LEFKARA LACE
The roots of Lefkara lace or Cyprus Embroidery date back to the Venetian Rule, in the time Lefkara was a favourite holiday venue for the Venetian dignitaries. According to some researchers, this style of embroidery is a transformed form of early Byzantine ecclesiastic embroideries. Although the patterns are stylised motifs of the old Byzantine designs or taught by the Venetian noble ladies, women of Cyprus developed their own patterns with the inspiration of their creativity.
According to some rumours, Leonardo da Vinci admired Lefkara work and ordered some laces for the Duomo Cathedral of Milan when he visited Cyprus, In one of his very famous notebooks, it is written that the pilgrims returning from the Holy Land brought him some laces from Cyprus and he appreciated it and stated that they are very much alike the embroideries made for Byzantine churches.
In the old days, there were Lefkara work in every bride’s dowry and girls begin to learn and practice this delicate handicraft from their childhood. Women of a neighbourhood gather in front of one of the houses of the district and. Embroider Lefkara work while chatting. The skill of perfect embroidery and the variety of the patterns are always inherited from mother, grandmother or old relativesand neighbours.
The cooperative for handicrafts,some associations and the courses organised by the Ministry of Education provide the fabrics and the threads to the woman who want to learn and produce lefkara work and the finished products are on sale in the shops of the cooperative, in shops in Buyuk han
And in some exhibitions organised after the courses. Visitors of the island buy lefkara laces as charming souvenirs and valuable gifts to friends and families.
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Tags: cyprus culture, cyprus embroidery, cyprus guide, lefkara lace, PRECIOUS FOLK ART, visited cyprus, woman of cyprus