By Nijole Darroch
The Deryneia Folk Art Museum is situated within a historic traditional dwelling, where it presents an array of agricultural tools and equipment that were once utilized by farming families in the past.
Can you imagine living without electricity, internet, a stove, or even a toilet outside and no bathroom? When the only source of light in the evening is an oil lamp, and meals must be cooked over an open fire. Drinking water comes from a well, and you eat only what you can grow in your own garden. 
Maybe you can trade some vegetables or fruit with neighbors in exchange for eggs or fresh milk. This was the everyday reality of our grandparents and great-grandparents.
This very way of life is vividly brought back to life at the Folk Art Museum in Deryneia, Cyprus. The museum is located in a traditional old house at 2 Liperti Street, Dimitri area. With its low ceilings and stone walls built by hand, the house was generously donated to the public by Barnabas and Margaret Xatziliasi after losing their three children, who died young age.
The couple dedicated the home for public use to their children’s memory. It has since been declared a historical monument, and the Deryneia Municipality gladly took on the task of restoring it.
The museum’s exhibition was created in collaboration with the Cyprus Handicrafts Service and faithfully recreates the interior of a traditional Cypriot home.
Inside, visitors can find agricultural tools, household items, cooking utensils, old photos. Some textiles—everything that tells the story of daily life in the not-so-distant past. All exhibits were donated by local residents, making the museum a living archive of the community’s shared history and heritage. 
Visiting the Folk Art Museum is not only informative but also emotionally enriching.
It offers a deeper understanding of traditional Cypriot life and reminds us to appreciate the modern comforts we often take for granted.
The Deryneia Folk Art Museum is worth visiting to experience traditional Cypriot life through exhibits of agricultural tools, household items, and displays of traditional professions. 
The museum offers a glimpse into the past with items donated by locals, showcasing the daily life and crafts of bygone eras. The adjacent Open Air Museum further expands on this with rooms dedicated to specific traditional crafts like carpentry, shoemaking, and blacksmithing. 
We signed the museum book to show our appreciation. In the picture Colin Darroch signs the Museum Visitor’s Book.
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