The Halloween people of Cyprus

ALIX NORMAN meets the modern-day witch, the earthy enchantress and the Cyprus Queen of Halloween

Halloween has never really taken off on the island. But these three residents all have a particular link to October 31, whether they’re into wondrous witchcraft or earthy enchantments.

The modern witch

“I’m a witch,” says Tina Samara. “But probably not in the way you think!”

Softly spoken and filled with joy, this 35-year-old Larnaca resident is the very antithesis of a curmudgeonly crone. A wife and mother, yoga teacher and graphic designer, Tina practises magick – with a k, to differentiate what she does from mere conjurers…

“It’s common in the world of witchcraft,” she explains, “to add the final ‘k’. We’re not pulling rabbits out of hats here! Witchcraft is a process of the mind: you’re working with the energies of the universe to effect positive change; helping, healing and inspiring in equal measure.”

Being a witch allows Tina – who practises under the name Mayaluna – to “take an active part in the act of co-creation with the universe.” Working with energies that include plants, herbs, crystals, oils, the tarot and the different phases of the moon, Tina hosts various happenings on a regular basis, including Full Moon events, Divine Feminine workshops, and “Manifestation Workshops, in which we work on achieving our true potential.

“There’s certainly nothing in witchcraft that involves harm,” she continues. “That whole idea of potions or animal sacrifice or satanism – never! Linking such practices with witchcraft began in the Middle Ages to negate women’s power and keep them in their so-called place!

“Neither is witchcraft anti-religion,” she adds. “Modern witches work with the divine, and that’s something personal – whether you’re a Christian, Muslim, Buddhist, or atheist, witchcraft helps access your link to the divine to effect positive change.

“The word ‘witch’ actually stems from an old Germanic word that means ‘wise’,” she explains. “And that’s what witches are: wise in the ways of helping others. Simply put, our mission is to use our wisdom to help people, to give them the tools to make them feel better and happier. Isn’t that something you deserve?”

The queen of Halloween

Halloween has never been widely celebrated in Cyprus. But there’s one person on the island who’s been revelling in October 31 for years. She calls herself the Cyprus Queen of Halloween…

“Autumn has always been my favourite time of year,” says Angie Woodcock. “I love the cosiness of the season; the residual warmth and the change in weather. Even here in Cyprus, where the leaves don’t fall, there’s still magic in the air! And Halloween – well, that’s the high point of autumn, isn’t it?”

Originally from Yorkshire, Angie moved to Cyprus in 2008, and has been promoting Halloween ever since. “It began with annual parties,” she reveals. “Big bashes at our house in the Paphos region, where we’d invite all and sundry. There was a theme each year: Rocky Horror, Movie Characters, Creepy Carnival. Everyone would dress up in their spookiest costumes, and we’d totally transform the house: putting up slime wallpaper, popping skeletons in our cupboards, and relabelling pop bottles to Spider Venom or Witches’ Poison!”

So great is Angie’s love for Hallowe’en happenings that she recently launched a Facebook page dedicated to “promoting anything Halloween related on the island. You can find all the local Halloween parties, events, and news in one place, along with recommendations for books, films and telly shows that are perfect viewing at this time of year!

“I’m not making any money out of it,” she adds. “The Facebook page is purely to celebrate my love for Halloween. And I’m really pleased to see that more and more people in Cyprus are now beginning to share my passion. A few years back, a friend in the next village over told me how joyful it was to see so many kids trick or treating. ‘I bet that’s your doing!’ they said. I reckon they’re right!”

The earthy enchantress

“There’s a huge amount of superstition attached to Halloween, which explains why it’s never been widely celebrated in Cyprus,” says professional herbalist and the founder of CyHerbia Botanical Park Miranda Tringis. “The prevailing idea seemed to be that it was the devil’s celebration or something. But it’s not,” she emphasises. “Halloween actually honours the turning of the seasons…”

Miranda speaks from experience. As a professional herbalist, she makes a point of living in harmony with the natural world and all this entails. “Which means that, as we enter the darkness and decay of winter, as we watch the leaves begin to fall and the plants die off, we’re kindling hope. A hope of the rebirth and re-emergence we see come spring.

“We call this time of year,” she continues, “the season of the witch. At the end of October, the veil between the worlds of the seen and unseen is at its thinnest. This gives us all the opportunity tune into our higher selves, our spiritual being. It’s a period of inspiration and reflection: we light the fire, snuggle down under the blankets and reflect on our past accomplishments, present circumstances, and future dreams. Halloween,” she adds, “is the right time to ask what needs to die off in your life to make space for the new.”

For almost a decade, Miranda has been hosting annual Halloween celebrations at CyHerbia: a spooktacular smorgasbord of exciting events. “When we began our Halloween happenings in 2015, we were among the first on the island to celebrate the festival,” she reveals.

Eight years on, CyHerbia’s autumn visitors can enjoy everything from pumpkin carving workshops to a herb garden filled with funny headstones. There’s a giant spider, riddlers in the maze, and a ‘cereal’ killer in the woodland – all young actors in costume. “Originally, dressing up at Halloween helped people deal with the fear of the unknown,” Miranda reveals. “But we just like to surprise and delight our guests!”