Beautiful rosewater bottles or sprinklers were used by Cypriots on many occasions. Made out of glass, opaline or silver, each household had one. They were filled with rosewater and this was sprinkled on the palms of guests arriving to the house and when they were departing. On special occasions such as weddings, baptisms, circumcisions, when the host visited the guests at their homes to invite them, he/she would have with them a rosewater bottle and sprinkle the rosewater on the invitees palms along with the verbal invitation. The glass and opaline bottles were imported but the silver ones were mostly made locally.
mmr-00332 > Rose water bottle, Silver, 19th century
mmr-00468 > Opaline rose water sprinkler, Glass, 19th century
mmr-00475 > Beige rose water sprinkler, Glass, 19th century
mmr-00464 > Silver rose water sprinkler, Silver, 19th century
You can see this exhibits up close, along with many others, in the exhibition rooms of CVAR.
