«Το τραπέζιν του Άι Βασίλη» Πηγή: Κυπρή και Πρωτοπαπά 2007, 269
New Year's bread or pitta (called also vassilopitta).
Name - Origin
New Year's bread or pitta (called also vassilopita). This pitta, just like the Christmas gennopitta, is made with a lot of care and art. The decoration on the vassilopita is usually a large cross engraved on top or made of dough, or a little man on top - an effigy of Agios Vassilios, or a composition of the cross with circles and other shapes (Kypri and Protopapa 2007, 269).
This bread was round and had a cross extending to the four edges. A small round bread was placed in the middle of the cross. It was sprinkled with sesame and in between the cross it was decorated using the tip of a fork (Parperi-Moudourou 2002, 13).
In Cyprus it is also called Vassilis or Aes Vassilis. In the villages of Paphos, Aes Vassilis was called vassilopoulla (Kypri and Protopapa 2007, 268).
For the preparation of Aes Vassilis, they would knead flour with spices such as cinnamon, mastic, cloves (Kypri - Protopapa 2003, 87).
Kneading Aes Vassili in Rizokarpaso is described as follows: "After blanching sesame seeds on 31 December, on the following day, first thing in the morning, the housewife wakes up to knead and make Aes Vassilis and other types of bread. Before the kneading begins, however, she washes the triftosanion, on which the dough is to be kneaded and on which Vassilis and other cookies are to be shaped. She also washes the raisins that she will use. Then she puts the tentzere on the fire to boil water. Having in the meantime cut her nails, washed herself well and worn a hair cap, so that no hair falls into the dough, she sifts the flower in the skafi (wooden bread trough) using the tats̆ian (traditional sieve) until the water boils. The skafi is placed on a chair, which rests either on the pole or on the wall of the house. Using the sieve, she takes some flour from the bag where she had put the flour after grinding wheat in the flour mill. She uses wheat flour or hasiko and semolina flour. After sifting the flour, she pushes it backwards in the skafi, leaving the front of the skafi empty, and with the palm of her right hand upright she makes the sign of the cross on the sifted flour, saying at the same time "Christ". She then adds the spices (ground cinnamon, ground mastic and a pinch of aniseed) to the sifted flour; and lastly, she adds a pinch of mahleb. In front of the flour in the empty part of the skafi she places the sourdough starter, which she has made the night before. In the meantime, once the water has boiled, she removes the tentzere from the fire. Next, she puts a bit of salt in a bowl and she pours a bit of lukewarm water, which she takes from the tentzere with a deep iron spoon. When the salt has dissolved in the lukewarm water, it is poured into the front of the skafi where the starter has been placed. She pours a bit more lukewarm water there, which she takes from the tenzere with the deep iron spoon. After she makes the sign of the cross over the starter with the palm of her right hand held upright and says "Christ", she begins to dissolve the starter. When she has dissolved it, after crossing the flour with the palm of her right hand held upright over the flour and saying "Christ," she begins to take a little bit of flour and mix it with the dissolved starter. When she has incorporated all the flour, the kneading process begins. She kneads it by punching it (with her fists) rhythmically (left-right hand). Any dough that sticks to the sides of the skafi or to her hands, is peeled off and thrown into the rest of the dough. She pours some more lukewarm water and continues to knead the dough by punching it down. The dough is always turned over in the skafi to be kneaded thoroughly. She turns it punches it, turns it over again and kneads it again. She takes each side of the dough and brings it up, and each time she brings up a side, she punches it. “If some dough falls out of the skafi, they say that other people (other than the householdguests) will eat from that bread”. She then cuts the dough inside the skafi, and after wetting her hands in the lukewarm water (which she has in a bowl next to the skafi) she punches it. The dough is then cut into pieces for a second time. She wets her hands again in the lukewarm water and again punches and kneads the dough. Then, after covering the dough with a clean cloth, she cuts a piece of the dough with a knife, rubs it in the skafi and then rubs it on the triftosanion (also called thkiartosanion, a rectangular flat wooden board where the bread and other baking goods were usually kneaded/ formed). She first rubs it with both palms of her hands. Then, she rubs it with one palm and then rubs it again with both palms. Then she rubs it with one palm and then rubs it again with both palms. When she rubs it with one palm, her other palm is open (her fingers are extended) to keep one end of the dough still. When rubbing the dough on the triftosanion, she turns it over and rubs it from various sides. She continues to cut the dough piece by piece and rub it in the same way on the triftosanion until she has rubbed the whole dough. She puts each piece that she rubs into the skafi or places it on the edge of the triftosanion and she covers it with a piece of cloth. When she has kneaded all the dough, she takes the kneaded pieces one by one and she kneads them with her hands in the skafi, after wetting her hands in the lukewarm water that she keeps in a bowl next to the skafi (when she wets her hands, the dough softens), she punches them and kneads them a little. Inside the skafi she still rolls the dough. Then, after she has crossed the dough with the palm of her right hand and said "Christ", she cuts off a piece of dough with a knife and kneads it, just like before, for a second time on the triftosanion. When she has kneaded all the dough, she takes the pieces one by one and kneads them into the skafi for the second time. She wets her hands again in the lukewarm water and punches the pieces of dough, which she also kneads a bit. Then, after crossing the dough with the palm of her right hand and saying "Christ," she cuts a piece of dough with the knife for the third time and rubs it on the triftosanion, as she did for the first and second time. The pieces rubbed on the triftosanion are then cut inside the skafi for the third time. After wetting her hands again in the lukewarm water, she punches the pieces. She turns the dough over on all sides in the skafi and continues to punch it down for the last time. The dough is then ready. "Three turns in the triftosanion are enough". When the kneading is finished, she crosses the dough with the palm of her right hand held upright and says Christ'. She then covers the dough with a cloth and gets ready to make the Aes Vassilis and other types of bread (Taousianis 2008, 26, 31-32).
Functional and symbolic role
They would not fail to put a coin in the pitta, which would indicate the lucky winner of the year.
In all the villages of Cyprus, on New Year's Eve, we find the custom of decorating the table to welcome Agios Vassilis. On the table they would place Aes Vassilis bread, kollyva and food so as to be blessed by Agios Vassilis (Kypri - Protopapa 2003, 106).
Cutting the vassilopitta to find the lucky person of the household, is traditionally done in the morning of New Year's Day after the mass, when the family gathers round the table. The first piece is always cut for Christ or Agios Vassilis, then for the house, then for the householder and then for the other persons of the household (Kypri and Protopapa 2007, 268). Vassilopitta is a traditional New Years' custom. It is not a sweet, as may be the case in urban societies; it is a larger-than-normal bread made with the same firm dough of traditional bread, and sprinkled with sesame seeds. It has various shapes at the top which usually include the shape of Aes Vassilis or a cross in the middle with the date of the new year, and other ornaments called "letters", symbolising the shepherd's hut, etc. They would put a coin inside. In the old days, vassilopitta was made at the same time as the bread and buns for the festive days and stored to be blessed together with the other goods. In other places, they make two vassilopittes, 'pitta apousperni' and 'pitta pourniatiki'. It is cut after church service by the eldest member of the family, in the presence of the other members of the family. By cutting we designate "this one is for God", "this one is for the house", "this one is for the poor", followed by the pieces for the host, the hostess and the children. When cutting for the children, we usually start with the youngest and we do not fail to cut a piece for each one of those who are abroad (Kyprianou 1989, 53).
"On the eve, kollyva are prepared for Agios Vassilis, whose memory is celebrated on the following day, i.e. on the first day of January. The housewives fill a plate with kollyva and decorate it. They make a cross shape with sesame seeds and put almonds, pomegranate seeds, raisins and sesame seeds in the empty spaces in between the cross lines. On top of it they place a Christopsomo which has a cross on its upper side, baked with all the Christopsoma on Christmas Eve, and they call it 'vassilopitta'. It was customary to hide a coin inside the vassilopitta, a silver, gold, or bronze coin, depending on their financial strength and will. The dish with the kollyva and the vassilopitta are called "Vassilis" and a candle is lit for the Saint. They put olive branches and any agricultural products that they produce or wish to have e.g. oil, wine etc. for Agios Vassilis to bless them and bring them gifts. On New Year's Day, when they return home from church, the table is set with food that the housewife has already prepared beforehand. They eat the soup, followed by the various dishes. Afterwards, the householder cuts the vassilopitta into as many pieces as there are members in the family. Whoever finds the coin in his own slice is considered the lucky one of the year and it belongs to him.
In the villages of Pitsillia, the village priest is the one to cut the vassilopitta in each house, not on New Year's Day, but on the day of the Kalanta, that is, on the eve of Epiphany, on the 5th of January. And on the eve of Agios Vassilis day, instead of kollyva, as mentioned above, they put uncooked wheat on the plate. They use this wheat to prepare kollyva on the eve of Epiphany' (Exadaktylos 1985, 16-18).
The Maronites used to cut the Vasilopita on the night of 31 December. The householder would cut it. He would take the first piece, then it was the mother's turn, then the children's turn, and then for the guests. The lucky one was the one who would find the coin. The scene was beautiful. The children would hurriedly look into their piece to find the coin and get a round of applause. Also, on this night, the housewives would make the kollyva. They would put sesame seeds, raisins and pomegranate seeds in them. They would also give kollyva to the cows - oxen, so as to eat something from their labour (Fragiskou 1989, 220-221).
In Palaikythro, on New Year's Eve, the housewife would bake the vassilopitta and the kollyva. Vassilopitta was a bread with sesame on top, and on which the housewife would form the shape of Agios Vassilis using dough. She would prepare a dish of kollyva for the Saint, to bless and taste them when he would visit the house in the evening. On the following day, these kollyva would be thrown to the hens to eat and lay many eggs. A part of the kollyva was mixed with the food of the oxen, and it was believed that by eating the boiled wheat, the animals would speak and say "we also eat from our labour”. After dinner, the housewife would clean the table and she would place the kollyva, the vassilopitta, food and wine that the Saint would bless and taste during his visit at midnight, when he would also leave his gifts for the young children. The householder would also place his wallet on the table so as to be blessed by the Saint (Kyprianou 1992, 12).
'On New Year's Eve the housewives boil wheat and make kollyva. The members of the family eat kollyva and the dinner of Agios Vassilis is also prepared. They put the kollyva for the Saint on a plate and they place the vassilopitta on top of them, with a lit candle, a glass of wine and the householder's wallet. Agios Vassilis will visit the house in the evening, eat and drink, and will bless the whole house. Thus, the house will never be without the bread and wine of the divine offering, and the wallet will never be empty. The people will share the vassilopitta with the animals, who will also taste the kollyva, mixed with straw, so that they too may reap from their labour. The vassilopitta, which has been blessed by Agios Vassilis in the evening, is cut on New Year's Day, when the family returns from church. The householder cuts it while the whole family gathers around the table. Before he cuts it, he crosses it with a knife. The first piece belongs to Christ, the second to Virgin Mary (or to Agios Vassilis), the next one to the children (starting with the oldest), the second to last to the housewife and the last to the householder. "This is for the householder, the pillar of the house; this is for the housewife, the lamp of the house".
The person who finds the vassilopitta coin, is considered to be the lucky one of the family for the whole year' (Yangoullis 2008, 223-224).
The bread was the body of Agios Vassilis, the cross represented his arms and legs and the spherical dough in the centre was his head. The decoration made with a fork was the Saint's beard (Parperi-Moudourou 2002, 13).
Additional information and bibliography
A traditional custom in the old days was to put the vassilopitta on a table from the prevous night together with a candle, a plate of kollyva, a bottle of wine with a glass, and sometimes food, their pouch, for Agios Vassilis to eat, drink and bless the pouch. That was the table of Agios Vassilis. Many people remember that in the old days they would place the vassilopitta with the candle and other items on a pile of wheat, so that the saint would bless their wheat. In other villages, where the main production was oil, they would put the vassilopitta on a container of oil, or, if they produced wine, on a container of wine, so that they too could be blessed. According to testimonies from various villages, they would put an olive branch on the weaved tray where the vassilopitta was; it was customary in some villages to put an olive branch on their doors and windows on New Year's Eve. It is known, since ancient times, that there was a perception that the branch of an evergreen tree had great life force that could be transmitted to people. In some villages, such as Akanthou, Lefkoniko, Peristeronopigi, Gypsos, etc., on New Year's Eve, they used to knead also xerotiana, in order to put them on the table at night, so that the Saint could eat and bless the house (Kypri and Protopapa 2007, 268-269).
On the night of Agios Vassilios, every housewife had to prepare the 'Vassilin'. For the 'Vassilin', 15 days before the feast, they would put grain seeds in a small plate, which they would sprinkle regularly with water so that they would germinate. On the night of Agios Vassilios, they would place the 'Vassilin' on the table, on which they would also place a lit candle and containers of wine and oil, sweets, kollyva etc. In some villages in Cyprus, the seeds for the Vassilin were not placed on the table, but were scattered on thyme, with which they would cover the spout of the pitcher (that contained drinking water for the family). The seeds would sprout due the moisture and “reading” their germination, people would fortune-tell for the new year. Today they make a vassilopitta, a large bread, on which they engrave the outline of a man, Vassilis. On the night of Agios Vassilios they put grain seeds and the pouch of the landlord in front of it, so that Agios Vassilis will come to eat and bless them (Papacharalambous 1948, 34).
Yangoullis K.G. (2008), Κυπριακά ήθη και έθιμα του κύκλου της ανθρώπινης ζωής, του εορτολογίου και των μηνών με στοιχεία γεωργικής λαογραφίας (Cypriot customs and traditions of the human life cycle, of the calendar and of the months with elements of agricultural folklore), Βιβλιοθήκη Κυπρίων Λαϊκών Ποιητών αρ. 67 (Library of Cypriot Folk Poets no. 67), Theopress Ltd, Nicosia.
Exadaktylos C. (1985), «Ο Γεννάρης στην Κυπριακή Λαογραφία», Πρακτικά του Πρώτου Συμποσίου Κυπριακής Λαογραφίας (Proceedings of the First Symposium on Cypriot Folklore) Limassol, 20-25 May 1978, Centre for Scientific Research - Cultural Service of the Ministry of Education, Nicosia, 15-23.
Kyprianou P. C. (1992), Λαογραφικά του Παλαίκυθρου (folklore of Palaikythro), Nicosia.
Kyprianou C. St. (1989), «Λατρευτικά έθιμα του χειμώνα»(winter worship customs), Cyprian Studies NA (1987), 49-54.
Kypri T. - Protopapa K. A. (2003), Cypriot traditional kneading of raditional bread and pastries. Their use and significance in customary life, Publications of the Centre for Scientific Research, XVIII, Nicosia.
Kypri T. and Protopapa K. (2007), "Cypriot traditional kneading of bread and pastries", Ovens and traditional kneading in Thrace, the Aegean and Cyprus (Thrace-Aegean-Cyprus Programme), Thira, 261-278.
Papacharalambous G. Ch. (1948), «Πρόκλησις μαντικών ονείρων και λατρεία του Αδώνιδος εν Κύπρω», Cyprus Studies I (1946), 25-35.
Parperi-Moudourou A. (2002), Μιτσερό, Nicosia.
Taousianis Ch. (2008), Λαογραφικά σύμμεικτα Ριζοκαρπάσου. Αναφορές και σε άλλα μέρη της Κύπρου και του ευρύτερου Ελληνισμού, Nicosia.
Fragiskou A. (1989), Ιστορία και λαογραφία Μαρωνιτών Κύπρου (history and folklore of the Maronites of Cyprus), Nicosia.
Dimitra Demetriou, Tonia Ioakim, Ivi Michael, Eleni Christou, Petroula Hadjittofi, Argyro Xenophontos
Σχέδιο του πλουμίσματος (στολίσματος) της βασιλόπιτας.
Βασιλόπιτα στολισμένη με τη μορφή του Αγίου Βασίλη. Πηγή: Ηλίας Μανιταράς.
Ετοιμασία σύγχρονης βασιλόπιτας με μορφή ψωμιού (2016). Πηγή: Στάλω Λαζάρου.
Η ψημένη βασιλόπιτα (2016). Πηγή: Στάλω Λαζάρου.
Η βασιλόπιτα, με τη διαδεδομένη σήμερα μορφή γλυκίσματος. Πηγή: Ζαχάρω Μαππουρίδου.
Foods
Artos, Afranda
Artos was prepared on special occasions like Saints' Days, Christmas, Easter, weddings and memorial services as an offering to the church.
Traditional Recipes
Barley Bread
If a family had no wheat, it would use barley grains to make flour, which was then used to make bread.
Traditional Recipes
Bread (wheat)
"... gradually incorporate all the flour, adding water when needed, and knead the dough well. Cover it for a while to rise.” (Sotira Kyriakou, Kyperounda)
Foods
Cereals and bread in the 18th century.
"On food", a report by Archim. Kyprianos (1788) in his book "Ιστορία Χρονολογική της Νήσου Κύπρου" (Chronological History of the Island of Cyprus) on the types of cereals that were cultivated and…
Foods
Cultivation and livestock farming in Mitsero
Cultivation and livestock farming in Mitsero in the 20th century. Reference is also made to the earthquake of 1735 and the destruction in Mitsero.
Foods
Different types of bread in the 19th c.
Bread, rusks, glystarka, arkatena, trimithopitta, pannihida.
Traditional Recipes
Gennopitta
Traditional, large Christmas bread. Gennopitta was usually decorated with raisins or various "plumia" (designs, patterns). The most characteristic 'plumí' was the cross, which was made with dough…
Foods
Psoumin - bread
Women had to get up at dawn to prepare the boukkoman (breakfast), which was usually a lot of bread with some halloumi or olives with onions
Traditional Recipes
Sisamota
These bread products were customary in all the villages of Cyprus. They were especially made at Christmas and Easter.
Foods
Sisamota
Baked products with sesame: bread, koullouria, gennópites, lehouzoúthkia, koúmoulla and others.
Traditional Recipes
Sourdough Bread
The Holy Water from the feast of the Holy Cross (14 September) is used for the preparation of the sourdough starter. The initial starter is formed by combining this holy water and some flour… it is…
Traditional Recipes
Vassilopitta
Pitta (bread) made for New Year's day which is Agios Vassilis nameday (hence the name vassilopitta), in which a coin would be placed (Erotokritou 1989, 353). Today, this pitta has been replaced with…
Foods
Wheat bread making process
Types of wheat bread: wheat bread, bread with semolina, afratítzia, bread with semolina flour, pomágnena, mágnena.
Traditional Recipes
Xerotíana
“When they are golden brown, remove them with a slotted spoon and place them on a platter. Either sprinkle with sugar or drizzle some honey or epsima. (Sotiroula Kyriakou, Kyperounda)
Traditional Recipes
Xerotíana tarahtá
Recipe from Rizokarpaso. The tarahta xerotiana are served with sugar or honey and raisins (optional).
Foods
Xerotiana, loukoumades
A Cypriot sweet that resembles to a honey cruller and its texture to a churro.