Kataklysmos, the Festival of the Flood

Kataklysmos, the Festival of the Flood, is celebrated at Orthodox Pentecost, fifty days after Easter, so it falls in late spring or early summer. It is marked along the coast across the Republic of Cyprus, and the celebration in Larnaca is among the largest and best known. The word means flood or deluge, and the festival links the biblical Great Flood with older water and renewal customs.

In Larnaca the seafront becomes the focus. Stalls, a funfair and food stands line the Finikoudes promenade, and the programme runs to folk music and dance, the shadow-puppet theatre Karagiozis, and the Cypriot rhyming-verse contests known as tsiattista. The custom of splashing water, in memory of purification and the sea, gives the festival its character, and people douse each other near the shore. Boat races and swimming events are often part of the week as well, which keeps the celebration tied to the water that gives it its name.

Heritage and setting

The Larnaca fair was inscribed on Cyprus's national inventory of intangible cultural heritage in 2015, which reflects its long standing in the town. The festival sits a short walk from the city's landmark Church of Saint Lazarus, and the nearby Larnaca Salt Lake and the cape at Cape Greco are easy additions to a wider stay.

• Pentecost dates move each year with the Orthodox calendar; confirm before travel.
• Expect to get wet near the water games, and dress accordingly.
• The fair and stalls are free to wander; funfair rides and food are paid.

Come for the evening atmosphere along the promenade, and read our Larnaca guide for more of the town.