Andreas Vyras, the chairman of the Union of Municipalities, has said that Easter celebrations will be celebrated with full pomp and fervor, but will also be fully adherent to rules and regulations, especially those surrounding safety.
Vyras said that there will be tighter controls on lambradjies, i.e. the tradition of lighting Easter bonfires. This especially comes after some hooliganistic behavior that happened, and which Vyras said had nothing to do with the actual reverence of the custom or of the morals at large.
His reveal came after his meeting with Costas Fitiris, the Minister of Justice.
According to Vyras, the issue of hooliganism includes not just the bonfires but a larger pattern of actions that tends to start in the weeks before Easter.
He called out the biggest of these as collecting bonfire materials in bulk and then storing them unprotected in residential areas, posing threats to their own homes and those around them.
Vyras said that the need of the hour here is for the fire department, police, and other local bodies to cooperate and suss out any delinquent activities to ensure that the public is safe and can actually enjoy a revered traditional celebration.
In the previous year, many teenagers and even children were found handling dangerous explosives – and in one instance, a young man, Daniel Christian Fratilescu, died while making a bonfire that was far beyond his skillset.
Not only did this traumatize many, but it also led to a call for tighter rules and safety measures around the bonfires.
