I have an update for you...
Remember this post "Any Ideas?"...
Well, it's a long story but I have been in contact with our Cypriot cousins and have further information on the people in this photo...
Here is the photo again to remind you...
Here is the photo again to remind you...
These are actually Bappou's (my grandfather Varnavas Varnavides) parents and sisters... All are in traditional dress. They lived in Kokkinotrimithia, outside the capital of Nicosia and were farmers.
The man's name is Constantis Violaris, meaning violinist. Constantis is wearing the traditional Vraka (very loose trousers). He was from Ayios Vassilios, a village near Kokkinotrimithia, and is my Great Grandfather.
This is my Great Grandmother, known as Violarena- meaning the wife of the violinist.
Her actual name was Evdokia (Eve) Karakashi, and she was from the village of Kokkinothrimithia. Constantis (her husband) moved to his wife's village when they married.
The two girls are Bappou's (my Grandfather Varnavas Varnavides') sisters- little is known about the girl below except...
Here is some drama for you.... She was kidnapped by/eloped with a Turkish policeman who fell in love with her and never returned to the village.
Here is some drama for you.... She was kidnapped by/eloped with a Turkish policeman who fell in love with her and never returned to the village.
This is Eleni...
Her nickname was Pittishikkena...
She married and had 4 children...
There are two members of the family missing from this photo:
His brother Demetris who went to the holy land (Jerusalem). He was a very good church singer and violinist. Because of his pilgrimage to Jerusalem, he earned the name Hadji, and hence the Varnavides was dropped as a surname and he became HadjiDemetriou.
This surname is still in use by our Cypriot cousins.
You may also remember this...
It was written behind the photos and is in perfect Katharevousa, a dialect spoken by the upper class in Greece before Modern Greek was introduced.
It says "Wishes that the New Year finds you in health, happiness, love and joy"...
As Constantinos, our Greek cousin notes....
"The writing proves that Constantis Violaris (Great Grandfather) was relatively literate as only a few people knew how to read and write at the time, and the hand writing is very similar to my (Constantinos') Bappou's handwriting"
Constantinos' Bappou was Costas, who is mentioned in the next post.
This surname is still in use by our Cypriot cousins.
You may also remember this...
It was written behind the photos and is in perfect Katharevousa, a dialect spoken by the upper class in Greece before Modern Greek was introduced.
It says "Wishes that the New Year finds you in health, happiness, love and joy"...
As Constantinos, our Greek cousin notes....
"The writing proves that Constantis Violaris (Great Grandfather) was relatively literate as only a few people knew how to read and write at the time, and the hand writing is very similar to my (Constantinos') Bappou's handwriting"
Constantinos' Bappou was Costas, who is mentioned in the next post.
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