Cyprus-Forum.com

[reportfromcyprus]

What are the things that make up the Cypriot identity?

Not greek-cypriot or turkish-cypriot, maronite or whatever - just plain
Cypriot.

I'll start:

1. Cyprus is our homeland, whatever our ethnicity.

The floor is open

[dms007]

the language

[cypezokyli]

[dms007]

ah not the language. when i think of cyprus, i only think of greek.

[Piratis]

1. Cyprus is our homeland, whatever our ethnicity.

reportfromcyprus, would you include yourself in this definition of Cypriot? (I am asking because you said "our homeland" in the quote above.)

TCs, GCs, Maronites, Armenians can have some differences (language, religion) but beyond that they are the same kind of people. This holds true for most countries, since today there are not many countries were all citizens speak only one language and share the same religion.

[JUDGE_JIM]

The fact that we can talk louder than anyone else.

[reportfromcyprus]

1. Cyprus is our homeland, whatever our ethnicity.

reportfromcyprus, would you include yourself in this definition of Cypriot? (I am asking because you said "our homeland" in the quote above.)

TCs, GCs, Maronites, Armenians can have some differences (language, religion) but beyond that they are the same kind of people. This holds true for most countries, since today there are not many countries were all citizens speak only one language and share the same religion.

I do include myself in the definition (whatever it becomes) I have Cypriot citizenship and my mother is Greek-Cypriot.

You said they are the same type of people - how would you define this sameness?

I'm looking for the things we have in common as people who inhabit the same space. In the US, it's commonly said that economics holds that massive country together, everyone's busy trying to make a good living - following the american dream.

Do we have a Cyprus dream that builds a common identity?

[reportfromcyprus]

The fact that we can talk louder than anyone else.

LOL - true, when a Cypriot gets passionate about something, voices start rising in volume

[EUropean666]

Austrians speak germans but do have their own identiy

[Swashbuckler]

We're the world's worst drivers - bar none. No, not even Mexicans, Indians or Turks are worse than we are.

The last sanctuary of unfettered chain-smoking - thank God for our civil liberties.

We eat moulahia, which even the goats dont touch

A love for hellim/halloumi, which, let' face it, is only even vaguely edible when its fresh from the grill. Otherwise its just white rubber.

Flying in the face of fact we're convinced that we produce decent drinks. As it is only our coffee is the best in the world. Our wine sucks and ziphania is useful only to strip paint.

The ability to outmoan even the English about the weather, despite having lived here all our lives ("Oooh it's cold, Oooh it's hot, and on and on and on).

Despite being an Island we murder fish. To get good fish we have to go to Athens or Istanbul (depending of course on you). In 6000 years we havent come up with a good fish meze of our own.

A love for really really dumb politicians.

A love of massively bloated, lazy and inefficient bureaucracies and therefore the desire of all to work in a government job

Thinking that we're being really clever and cunning when actually we're being played like fiddles by all and sundry. Politicos take note.

The ability to argue a problem for 43 years without even beginning to take the other side's views into account.

The absolute conviction that Cyprus is the centre of the world...actually the universe, that it's the most beautiful part of the world ever and dammit, I'm the King!