Greek Foustanelles. Left, the Foustanella (Tsolias) which prevailed in the urban centres of Moreas (Peloponnese) and Roumeli (Central Greece). The Peloponnese or Peloponnesus ( Greek: Πελοπόννησος Pelopónnisos; see also List of Greek place names) is a large Peninsula Greece (Ελλάδα transliterated: Elláda, historically, Ellás,) officially the Hellenic Republic (Ελληνική Δημοκρατία Right, the Makedonomahi, which is from Macedonia, the northernmost region of Greece. Macedonia ( Μακεδονία, Makedonía,) is a geographical and historical region of Greece in southeastern Europe

Fustanella (for spelling in various languages, see chart below) is a skirt-like garment worn by men in the Balkans until the 19th century and is frequently identified with the elite Greek ceremonial unit of Presidential Guard, the Evzones. A skirt is a tube- or cone-shaped Garment that hangs from the Waist and covers all or part of the Legs In European culture, skirts are usually The Evzones, or Evzoni, (Εύζωνες Ευζώνοι is the name of several historical elite Light infantry and Mountain units of the Greek The Fustanella is also common among Albanian folk dancers and mountain warriors.

Etymology

The word derives from Italian fustagno 'fustian' + -ella (diminutive), the fabric from which the earliest kilts were made. Italian ( or lingua italiana) is a Romance language spoken by about 63 million people as a First language, primarily in Italy. Fustian (also called bombast) is a term for a variety of heavy Woven, mostly Cotton fabrics chiefly prepared for menswear This in turn derives from Medieval Latin fūstāneum, perhaps a diminutive form of fustis, "wooden baton". Medieval Latin was the form of Latin used in the Middle Ages, primarily as a medium of scholarly exchange and as the Liturgical language of the medieval A diminutive is a formation of a Word used to convey a slight degree of the root meaning smallness of the object or quality named encapsulation intimacy or endearment Other authors consider this a calque of Greek xylino lit. In Linguistics, a calque (kælk or loan translation is a Word or Phrase borrowed from another Language by Literal, word-for-word Greek (el ελληνική γλώσσα or simply el ελληνικά — "Hellenic" is an Indo-European language, spoken today by 15-22 million people mainly 'wooden' i. e. 'cotton'^[1]; others speculate that it is derived from Fostat, a suburb of Cairo where cloth was manufactured. Fustat (also Fostat, Al Fustat, Misr al-Fustat and Fustat-Misr, and in Arabic الفسطاط was the first Capital of Egypt Cairo () which means "the Vanquisher" or "the Triumphant" is the capital and largest city of Egypt. ^[2]

Early history

Although the origins of the modern Fustanella are unclear, nonetheless there are numerous theories. The word theory has many distinct meanings in different fields of Knowledge, depending on their methodologies and the context of discussion. It is thought by some that the modern fustanella originated in the Ottoman vilayet of Yanya. The Ottoman Empire (1299–1923 ( Old Ottoman Turkish: دولتْ علیّه عثمانیّه Devlet-i Âliye-yi Osmâniyye, Late Ottoman and Modern Turkish The subdivisions of the Ottoman Empire were Administrative divisions of the State organisation of the Ottoman Empire based on military administration but Ioannina (Ιωάννινα, often el Γιάννενα or el Γιάννινα / is a city of Epirus, north-western Greece, with a metropolitan population of This vilayet comprised much of the region of Epirus (today divided between Greece (Epirus (periphery)) and Albania) and was inhabited by a variety of populations, including Greeks, Aromanians, Albanians, Bulgarians and Turks. Epirus (from Ionic Greek Ήπειρος - Ēpeiros, Doric Greek: Ἅπειρος - Apeiros, in Albanian Greece (Ελλάδα transliterated: Elláda, historically, Ellás,) officially the Hellenic Republic (Ελληνική Δημοκρατία Epirus ( Greek: Ήπειρος Ípiros) is a periphery in northwestern Greece. This article is about the country in southern Europe For a topic outline on this subject see List of basic Albania topics. The Greeks ( Greek: Έλληνες) are a Nation and Ethnic group native to Greece, Cyprus and neighbouring regions Aromanians (or Macedo-Rumans; in Aromanian they call themselves Armãnji, Rrãmãnji) are a people living throughout the southern Balkans } Albanians (Shqiptarët are an Ethnic group and a Nation, in the sense of sharing a common Albanian culture speaking the Albanian language The Bulgarians (българи balgari) are a South Slavic people generally associated with the Republic of Bulgaria and the Bulgarian language The Turkish people (Türk Halkı also known as " Turks " ( Türkler) are defined mainly as being speakers of Turkish as a First language The use of the garment was probably spread by klephtic bands via Epirus into the rest of Greece during the 18th and 19th centuries. Klephts ( Greek κλέφτης, pl κλέφτες - kleftis, kleftes, which originally meant just "thieves" The 18th century lasted from 1701 to 1800 in the Gregorian calendar, in accordance with the Anno Domini / Common Era numbering system The 19th century of the Common Era began on January 1, 1801 and ended on December 31, 1900, according to the Gregorian calendar Similar garments exist as part of the folk costume as far north as Romania and as far east as Syria, with nationalists on every side claiming the garment to be an indigenous creation. Romania ( dated: Rumania, Roumania Syria ( سوريّة or) officially the Syrian Arab Republic (Arabic ar الجمهورية العربية السورية Similarities to historical garments in literature and on art objects make these claims difficult to prove or disprove.

One claim of an ancient link to the modern fustanella involves an ancient statue dated from the 3rd century BCE in Kerameikon (a part of Athens to the northwest of the Acropolis). Kerameikos is an area of Athens, Greece, located to the northwest of the Acropolis, which includes an extensive area both within and outside the city Another claim involves a small figure from the 5th century BCE in Slovenia. Slovenia, officially the Republic of Slovenia (Republika Slovenija) is a Country in southern Central Europe bordering Italy to the west ^[3] Another one was found in the outskirts of the ancient Greek city of Epidamnus (modern Durrës, Albania). ^[4] Yet another claim involves the statue carved in a niche in the Cave of Archedemos the Nympholept, near Mount Hymettus in Athens, which statue wears a fustanella-like garment and has been dated to c. The Cave of Archedemos the Nympholept is a small Cave near Vari in Attica, Greece. Hymettus, also Hymettos (Υμηττός phonetic spelling Imitós) is a mountain range in the Athens area East Central Greece Athens (ˈæθənz Αθήνα Athina,) the Capital and largest city of Greece, dominates the Attica periphery as one of the world's 500 BCE. Archedemos, although living in Athens, came from the Spartan colony of Thera. The city of Sparta ( Doric Σπάρτα Attic Σπάρτη This is why he carved himself wearing the Dorian tunic. The Dorians or Dorian Greeks ( Greek:, Dōrieis singular, Dōrieus were A tunic is any of several types of Clothing for the body with or without Sleeves and of various lengths reaching from the hips to the ankles The Dorian tunic was also a garment of Kouretes. The Korybantes ( Ancient Greek:) were the crested dancers who worshiped the Phrygian goddess Cybele with drumming and dancing

Possible Vlach origin

Romanian Căluşari dancer from Arad, dressed in a traditional Romanian costume, early 20th century. The căluşari (/kəlu'ʃarʲ/ is the Romanian word for participants in a traditional Folk dance, the căluş, nowadays mainly found in Southern Arad (pronunciation in Romanian: /a'rad/ Hungarian: Arad; Serbian: Арад Arad) is the capital city of Arad County Notice the fustanella-type garment, similar to the costumes of the Aromanians. Aromanians (or Macedo-Rumans; in Aromanian they call themselves Armãnji, Rrãmãnji) are a people living throughout the southern Balkans

Another theory is that this type of garment was brought from the territory comprising modern Romania. Romania ( dated: Rumania, Roumania , by the Aromanians (see Romania in the Dark Ages), although there is no documented evidence of a migration of Latin speaking populations from the territory of present-day Romania to the western Balkans. Aromanians (or Macedo-Rumans; in Aromanian they call themselves Armãnji, Rrãmãnji) are a people living throughout the southern Balkans The Early Middle Ages in Romania (also known the Dark Ages) lasted from about the 5th century to the 10th century, between the Hunnic The etymology could also be explained in this way: in Romanian, fuşte means "lance"/"wooden baton", from Latin fustis. Romanian or Daco-Romanian ( dated: Rumanian or Roumanian; self designation limba română, ˈlimba roˈmɨnə is a Romance A diminutive of it is fus, meaning spindle. A spindle (sometimes called a drop spindle) is a Wooden spike weighted at one end with a circular Whorl; it may have an optional hook at either end of the Hence, fusta means a fabric made using a fus. The -ela termination is a typical Romanian ending of diminutives, in this case of the Romanian fustă, meaning skirt.

Evolution

The garment is made from long strips of linen sewn together to make a pleated skirt. Linen is a Textile made from the Fibers of the Flax plant Linum usitatissimum. A skirt is a tube- or cone-shaped Garment that hangs from the Waist and covers all or part of the Legs In European culture, skirts are usually Some Greeks, such as general Theodoros Kolokotronis had almost four hundred pleats in their garments, one for each year of Turkish rule over Greece. Theodoros Kolokotronis ( Greek: Θεόδωρος Κολοκοτρώνης, 3 April 1770 - 15 February 1843) was a The Ottoman Empire (1299–1923 ( Old Ottoman Turkish: دولتْ علیّه عثمانیّه Devlet-i Âliye-yi Osmâniyye, Late Ottoman and Modern Turkish The style evolved over time. In the 18th and early 19th centuries, the skirts hung below the knees, and the hem of the garment was gathered together with garters and tucked into the boots to create a "bloused" effect. Garters are articles of Clothing: narrow bands of fabric fastened about the leg used to keep Stockings up Later, during the Bavarian regency, the skirts were shortened to create a sort of billowy pantaloon that stopped above the knee; this garment was worn with hose, and either buskins or decorative clogs. The history of modern Greece began with the recognition of Greek independence from the Ottoman Empire in 1832 after the Greek War of Independence. Trousers are an item of Clothing worn on the lower part of the body from the waist to the ankles covering both legs separately (rather than with cloth stretching across For contemporary styles see Pantyhose, Hosiery WalterRaleighandson A Buskin is a knee- or calf-length Boot made of Leather or Cloth which laces closed but is open across the toes The word clog, as applied to footwear has these meanings A type of Shoe or sandal made predominantly out of wood This is the costume worn by the modern Greek evzones Presidential Guard.

While the image of warriors with frilly skirts tucked into their boots may seem impractical to a contemporary audience, it should be noted that modern paratroopers use a similar method to blouse their trousers over their jumpboots. Paratroopers are Soldiers trained in Parachuting and generally operate as part of an airborne force. Lace was commonly worn on military uniforms in the west until well into the 19th century, and gold braid and other adornments still serve as markers of high rank in formal military uniforms. A braid (also called plait) is a complex structure or pattern formed by intertwining three or more strands of flexible material such as textile fibers wire or human hair Fustanella were very labor-intensive and thus costly, which made them a status garment that advertised the wealth and importance of the wearer. Western observers of the Greek War of Independence noted the great pride which the klephts took in their foustanella, and how they competed to outdo each other in the sumptuousness of their costume. The Greek War of Independence (1821–1829 also commonly known as the Greek Revolution (Ελληνική Επανάσταση Elliniki Epanastasi; Ottoman

Today

Today fustanella are part of traditional Albanian and Greek dresses, worn mainly by ceremonial Greek military units and Albanian folk dancers. Folk dance is a term used to describe a large number of dances mostly of European origin that tend to share the following attributes originally danced in about the Incidentally, the correct Greek plural is foustanelles (φουστανέλλες) but as with the (semi-correct) foustanellas, it is rarely employed by native English speakers.

Boy Scouts wearing Fustanellas dancing in Greek festival at Tarpon Springs, Florida (1960) – State Archive of Florida

Name in various languages

Native terms for "skirt" and "dress" included for comparison:

Notes

External links

• The Fustanella in Greece
• Albanian Folk Costumes