How it began
UNESCO dates lace-making in the village of Lefkara, in southeastern Cyprus, to at least the fourteenth century. Weaving and embroidery on the island go back to the Frankish period of 1192 to 1489. Lefkaritika grew out of an older local white embroidery called asproploumia, whose simple geometric patterns it kept and developed. It was also shaped by the embroidery of the Venetian courtiers who ruled Cyprus from 1489 and by ancient Greek and Byzantine geometric patterns. Research on transitional pieces shows close similarities with Venetian embroidery in both design and the names of stitches.
How it works
The embroiderer works on a linen base with cotton thread, cutting and drawing out threads of the cloth to open spaces and then building the design with the needle. Four basic elements are combined: the hemstitch (ghazi), cut work (kofto), satin stitch fillings (gemisma) and needlepoint edgings (telioma). These are grouped into geometric or floral patterns, set off by a range of hemstitches and by a complex geometrical pattern known as the river (potamos). Typical products are tablecloths, napkins and show pieces.
How it spread
In the early 20th century Lefkara embroidery merchants known as kentitarides traveled to Europe, Egypt and other areas to sell the work produced in the village by the embroiderers, who were called bloumarisses. The craft is passed on within families: girls absorb it through years of informal exposure and then formal instruction from a mother or grandmother, traditionally while women sit and work together in the narrow streets or on covered patios.
What lasted
UNESCO inscribed Lefkara laces on the Representative List of the Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity in 2009, describing lace-making as still the primary occupation of women in the village and a symbol of their identity. The inscription presents the craft as evidence of a community absorbing several outside influences into a technique of its own.
Where it stands today
The tradition is under threat. The work is laborious and takes a long time to learn, cheaper products from the Chinese market compete with it, and few young women take it up. Safeguarding involves the Ministry of Education and Culture, the Cyprus National Commission for UNESCO, the Cyprus Handicraft Service and Lefkara Municipality. An association for the production and promotion of Lefkara embroidery was created in 2013, and the Lefkara Handicraft Centre opened on April 27, 2015.
