Cyprus National Holiday – April 1, 2025

History of Cyprus National Holiday

Despite the fact that Cyprus only gained independence in 1960, it has a rich and long history that dates back 12,000 years when human fossils were discovered. The first known settlement, however, was in a town called Khirokitia, which had a population of 2,000 people at the time. According to historians, these people lived in two-story round stone houses. The settlers, however, vanished for unknown reasons, leaving the island uninhabited for another 2,000 years. The next known settlers were at Sotira, north of Kourion, between 4500 and 4000 B.C.

Signs of civilization were discovered in Cyprus during the Chalcolithic, Bronze, and Middle Bronze Ages. Imported from Crete, Anatolia, Syria, and Egypt, the people practiced craftsmanship in the form of pottery. However, it was during the Late Bronze Age, between 1600 and 1500 B.C., that the population of Cyprus began to grow. The conquest of Egypt by Thutmose III and other international contacts from the Aegean Sea to the Levant and the Nile River delta were responsible for this.

Greek immigration to Cyprus began in 1200, resulting in the establishment of Greek kingdoms across the island. By the first millennium, the Greek language and culture had spread throughout the island. However, it was during British rule that the most formative colonization that shaped Cyprus into the country it is today occurred. According to the British-Turkish Cyprus Convention, Cyprus will be administered by the British government. When the war broke out in 1914, Turkey and Britain became adversaries, and Cyprus was declared a crown colony. Cyprus officially became a British colony in 1925.

The Greek Cypriots began a guerilla war against the British in 1955. Cyprus National Day commemorates this quest for freedom and the restoration of order. The country became an independent nation five years later.