Polemi Festival

[Discobolus]

The Polemi Festival I this year is on the 11th August at 8.30pm and will be at the village school, this year there are 3 singers, it is 12 euros with food, 8 euros without.

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[Discobolus]

Polemi Festival last night, fireworks plenty of music,a good enjoyable night with lots of Cypriot friends, pretty obvious that very few Brits bothered to support it.

[PolemIan]

We nearly went but after being at Letymbou Resi festival last week fancied somewhere different last night. I will mention to Nikki next time I’m in the office that they may wish to consider mixing up the music a little next time, perhaps including some UK performers as they did last week. Also last week if you just wanted to go and listen in and enjoy the atmosphere, it was free to enter rather than €8, which may have put off some people, especially as it’s so loud you clan here it from miles away - I was listening in from our patio after we got back. Hopefully we will make it next year and that Metochi refurbishment is complete. Nikki said the caterers were the same as Letymbou so the food should have been good, hopefully they didn’t run out this week! Ian

[Dominic]

We've been in Ayia Napa for the last week, and only got back yesterday. We did hear the fireworks though, and the partying went on for some time afterwards.

You can't expect every event to get supported by everybody though. Lots of Brits (lots of all nationalities, really) turned up for the Tulip festival. And had the event had more English singing bands then I am sure more expats would turn up. But it isn't a competition.

[PolemIan]

No it’s not Dominic, it’s the villagers event but I know a few of the expats really don’t like local music so that may out a few off which is a shame. Agree there’s a good mix for the tulip festival. Ian

[Dominic]

I liked the Greek language singing they had at the Pafos2017 closing ceremony. I can't understand what's being said in most songs anyway, so the language is irrelevent.

God I sound old.

[Fisherman Phil]

Doesn't suit my lifestyle at all, I'm afraid. I get up at 5/6 in the morning for fishing, bowling or whatever. Going out to an event which doesn't start until 8pm, has no appeal whatsoever.

[Dominic]

But surely a Cypriot village festival is a celebration of that village's culture and history? It would not be the same with English bands and singers. If I went to a village celebration in the UK I would not want to hear Pakistani or Nigerian music, even if a large proportion of the local residents were of Pakistani or Nigerian origin.

I mean, where do you stop? A goodly proportion of residents in Pareklissia and Pyrgos (near Limassol) are Russian; should the village festivals there include Russian bands and singers? There are increasingly large communities of Israeli immigrants in different towns and villages: should their music form part of the village festival too?

On the occasions when I have been to Kouklia village festivals I have enjoyed Cypriot dancing and music for what it is; though I accept it is not to everyone's taste.

Nonsense. At the local fairs in UK the ethnic minorities are well represented. Well, the one's I used to go to were anyway. And Surrey Heath is hardly a burning torch for liberal ideas.

To be honest, to me it was a bit of a highlight. That's why I liked the ISOP Christmas Fair which was about as diverse as you can get, and all the better for it.

It's entirely up to Polemi Council or whoever organises it as to what sort of event it is. I was just giving a reason as to why the numbers of expats might be low.

[Discobolus]

On second thoughts best if the Brits stay away from the Polemi Festival if all they want to do as usual is change it to what they want, it’s proberly been going along nicely for many years certainly has in the 11 years we have been here, go to a Cypriot Village Festival and have English singers how stupid.

[PolemIan]

Mike,
Not stupid, just a well intentioned suggestion to try and encourage others to go as per your original comment. If it stays the same, as it almost certainly will, that’s fine with me personally. please don’t suggest “all,they want to Do as usual is change it to what they want”, that’s not what I said at all and exactly why I wrote “may wish to consider” to avoid any suggestions of little Britain sweeping generalisations. It certainly didn’t do any harm at Letymbou. Ian.

[Yioula]

I went to the village festival in Kallepia a few years ago ....... it was a celebration of the village and the Cypriots who lived or had lived there, it was fabulous to see so many families there and the children of the elders return to the village to celebrate with their parents uncles aunts cousins and old school friends, I was introduced to the priest and the muchtar by the family I was with there were a few English village residents also but it’s a great opportunity to practice your Greek as many elders don’t speak any English and they do appreciate that you are trying...............

[Canary Man]

Sorry was just generalising, we love the cypriot music and dancing and can't imagine Englush singers at our village festival but that's just my opinion-Mi

[Dominic]

Sorry was just generalising, we love the cypriot music and dancing and can't imagine Englush singers at our village festival but that's just my opinion-Mi

Where were you generalising?

[Dominic]

On second thoughts best if the Brits stay away from the Polemi Festival if all they want to do as usual is change it to what they want, it’s proberly been going along nicely for many years certainly has in the 11 years we have been here, go to a Cypriot Village Festival and have English singers how stupid.

Nobody said they want to change anything. You were moaning about the lack of British people attending, and were given some possible reasons.