not endangered. Already, according to "F" information, in Limassol young people have started gathering wood for the lighting of the lampratzia, a fact that poses risks, since until today everything is uncontrollable and the competent services run a few days or even hours before the lighting to dismantle them.
The bill attempts, on the one hand, to preserve a decades-old custom and, on the other, to put matters in order so that lighting is safe and those who break the law are punished.
The bill was prepared by the Ministry of the Interior, the Commissioner for Legislation in cooperation with the Police Pyrotechnics and forwarded to the Ministry of Justice to forward it to Parliament. This provides for the adoption of a law that will be referred to as the Regulation and Control of Labratzia, while for the first time it defines what is Lambratzia: It means the custom of lighting a fire during Easter celebrations in the context of the tradition of the Cypriot Orthodox Christian Church and other Christian denominations in the Republic of Cyprus. According to the provisions of the bill, any authority or individuals wishing to light a lamp should submit an application to the local authority. It will not light a lampratzia if the following conditions are not met:
(a) Obtain prior permission from the local government authority in accordance with the provisions of this Law.
(b) The preparation for the purpose of lighting the lampratzia may begin eight days before Easter Sunday and may extend to Easter Sunday.
(c) The materials for the preparation and lighting of the lampshade shall be inspected by the local administration authority or the Parish Committee and the use or transport for use of any flammable material or material other than raw wood shall be prohibited.
As foreseen, the competent authority will indicate the area in which the lambratzia will be lit, the materials and quantity of materials as well as the area of the area so as not to allow the fire to spread.
It is also noted that according to the bill, it is provided that any person participates in the preparation or lighting of lampratzia without having obtained prior permission from the competent local authority or lights or feeds flammable lampratzia materials or deposits near the area where lampratzia materials are expected to be placed that were not granted by the competent local authority, or throws explosives, pyrotechnic articles, engine oils or other materials that may cause an explosion or sudden ignition, or finally causes fire or other damage to property or bodily injury to any person due to reckless or negligent use of materials during the preparation, lighting or supply of lampratzia, is guilty of an offence and punishable by imprisonment for up to three years or a fine of up to €5,000 or both.
There have already been strong reactions from local authorities with the president of the Union of Municipalities, Andreas Vyras, clearly stating his opposition to the bill. "It is impossible for local governments to take over policing and controlling the lambratzia. It is not our responsibility. It is a matter for the Police and the State, municipalities can only help and support these efforts," he stressed.