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From 1878 until independence in 1960, Cyprus was a British colony. During the 1950s there was a campaign among Greek Cypriots for union with Greece, "Enosis". The organisation which led the campaign was EOKA, which fought the British army.
EOKA was led by Archbishop Makarios, who was exiled to Seychelles for a period. Turkey was against Enosis, instead favouring partition of the island. Then the British made the fatal mistake of recruiting Turkish Cypriots into the police force to help in the campaign against EOKA, which increased the tension and hostility between the two communities.
Eventually, Greece, Turkey and Britain imposed independence on the Cypriots with a constitution which gave the Turkish Cypriots power and influence way beyond their proportion of the population, and a veto on most decisions. Archbishop Makarios III became President. The independence constitution did not work, and this led to problems between the communities through the 1960s right up to 1974.
In 1974 Greece was led by a military junta - the Colonels. They initiated a coup in July 1974, replacing Makarios with an extreme EOKA leader who still sought Enosis. This led directly to a Turkish invasion on 21 July 1974. Although there were numerous UN resolutions ordering the fighting to stop and the invading army to withdraw, Turkey ignored them all, and did not stop until 17 August when they had occupied 38% of the island, and made almost a quarter of a million Greek Cypriots refugees - Greek Cypriots fled south as the Turkish army advanced.
The northern 38% of Cyprus is under Turkish army occupation, with the island divided by a so-called green line. There is only one official crossing point - the Ledra Palace hotel in Nicosia, the last remaining divided European city following the re-unification of Berlin. To those who go north it is like entering a time-warp: the modernisation of Cyprus has left the Turkish occupied north behind, numerous former Greek Cypriot villages are now merely Turkish army camps, and Turkish army convoys are the most frequent vehicles on the roads.
Visitors should remember these facts when touring the island. Go to the green line museum on Ledra street in Nicosia. Go to Deryneia and view the deserted resort of Famagusta - from where the tourists were forced to flee by the Turkish army in August 1974 - which has remained untouched ever since.
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Cyprus’ colourful history is reflected in the rich cultural life in Cyprus today. Almost every week there is some sort of celebration, a festival, a wedding or a saint’s day (which are celebrated instead of birthdays).
Religious festivals are particularly significant in Cyprus and none more so than the Greek Orthodox Easter. This is the highlight of the religious year and is considered more important than Christmas. On Easter Saturday most Cypriots will be found in the church, attending midnight mass. There is a bonfire with an effigy of Judas outside the church and also fireworks. On Easter Sunday families sit down together to eat the traditional roast lamb lunch.
Springtime is also festival time with all the major towns hosting carnival parades. There are flower festivals with parades of flower-covered floats. The largest carnival is in Limassol, with its many floats, parades and other entertainment.
Kataklysmos is another important festival - the festival of the flood- and there are celebrations in every town, with open-air fetes, games and competitions.
Harvest time is time for the wine festivals, the largest being held in Limassol. Every year thousands of visitors go to the festival to enjoy the large range of food and wine on offer.
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