Fustanella

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Greek Foustanelles. Left, the Foustanella (Tsolias) which prevailed in the urban centres of Moreas (Peloponnese) and Roumeli (Central Greece). Right, the Makedonomahi, which is from Macedonia, the northernmost region of Greece.

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.

[edit] Etymology

The word derives from Italian fustagno 'fustian' + -ella (diminutive), the fabric from which the earliest kilts were made. This in turn derives from Medieval Latin fūstāneum, perhaps a diminutive form of fustis, "wooden baton". Other authors consider this a calque of Greek xylino lit. 'wooden' i.e. 'cotton'^[1]; others speculate that it is derived from Fostat, a suburb of Cairo where cloth was manufactured.^[2]

[edit] Early history

Although the origins of the modern Fustanella are unclear, nonetheless there are numerous theories. It is thought by some that the modern fustanella originated in the Ottoman vilayet of Yanya. This vilayet comprised much of the region of Epirus (today divided between Albania (Northern Epirus) and Greece (Epirus (periphery))) and was inhabited by a variety of populations, including ethnic Greeks, Aromanians, Albanians and Turks. The use of the garment was probably spread by klephtic bands via Epirus into the rest of Greece during the 18th and 19th centuries. 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. 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), shown here: [1]. Another claim involves a small figure from the 5th century BCE in Slovenia, evidenced here. Another one was found in the outskirts of the Ancient Greek city of Epidamnus (modern Durrës, Albania): [2]. Yet another claim involves the statue carved in a niche in the Cave of Archedemos the Nympholept [3][4], near Mount Hymettus in Athens, which statue wears a fustanella-like garment and has been dated to c. 500 BCE. Archedemos, although living in Athens, came from the Spartan colony of Thera. This is why he carved himself wearing the dorian tunic. The Dorian tunic was also a garment of Kouretes[5].

[edit] Possible Vlach origin

Romanian Căluşari dancer from Arad, dressed in a traditional Romanian costume, early 20th century. Notice the fustanella-type garment, similar to the costumes of the Aromanians.

Another theory is that this type of garment was brought from the territory comprising modern Romania, 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. The etymology could also be explained in this way: in Romanian, fuşte means "lance"/"wooden baton", from Latin fustis. A diminutive of it is fus, meaning spindle. 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.

[edit] Evolution

The garment is made from long strips of linen sewn together to make a pleated skirt. Some Greeks, such as general Theodoros Kolokotronis had almost four hundred pleats in their garments, one for each year of Turkish rule over Greece. 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. 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. 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. 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. 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.

[edit] Today

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

Today fustanella are part of traditional Albanian and Greek dresses, worn mainly by ceremonial Greek military units and folk dancers.

Incidentally, the correct Greek plural is foustanelles (φουστανέλλες) but as with the (semi-correct) foustanellas, it is rarely employed by native English speakers.

[edit] Name in various languages

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

[edit] Notes

[edit] External link

• The fustanella in Greece