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Δominikos Theotokopoulos famously known as “El Greco” was born in 1541 in Candia, Crete. As a young icon painter
he left his native land c.1567 and travelled to Venice. There he adopted Catholicism and probably became a pupil of Titian. He…

Mankind’s desire to express the joys of life, the mourning of loved ones or to gyrate in rituals and festivals brought about the invention of the very first musical instruments now lost in the distant reaches of time. In time, the instruments…

Τhe 34c stamp of the Europa issue illustrates a flute known as the “Pithkiavlin” in the Cypriot dialect. Archaeological excavations in Cyprus unearthed clay idols from the 7th and 6th centuries BC playing the flute and other instruments, thus…

Τhe seasons occur as a result of the yearly revolution of the earth around the sun and the tilt of the earth’s axis relative to the plane of revolution.

The four seasons divide the year into quarters which are marked by changes not only in…

Ιt is said that in the Garden of Gethsemane, on the Mount of Olives, in Jerusalem, that there exists an olive tree from Christ’s time. This is not improbable since it is known that olive trees existed since antiquity and that olive oil was…

It is the passion of Hambis, the well known Cypriot engraver from the occupied village of Kontea, to spin the tales of the village, its sorrows, its beauty and its joys just like a weaver. He never drops a stitch and his ink is transformed into a…

Christmas is the most special time of the year for children. It is the time when Christmas stories are recited by the fireplace or enacted in pantomimes or nativity plays. It is a time of celebrations, of joys and anticipation as children await the…

The marine environment of the Mediterranean supports some 12,000 species of fauna and flora as well as other living
organisms. The sea anemone depicted on the 43c stamp belongs to the Anthozoa class and is a water dwelling predator animal named…

Centuries ago, the Greeks and the Romans understood the magic of this herb. Hippocrates, (c460-377 BC) father of medicine, used it as an antiseptic and today, in Greece, it is used as a palliative for a soar throat. Greek oregano has a deeper more…

Oregano is a common specie of the Origamun dubium and belongs to the mint family of herbs. It is a perennial herb growing 20-80cm tall with 3-4mm long purple flowers that are produced in erect spikes. Sometimes it is called wild marjoram. The popular…