When in July 1995 the first issue of the “Herald of Cyprus” was released, the newspaper was just an advertising booklet of 16 pages with ads and useful phones. Then no one could have assumed that it was this small publication that would become the heart of a huge Russian -speaking community on the island. Thousands of like -minded people rallied around the newspaper, thanks to it the first children's holidays, chess tournaments, the celebrations of Victory Day and the largest festival, uniting Russian and Cyprus culture. How did it become possible and why did the “Bulletin of Cyprus” become more than just a news source and a platform for advertising?
In the early years, the "Bulletin of Cyprus" was not like a full -fledged newspaper in the traditional sense. The founders planned an advertising publication with private and corporate announcements. However, it soon became clear that the Russian -speaking inhabitants of the island needed much more than just information about stores or services. Добавили новости, потом статьи, потом появились интервью и справочная информация.
The first step in the formation of the community was children's events. Since 2001, we began to hold New Year's matinees and concerts, which quickly gained popularity and have become an annual tradition. At first they did everything, as in an amateur theater. The first Santa Claus, for example, was a newspaper designer, and Snow Maiden was one of the journalists. Well, toys for the New Year tree were collected from all employees (and still lacked, over the years they gradually collected the requisite specifically for matinees). There was not enough one morning one in the year, they added gradually - two, three, five, ten ... more and more people became more and more. Five years later, they were able to afford to invite amateur artists, then they even began to bring professional theaters from abroad and tour with them throughout the island. The “Bulletin of Cyprus” was the initiator and organizer of the first children's chess tournament, as well as the first celebration of Victory Day on the Limassol embankment.
The Cyprus-Russian festival, first held in 2006, was a real breakthrough in organizing events. This festival has become an annual holiday, collecting thousands of people and uniting Russian and Cypriot traditions and culture. He made it possible for many of our compatriots to declare themselves, find like-minded people and friends, thousands of children grew up, speaking on the scenes of the Cyprus-Russian festival, the international children's festival, gala concerts of the Galaxy of Talents.
Over time, the "Bulletin of Cyprus" ceased to be just a printed publication. He turned into a cultural and social phenomenon, capable of not only informing, but also unite people, help them feel part of the Russian -speaking community of Cyprus, where people support each other. For this, the "Bulletin of Cyprus" created the Association of Russian -speaking residents of Cyprus "Horizon".
Behind each event and every success are specific people and their history. And I want to tell you about them. Every day in July you will read an article about some year in the history of the “Herald of Cyprus”-from 1995 to 2025. You will be waiting for 30 stories about how, together with you, our readers, the newspaper grew, developed and changed. Together we went from a small advertising leaflet to the “Herald of the Cyprus” that we know today - and you can now look at the history of the Russian -speaking community of Cyprus through the prism of the history of the first Russian -language publication of the country.
Natalia Kardashizda and editor -in -chief
Read also
1995. Advertising booklet, which accidentally became the beginning of a new era
The newspaper comes to life: the first headings, the first letters of readers
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