Sexy lingerie stalls banned at Kataklysmos.

Author:

Stefanos Evripidou

THIS YEAR'S much anticipated Festival of the Flood (Kataklysmos) in Larnaca will take place without the sale of stockings, g-strings, sexy and non-sexy lingerie after a decision by the Larnaca local council.

According to yesterday's Politis, following a number of complaints by members of the public, the municipal council decided to ban the sale of clothing, specifically lingerie, by the popular street stalls set up every year for the Kataklysmos festival.

The paper said many street sellers were upset by the decision, taken on May 15, as the festival is considered a good opportunity to earn a few euros, given the large crowds it attracts.

Despite their reported dissatisfaction, the festival street sellers association officially backed the local council's decision, saying sales of sexy clothing had nothing to do with the religious festival and took away from its special character.

In the past, street sellers set up stalls by Europe Square at the entrance to the coastal road Finikoudes, selling all sorts of clothing, from trousers, t-shirts, belts, shoes to the under fire women's lingerie.

Members of the public reportedly expressed their displeasure at the sale of the racy underwear, complaining that they did not want their children participating in the festival to be exposed to such items.

As a result, the local council decided not to issue permits to clothes sellers for this year's festival, starting this Friday.

According to the Cyprus Tourism Organisation's website, Kataklysmos marks the day of the Holy Spirit as it celebrates the descent of the Holy Ghost to the Apostles. It is a Greek Orthodox festival with strong pagan roots focusing primarily on water.

It is also known as the feast of the Pentecost or Whitsun, marked 50 days after Greek Orthodox Easter.

Coastal cities make the most of the opportunity, staging concerts and games near the waterfront with traditional celebrations seeing children -- and adults too -- hit the streets, armed with water guns and balloons to splash friends and family.

The tourism organisation notes that in Cyprus, the celebrations also hark back to the Old Testament tale of Noah's Ark, the Greek myth of Deukalion and ancient ceremonies in honour of Aphrodite and Adonis. Larnaca is particularly proud of the festivities it puts on for several days to celebrate Kataklysmos.

The sea front promenade, Finikoudes, transforms into an open-air fair with scores of stalls selling toys and traditional food, but no lingerie this year.

Visitors to the festival also get to enjoy traditional competitions for chatista - rhyming songs in the Cypriot dialect .

Copyright Cyprus Mail 2012

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