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CilaosCilaos is a town and commune of approximately 6000 residents, situated on the French island of Runion in the Indian Ocean. It is located centrally on the island, in a cirque of altitude 1214m. Runion is the westernmost of the three Mascarene Islands, and lies approximately 700km east of the coast of Madagascar. World Record From March 15, 1952 to March 16, 1952, 1,870mm (73 inches) of rain fell in Cilaos in 24 hours, the greatest amount of rain ever to fall in one day. History The name Cilaos comes from a the Malagasy word, Tsilaosa, which means the place one never leaves. According to some historians, the word Cilaos finds its origins in the name of a Malagasian slave named Tsilaos who took refuge in this cirque. At the time, slaves were called "brown", whereas runaway slaves were called "black-brown". The first inhabitants of the cirque of Cilaos were thus "black-browns" who believed themselves to be at the top of the world and completely safe. However, these first runaways were recaptured very quickly, tracked and hunted by well-orgainzied and well-armed slaveholders. In these runaways' attempts to escape recapture, several were killed. It seems likely that these first runaways created the goatpaths that climb most of the mountains on Runion. After the death or recapture of these runaway slaves, the cirque of Cilaos became uninhabited once again for a while, since the first records of its settlement occur only around 1850. In this year, a thermal station was set up, and by 1866, there were 960 inhabitants there. By 1900, the population had risen to 2500. The census of 1982 recorded 5629 inhabitants in the cirque of Cilaos. When French president Valry Giscard d'Estaing visited Runion, he and his wife had lunch with a Cilaosian peasant. They enjoyed world-fameous Cilaosian lentils, cooked in Cilaosian wine. Local specialities Embroidery: The days of Cilaos The introduction of embroidery was due to the efforts of Angle MacAuliffe, daughter of a doctor who worked at a hot-spring clinic in the early 20th century. The techniques that she introduced have scarcely changed since, and the popularity of "Days of Cilaos" embroidery is due in a large part to this stability and tradition. This local embroidery has been transmitted for over 100 years by local nuns (such as Sister Ccile and Sister Irne). In 1954, the "Sewing room of Cilaos" was created and Sister Anasthasie (Marie-Hlne Techer) was appointed as its leader. Sister Anasthasie would do her utmost to teach a hundred young girls her embroidery techniques, and she was recognized in 1983 when she received the gold medal "Best worker in France" competition in the lace and embroidery catagory. In the 1980s, these embroidered works were generally sold out of the workers' homes or more frequently from roadside stands. Furthermore, an association for the promotion of Cilaosian lace was created in 1983 to protect and develop this important craft of the Cirque. In 1985, this association had 50 embroidery workers. Its president was Ms. Suzanne Maillot, Sister Anasthasie's assistant at the "Sewing-room of Cilaos". Today, an embroidery house of the association lets a few workers learn and show tourists this delicate art.
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