3rd Cyprus Silk Festival
Bellapais Abbey, North Cyprus
The 3rd Cyprus Silk Festival is being held by the Green Action Group at
Bellapais Abbey school from 10.30am to 8.30pm on Sunday 4th May 2008
Silkworms were first discovered in China, spreading to the Far East,
Iran, Turkey and Cyprus. The breeding of silkworms has been part of the
Cypriot culture for centuries, and until recently was a major source of
income.
In the 18th century, silkworm breeders began exporting to the UK,
where Cypriot silk was much in demand because it was of a much higher
quality, and its thread was much more durable than others.
As recently as the 1960s, silkworms were abundant, with many families
living on the trade. Since then, however, there has been a decline in
silkworm breeding, and by 2000, the trade had almost disappeared.
The Green Action Group, which was established in 1988, is organising
this festival as part of its public awareness campaign about the
importance and protection of the endemics and other flora of
Cyprus in order to protect mulberry trees and revitalise silkworm
growing and artwork.
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