The fabrics used to be made from natural and animal fibres. The preparation of natural fibres like cotton and linen was a long and tiring process. The animal fibres used were wool and silk. Local lambs provided people with their wool. The quality of the fibre depended on the animal and from which part of the body it was obtained.
The cultivation of silk is a lengthy procedure that begins in the spring when the seeds come out and finishes in the summer when the silk threads are produced. What is woven in a particular place depends on the raw materials that can be found in that area. From the way the garments are sewn and decorated with embroideries, we can find out about the skill and taste of the people that make them.
Apart from its importance for the study of the culture of a country a traditional garment out of nice material, well-made and embroidered is a work of art in itself. It is the true expression of folk artistic creation. The Cypriot female costume was very simple and was characterised by conservativeness but at the same time it was very beautiful and imposing. It consisted of the outer garment, the chemise and the long pantaloons.
The chemise which was made of cotton for everyday use and silk for the festivities, reached a little below the knee and had wide sleeves. It was decorated with coloured seams or sometimes with coloured beads on all the parts which showed beneath the outer garment. Under the chemise women wore the pantaloons that reached the ankles. They were gathered round the ankles and were known as "foukarin" or "foukarouin». To make the pantaloons they used cotton material. Around the bottom of the "best" cotton pantaloons was a band of a rich, colourful loom-embroidered fabric, usually made of cotton and silk threads from the cocoons. cotton "taista" and "itaredes".
The "saya" was The festive pantaloons were also made out of silk fabric or silk and worn in most urban and rural regions of Cyprus until the 19th century. Local variations were still worn in the remote parts of Karpasia and Paphos until the early decades of the present century. The "saya" was made of "alatzia" a striped fabric woven on the loom with cotton or a combination of silk and cotton threads. It was open all the way down the front and at the lower part of both sides. It had long and wide sleeves open from the elbow downwards called "promanika" that were lined inside with striped or flowered fabric, in such a way that when they were turned over, they looked nice. The "saya" was worn over the chemises and pantaloons. The "foustani" was also an over-garment of the rural areas of Cyprus. It was a one-piece waisted and pleated dress which was worn until the middle of the 20th century and which was the turning point of the modernization of the countryside. With the "foustani" the women wore an embroidered or hand-woven apron on festive days and Sundays and a plain one during the weekdays.
In Paphos they wore the "foustani" parallel to the "sayia" because it was much easier to use. Both garments, the "foustani" and "saya" had a large oval opening at the front, the "trachillia" to facilitate breast feeding.
The female headdress which prevailed in all the areas was the "kouroukia" a square kerchief of fine cotton in different colours; crimson, bordeaux, dark green for young women and brown for the older ones. The stamped kerchiefs replaced earlier ones which were embroidered in threads of coloured silk and metal wire. The designs were applied on the kerchiefs with wooden blocks (stamps) by special craftsmen known as "mandilarides". The colours of the block printed kerchiefs resembled those of the embroidered ones. The block printed kerchiefs were made by "the mandilarides" of Nicosia, Lamaca, Varosi. The women also used the silk kerchiefs from Kilani known as "kilaniotika" with the tie-dye technique.
From the 19th century onwards the "saya" was gradually replaced in the towns by the "Amalia" costume which consisted of a short fitted jacket "sarka" made of black woollen felt "tsoufa" or velvet for best wear. It had a large opening on the chest and long sleeves. It was embroidered with over-sewn metal wire "ttelia" or silk thread and its long cotton or silk skirt was in vivid colours from plant substances in shades of yellow, orange, green and other earth colours. Under the "sarka" women wore the pure silk chemise. Both the front opening "trachilia" and the long cuffs "maniketta" were embellished with delicate silk cochet lace "pipilla". On the head they wore a dark crimson fez with a rich black silk tassel, the "flokko" or the pan-Cypriot headdress with the block printed kerchierf, tied in a bow at the temple, to show off the "pipilla" lace. This was completed by a decorative pin "karfitsa tou mandiliou" or artifical flowers made out of pearls.
In the larger villages of Cyprus variations of this urban costume were adopted as festival or bridal dresses as opposed to the rural costume that was normally the festival dress with the addition of certain accessories and the characteristic scarlet kerchief, worn in some regions throughout the forst year of marriage.
There are only very few distinct regional differences in the male costume of Cyprus. Its basic components are the densely pleated baggy trousers "vraka" that were worn all over Cyprus with very few variations and the waistcoat, "yilekko" or jacket, "zimbouni".
The "vraka" was made of three pieces of fabric, but some men used more fabric to make it bigger. It was made of coarse hand-woven dimity, which was dyed, after sewing, by local dyers, "poyatzides"; black for elderly men and blue for the younger ones. In earlier years they used white ones. The dyers, after dying the "vrakas" left them to dry and then they pleated them "brosiasma". They hung them, pulled them and tied them all around with the "phitilli" the strap that they used to tie the "vraka" round the waist. This was done so that the pleats would stay in place. This strap was called "vrakozoni" and was passed, through the waist of the vraka in order to pleat it.
The "vraka" reached the middle of the leg and because the back piece "sella" or "vakia" was longer and sometimes it touched the floor, they used to gather it at the waist. The only time they let the "sella" fall was when they entered the church out of respect. The vraka consisted of the "kokkalous" and the "sella". "Kokkalous" are the pieces right and left over the knees. They were usually made of double fabric to last longer. In the middle they had the pleats called "brosies".
The white drawers had the same shape as the outer dimity vraka. They were usually worn during festivities. The drawers gave shape to the "vraka" mainly the gathering, the "vakia" that hung between the two legs.
The "zimbouni", short jacket with long sleeves, open and tied fitted at the edges, which closed at the front with buttons and button holes was made of cotton striped material called "alatzia" and was worn for every day.
The jacket "yilekko" without sleeves, the "stavroti" or the "kanisourmas" was made from striped fabric or blue velvet or red felt and was the winter garment worn during festivities. It was emroidered round the edges at the back and the pocket. The summer one was open and was called "perikas" and was made from white woven fabric with coloured beeds. Under the "zimbouni" the men wore a shirt, dark coloured made of striped cotton for everyday and silk for Sundays or wedding days. The festive fabric was called "pourountzikin". The way it was cut, made and embroidered varied from place to place.
In some areas like Mesaoria the men wore vests with cotton woven material embroidered in the places that showed under the shirt (at the neck opening and sleeves). In the rural areas the vest was made of hand spun lambs wool.
Round the waist they tied the sash "zostra" that was usually made from dimito woollen fabric, black
for the elderly and red for the young men. At the two ends it had "clossi". Young men wore the multi-coloured silk belt "tarapoulouzi" at festivals as well as on the day of their wedding. They also used to hang the knitted "puggi" from the waist.
The costume was completed by the topboots "podines" or "tsagaropodines" made of goat's leather. The thick soles were reinforced with metal nails "rizes" for protection from the snakes. In the town leather boots or shoes "sarpes" were worn.
On the head they wore a scarf tied all around. The scarf of the groom was colourful, made of wool and decorated at the edges with needlepoint lace "pipilla" or fine "clossi". Everyday scarfs were the same as the women's (block printed scarfs) light colours for the young men and dark colours for the elderly ones.
Today the Cyprus Handicraft Service of the Ministry of Commerce, Industry and Tourism has taken on the responsibility of studying and developing the national costumes preserving thus and continuing the national heritage of our tradition.
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