Spring 2026 is Here

Easter 2026

Greek Orthodox Easter is sometimes celebrated on a different date from the Catholic Church. In 2026, Catholic/Western Easter is celebrated this year on April 5, while Greek Orthodox Easter (Pascha) is celebrated one week later on April 12. The difference occurs because Western Christianity uses the Gregorian calendar, while the Greek Orthodox Church uses the older Julian calendar and specific astronomical calculations. The Orthodox Church adheres to the rule that Pascha must occur after the Jewish Passover, in addition to following the Julian calendar, which often places it later than the Catholic celebration. They do not always differ, sometimes they coincide, but in 2026, they are one week apart. This weekend is the Greek Orthodox Pascha on the island. People commonly wish each other Kalo Pascha (Καλό Πάσχα) “Good Easter” on the days leading up to Easter Sunday, or on Easter Sunday Christos Anesti (Χριστός Ανέστη), which means “Christ is Risen”.

One can commonly see Easter decorations in the villages and in public spaces in the towns. These are generally large, brightly painted candles, eggs, chickens, chicks, or somewhat incongruously, at one location, statues of Mickey and Minnie Mouse.

Easter is a major holiday in Cyprus with many businesses commonly closing from Friday 10th to Tuesday 14th April inclusive, a five-day holiday. Supermarkets are generally open, but closed for Easter Sunday and Easter Monday.

Vatouthkia

Vatouthkia Restaurant in Koili, in the hills above Paphos, is highly rated for its Cypriot cuisine, large portions, and stunning panoramic views of Paphos, Coral Bay, and the surrounding countryside. The friendly service in this large restaurant from owner Nikos, family, and helpers is an easy way to while away a few hours while enjoying the view and food. We visit the restaurant about once a month with friends and guests. This Friday was our first visit this year after their extensive renovation. They have a regular Sunday brunch buffet which is very popular with the expat community, and host regular musical concerts which are also well attended. The road to Vatouthkia is well signposted and can be found on Google maps even though the road it is on has no name. Part of the concrete road to Vatouthkia is deeply rutted from cars driving in it before the concrete had set.

Water and weather

We’ve had extensive rains in Cyprus this past winter, the traditional Mediterranean rainy season. Past years, from summer 2022 have been drought years which left Cyprus in a precarious position for summer 2026 if we did not get good rains this last winter. At the start of winter, Cypriot dams were at a collective low of 9% of capacity. Currently, with more rain forecast, the dams are at 35% of capacity versus 24% a year ago. For the Pafos region, we are at 40% versus 24% a year ago. Many of these dams are used for agriculture as Cyprus currently desalinates more than 80% of drinking water with a targeted 100% by 2028. As you can deduce from the figures we’ve had, what Cypriots consider, abnormally heavy rains this last winter, even though by measuring actual flow into the dams it has not been as heavy as, for example, 2018/19 which produced more than three times the water flowing into dams than this past winter of 2025/26.

After lunch at Vatouthkia we took a drive to an overlook to see Mavrokolympos Dam, which was emptied a year ago for repairs and currently is at 85% of capacity.

Elections 2026

I’m still learning the ins and outs of the Cypriot political system and ask your indulgence for any mistakes or omissions. Parliamentary elections are scheduled to be held on 24 May 2026, to elect 56 of the 80 members of the House of Representatives for a five-year term unless parliament is dissolved earlier.

Representatives are elected from six multi-member constituencies corresponding to the six districts of Chprus. The Pafos district, where we live, has 5 seats. The number of seats per district is allocated according to the population of each area. Of the 80, 56 are elected by Greek Chpriots and 24 by Turkish Cypriots. However, since 1963 the Turkish Cypriot seats have been unfilled, and the House of Representatives has de facto had 56 seats since its enlargement in the 1980s. As a result, only 29 seats are needed for a governing coalition majority.

There are currently more than 12 parties running for election although polls only, represent the twelve largest. DISY is currently tied with AKEL with 22.8% of the vote each, representing 12.8 seats each, which will probably change due to the vagaries of the district voting system. No party is projected to gain a majority and a coalition government will be formed.

DISY, the center-right Democratic Rally, defines itself as Christian-democratic and liberal-conservative combining conservative policies with liberal stances. DISY’s platform focuses on free enterprise economic policies, lower direct taxes and higher indirect taxes, economic development, opposing government deficits, investments in infrastructure, and a practical solution to the Cyprus dispute. It is the most explicitly Atlanticist and pro-NATO of Cyprus’s parties, and draws its support from middle-class professionals, businessmen, and white-collar employees. DISY has been a member of the ruling coalition governments since 2013.

AKEL, the Progressive Party of the Working People, is a Marxist-Leninist communist party. It supports a federal solution for the internal aspect of the Cyprus problem and it places particular emphasis on rapprochement with the Turkish Cypriots. It supported entry into the European Union with certain reservations. The party has been in opposition since 2013.

Resources

Cyprus, being a small island community of 1.38 million has relatively limited resources for the handyman. This winter I decided to build a wooden garden arch to hold a creeper in our garden. While there are small amounts of pressure-treated pine available for outdoor use, the quantities and sizes are very limited. So I bought the only other lumber that is readily available which is pine imported from the Scandinavian countries. The wood is really soft and has not been properly dried, but one must make do with what there is. So we first cut it to size, then treated it with two coats of preservative followed by two coats of a clear sealant/stain. Hopefully, it will last for many years as the Cypriot outdoors can be very harsh ranging from hot sun and UV radiation in summer, to cold, damp, and extensive rains in winter. I also find myself, at times, buying certain screws and fittings online from either Europe or the US as I just can’t find the exact parts I am looking for here. Temu, the Chinese shopping website has proved invaluable, although somewhat strangely, many purchases from Temu are packaged and shipped from the USA according to their tracking.

Some people heat their homes with log-burning fires. To do so they buy logs from suppliers who get their wood from many Cypriot sources, but are nonetheless limited. Our neighbor told us that this winter was particularly long and cold, and wood-burning supply companies have run out of stock.

A walk to Letymbou

Our home in Kallepia is at a height of 510m (1,670 ft) above sea level. Letymbou is at 383m (1,250 ft). We decide to walk to Letymbou, through the back roads and fields, for a cup of coffee at the delightful Letymbou Tavern, with its terrace overlooking the village center, is owned and run by the friendly couple, Anita and Antonis. Antonis was born in Letymbou and has lived there all his life. Anita, originally from Poland, is a gracious and welcoming host.

Our 2km (1.25 miles) walk there through the fields was easy as it is mostly downhill, as can be seen from the 127m (415 ft) height difference. Coming back is a lot harder. We walked past Fitos’ farm where he herd goats and sheep for their milk which he uses to make Haloumi cheese, a well-known Cypriot delicacy. Fitos is short for Neophytos a common name in the Paphos region after the Agios (saint) Neophytos monastery overlooking Paphos. The monastery was founded by Agios Neophytos in the 12th century and is definitely worth a visit.

The walk was most impressive due to the greenery and extensive wild flowers at their peak after the long rainy winter. We all kept remarking how wonderful it was and we could not remember having ever seen the valley so green with such an abundance of wild flowers. Some photos from the walk.