Oldest woman celebrates 105

The oldest woman in the Republic, Maria Savva from Kili in Paphos, celebrated her 105th birthday on Thursday.

Savva was born in 1911, to a poor family, and never lived outside Paphos.

She lost her mother when she was four and five years later she was sent to Larnaca to work for a wealthy family. But Savva left the family and returned to her village.

She says that has lived all her life in Kili and that she rarely travelled beyond Paphos.

Savva was married to the folk poet Nicolas Theodorou. Today, even though she has difficulty expressing herself verbally, she composes quatrains herself.

From a young age she started working at the fields and vineyards of the area, first to help raise her brothers and sisters, and later, her four children.

She has 11 grandchildren and 24 great-grandchildren.

They all said that she eats in moderation, and that they remember her working day and night without complaining.