Ziziros or Cicada: A Traditional Easter Game

What it is:

This is a funny game and both participants and onlookers laugh and have fun when they play or watch it.

When / Where it is played:

Ziziros  or Cicada is a traditional game in Cyprus which is usually played in villages around Cyprus on Easter Sunday and during Easter holidays. The game is usually played in a village square or the village church yard.

 Ziziros: Meaning         

The name of this game means “cicada” in Greek, which is an insect which makes a loud buzz.

Game Rules:

This game is usually played by a group of three to eight people. One of the players is “ziziros” and stands in the middle of the group with his/her back turned to the other players. Ziziros covers his/her eyes with the right hand and puts the left hand under the right arm with his/her fingers open. One of the other players hits ziziros on the right hand, either softly or harder. All the players start making a ZZZ sound like a cicada and wave their hands in a circle to confuse ziziros. Ziziros has to guess who hit him/her and if he/she is right, then the person who hit him/her takes his/her place. If ziziros does not guess correctly,

then he/she must continue until he/she does so. 

 Importance of the game:

Traditional Easter games in Cyprus have been inscribed since 2017 in the country’s intangible cultural heritage by the Cyprus National Commission for Unesco.  Ziziros, just like all other traditional Easter games, are part of the culture of our country.  They tell us about   the way in which people in the past used to have fun especially during Easter, an important Christian Feast and about people’s need to get together and celebrate major events and special religious moments. People used to and still get together with friends, relatives, neighbours, co villagers and socialize and have fun without expecting any material reward. Older generations pass on to younger generations their knowledge of traditions and customs, as well as values such as playing in a team, respecting the rules of a game and respecting the other players. Older people explain the rules of ziziros or of any other Easter game and they all play it together, exercising thus both their mind, wittiness, reflection and reactions and their body.   

Playing Ziziros at our school: