The daily gazette., 1878-08-10
CypriOt Women.

p"hy utys oI tue nafemS those institu
lions contained many young lady from
the Egean Isles, bought by apreemen,
with her kinsfolk, and doubtless so late
as TWO years ago, the Turkish girl mer
chant paid his yearly visits To Cyprus
Ills ostensible purpose was to recruit
dancing girls, for the word slavery was
not TO be so much as mentio oned amonp
the Greeks but it was pretty well mn,
derstood that when "A young Cypriot wo.
man accepted an offer to go and dance al
Constantinople or Bagdad her relati YES
saw no more of her unless she turned nm
in after years as a large widow with 4
great deal OF superfiuOus jewelry about
her. Vassillopoulis, the innlxeeprr, used
10 say out this was some years ago) that
the pashas. and even his Majesty. the
sultan, had particular liking for the
Cypriot maidens, owing to their merry
eyes ana their incompatible grace in
dancing, and that If 1t had not been for
the vigilance of the Cyprian young men
and the patriotic disinterestedness of
Cyprian mothers the whole female popu-
lation of the island sacred to Aphrodite
would have found its way into the Turk
ish seraglios. This statement contained
possibly but grain of truth; for Cy-
prian mothers of the peasant class, when
overDurdened with families, did not
think twice about accepting q merchants
L OAAca Va T" Nthoh pay III tACnaQRe Tor
one OF their daughters. The transaction
was not, indeed, regarded as honorable :
IL was not talked about, and some mys-
terry had to be observed in conveying the
girl away but the merchant scarcely Sc
lected more than score or two of the
population every year, and IL was known
tnat the chosen few were going to life
OF brilliant possibilities which might re-
suit in their welding considerable power
IN tne state and sending home frequent
reInittances to their relations. For the
rest, the female population in Cyprus, as
IN other Greek islands, much exceeded
| that OF the males; and when the inn
Keepers two sons Dimitri and Pericles
went accounting they must have found
the marriage market rather overstocked.
THE CYPRIAN DAMsEL
is curious compound offascinations and
oddities. Seen at her best, on one ofthose
innumerable saints days when she does
no work beyond tricking herself out in
fine clothes and assisting her mother to
dispense hospitality, she looks lik a mas
querade heroine, whatever be her station.
She weaves up her hair with gold coins.
twists 1t, plaits it and contrives, with a
red and yellow keichief, a head dress
which looks like a turban but is made
top-heayy by being surmounted with an
embroidered muffiing cap and tassel-
She wears baggy breeches, sky-blue or
pink, which descend to the knee, the re,
of the legs and feet being bare, except
when to nonor company she reluctantly
dons PAIR OF babouches, in which she
feels uncomfortable. She is generally fat
and wears short jacket profusely braid
ed, which does not reach to her waist !;
she rouges aud whitens her creamy com
pleXion till IL locks Ike the face of a wax
image she paints her eyebrows deep
black, and by some cunning pencil
touches at the corners of her eyes, con-
trives to make them look twice their
proper size Then she feels happy and
giggles when complimented. She eau
not read or write, but she can sing, play
ON triangular guitar, and spin round in
fantastic dance which takes her breath
away, and makes her cry "Hoop while
the stranger who watches her turns gid
dy from sympathy. Nor is she without
religion; for during the long Lenten fast
and on Fridays throughout the year she
lives on bread and olives, considering it
deadly sin to eat "anything that ha,
breathed"-fish included. She sees less
sin in telling fibs and in discussing scandal
1t takes some time to familiarlze oneself
with Cyprian girl for something ofthe
NJ ussuman practice Of secluding women
prevails among the Greeks, and a beyy
of maidens will scurry off like frightened
poultry If a man approaches them to talk
but once this shyness has worn off the
chief conversatio topic of the bashful
maidt n wi relate to her neighbors short
comings. She will telly with smother
ed laughter thing which she has learned
in the most surreptitious manner; and
her dark eyes will sparkle with the fun of
mischief making.
THE COUNTLESS FEAST DAYS
in the Greek calendar afford an excuse
for constant laZine IS, mixed with social
festlvity; and there is no hovel so Door
but manages somehow on these occa-
sions to put forth fruit iellies, raw
spirits and coffee to entertain the strang-
er. Travelling about the island with
Vassilopoulos, one was reminded once
or twice week that day had come
when no work was to be done; and, in
fact, the fields are as deserted on these
days as Scotch ones on a Sunday. In
the morning the people troop to church, |
where the pdpas (priesis) otficiate in gor-
geous vestments within churches mostly |
in ruins, but full of votive images in |
painted marble or in carved wood, Dire s. |
cd out like dolls. In the afternoon |
gambling, athletic feats, and |
often shrieking quarrels ending by fights |
with knives, serve to while away the |
time until night comes on, when there is
a great deal OF dancing, singing and
carousing inside barns. All this Is gay
enough, but soon pals upon the stranger,
who finds the people more attractive on
days, when they have no "trip
perry or gewgaws about them. The wo-
men are excellent house wives, and their
daughters learn early to swab and scrub
till they make the stone doorsteps of their
cottages shine like alabaster. 1t might
be wished that they were equally active
in warning against the parasites which
linger in the woodwork of their dwe.-
lings; but they Seem to treat these crea-
lures as honored guests, and never dis
turb them. On working days the Cyprian
girl dresses loosely in cotton breeches
and chemlse, and lets her haii fall down
her back, tying it just below the neck
with string of beads. She is surprising
ly active despite her plumpness, and
races after goats. pig, and fowls, with
fleetness which would do credit to a boy.
If of marriageable age she will not b, &
but at sight of stranger halloos TO her
younger sisters to come forth and claim
backsheesh, the which havingibeen duly
(for those httle Greek girls are
wonderful cOaxers), she levies her share,
which is expended in buying tinery of
3 a 4 l...