As we learned in Greece, traditions are deeply felt, in fact on some occasions such as festivals and national holidays the Greeks wear their traditional regional costumes before going wild with the sirtaki rhythm. We immediately discover their evolution over the centuries.
The clothes in ancient Greece
In ancient Greece the clothes were very simple, often consisting of a single cloth of rectangular shape, not sewn, but tied at the waist with a rope or a band and there were no great differences between male and female clothing.
The dress worn by women was called peplum and was a kind of white wool tunic, draped around the body, long to the feet, which left the arms uncovered. Based on the fabric and the way it was worn, the person's class could be distinguished. Aristocratic women wore peplum up to the ankle, or with train and side slit. A wide waistband and a sleeveless jacket, longer on the sides, completed the dress. Above it could be placed a shawl, called krédemnon. A triangle of fabric was placed on the head and shoulders and to complete the outfit, which could be combined with the pòlos, an ornamental cylindrical headdress.
The dress worn by the men of ancient Greece was called a chiton, very similar to the female one. It is a long tunic, sewn on one side and stopped on the shoulders. For reasons of practicality in the work from the fifth century it was replaced by the shorter chitoniskos, the length of which reached the knee.
Above each dress was the himimation, a cloak used by both men and women, a unisex garment we would say today! It was simply placed on one shoulder and dropped on the side, or it could be slipped from the head, or passed from the armpit to the opposite shoulder. There were also "summer" and shorter versions of the him called diplax and chlamidon.
A cloak exclusively for male use was called clamide (or even claina). It was a short woolen cloth, which was fixed on one shoulder or on the back. It was used for riding and in the military, but it was also the symbol of the transition from adolescence to adulthood. Over time, the clamide also spread among the Romans and was used until 300 AD, but for them it symbolized military command.
Traditional Greek clothes
As far as traditional clothing is concerned, a distinction must be made between the hinterland and the Greek islands. In mainland Greece the male version takes up the military uniform worn during the war of independence of 1820 and is the uniform of the Evzones, the presidential guard. It consists of a white shirt with wide sleeves, with a dark embroidered vest on it and a particular white wool skirt, called foustanella, with 400 folds, which symbolize the 400 years of Turkish domination. Long white socks, a black waistband and red leather shoes called tsarouhia, similar to clogs with a black pompom on the toe. In very cold weather, the Evzones also wear a dark blue coat.
On the Greek islands, on the other hand, the traditional men's suit is simpler: we start with a white undergarment, wide puffy pants and a white shirt with a sleeveless coat over it, a waist band, a jacket and a hat with a tassel .
Also as regards traditional women's clothing in Greece there are differences according to the region, but there are also similar elements. The clothes are generally very simple: they start from a cotton dress to which a sleeveless wool vest is superimposed, to which an apron, a shoulder cover and a scarf can be added.
Curiosity
In Greece traditions survive not only during anniversaries but also in daily life, especially on the Greek islands. Older men still wear the wool band at the waist, instead of the belt. The older peasants, on the other hand, wear long dark skirts and two handkerchiefs on the head, one around the face tied behind the neck and the other, on the forehead, crossed under the nose, which leaves only the eyes uncovered, to protect themselves from the sun during the I work in the fields.
Traditional costumes always have their charm and it is always interesting to rediscover them to remember the millennial history of the exuberant Greek people!