Manneken-Pis gets a vraka to honour Cyprus’ indpendence

CELEBRATIONS for  Cyprus’ 50 years of Independence have taken many different forms. However Mannekin-Pis as ‘Vrakaman’ is likely to be among the most original.

Manneken-Pis, which is Dutch for ‘little man urinating’ is a famous Brussels landmark. It is a small bronze fountain sculpture depicting a naked little boy urinating into the fountain’s basin. It was designed by Jerome Duquesnoy and put in place in 1618 or 1619.

As a tribute to Cyprus Mannekin-Pis will today be clad in traditional Cypriot costume from 12pm to 4pm. .

The small, bronze statue, which is regularly dressed up to mark various world events, will rack up its 853rd costume with the donning of the vraka.

The costume was delivered to the Town Hall of Brussels by the ambassador to Cyprus in Belgium, Constantinos Eliades on September 23.

 

The Cyprus Mail is the only English-language daily newspaper published in Cyprus. It was established in 1945 and today, with its popular and widely-read website, the Cyprus Mail is among the most trusted news sites in Cyprus. The newspaper is not affiliated with any political parties and has always striven to maintain its independence. Over the past 70-plus years, the Cyprus Mail, with a small dedicated team, has covered momentous events in Cyprus’ modern history, chronicling the last gasps of British colonial rule, Cyprus’ truncated independence, the coup and Turkish invasion, and the decades of negotiations to stitch the divided island back together, plus a myriad of scandals, murders, and human interests stories that capture the island and its -people. Observers describe it as politically conservative.