TRADITION NOW: SETTING THE TABLE JUST IN TIME FOR EASTER

Spring in Cyprus arrives not just with blooms, but with the quiet return of rituals passed down through generations. From seven-legged Kyra Sarakosti to the baking of flaounes, this is a season that stirs memory, awakens the senses, and draws us home — to our tables, our families, and our roots.

For Christina Socratous, founder of Tradition Now, Easter is a deeply personal celebration of togetherness. It’s a time when the act of setting the table becomes more than preparation — it becomes ritual. “Spring is our favourite season for traditions,” she shares. “From Kyra Sarakosti, with her seven legs marking the seven weekends leading up to Easter, to foraging for spring wreaths, setting festive tables, gathering with family, and continuing the age-old tradition of baking flaounes — it is a time of togetherness, a season that awakens all the senses. Hear. See. Smell. Touch. Taste.”

This year, Christina is setting her Easter table outdoors, layering it with handwoven linens, local earthenware, wild helichrysum flowers, native beeswax candles, and baskets of flaounes — crafting a space that reflects the heritage, generosity, and texture of the season.

At Istorja, we’re inspired by this approach — by the beauty of a table that tells a story. Whether simple or elaborate, the act of gathering around a thoughtfully set table is one of the oldest and most meaningful rituals we carry.

“Our island has so much to offer, and we are only just beginning to uncover its richness,” Christina says. “While honouring our traditions, we are also creating new ones. See what you can gather and explore from our bountiful land.”

In late March, we hosted a Spring Wreath Workshop in collaboration with Tradition Now — a quiet celebration of this ethos. Guests gathered at The Apartment, the serene upper floor of our house, and wove together wheat stems, rosemary, lavender, and olive branches in circular acts of care. The wreaths, shaped by hand, carried forward the symbolism of protection, renewal, and intention — the same values we bring to the table.

As Easter approaches, we invite you to craft your own celebration — one rooted in tradition, in the scents and textures of the season, and in the joy of gathering.