Monday Window: 15/8/16

August the fifteenth is a Bank holiday in Cyprus. The Eastern Orthodox church celebrates the Feast of the Assumption. This day, dedicated to the Virgin Mary or Panayia as she is known here, is not a day of mourning for her loss, but a celebration of joy for the union of the mother with her beloved son, the blossoming of nature, the flood of emotions, and the return of people to their native land.

Church services are in the morning then traditionally families gather together to eat souvla (lamb, pork and chicken barbecued on a spit) potatoes and salad.

Today seemed an appropriate day for the little shrine at the bottom of the hill below my house to be added to Monday Window.

I first found this when I moved to the village. I often saw an old lady head into the shrubbery, wondered why and went to look for myself. A small path led through the undergrowth and following it, I found the little secret shrine. No-one has been able to tell me why it’s there, though.

Nowadays the land adjacent has been developed for a property, so the shrubbery is long gone and the shrine is not so secret, but unless you know of it, you wouldn’t find it.

Someone, probably another older village lady, sweeps the land and there is a small chair for rest and contemplation.

On such a day, celebrating the Assumption I knew candles would be lit behind the little windows…..