Opanak

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Traditional Serbian footwear

Opanak (Serbian Cyrillic: Опанак, plural: опанци, opanci; Macedonian Cyrillic: Опинок, plural опинци, opinci) are a kind of traditional shoes worn in Serbia and the Republic of Macedonia. The attributes of the Opanci are; a construction of leather, lack of laces, durable, and have horn-like ending on toes. The design of the horn-like ending indicates the region of Serbia the shoes are from. The name itself comes from Proto-Indo-European. Indeed similar footware is worn in parts of India, today mostly as a part of men's ornate matrimonial dress. The concept, and the word, exists in Romania (as opinci). The opanaks are considered the traditional peasant footwear for people in the Balkan region.^[1]

[edit] Present Day

Nowadays, they are usually worn in rural areas of Serbia, Montenegro, Republic of Srpska, the Republic of Macedonia and other regions of the former Yugoslavia, Bulgaria.^[2]

[edit] In the Past

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The medieval kind of opanci are different from the kind that was used during the Yugoslav period. The kind used during that period did not have a tip on the front similar to the picture shown here and were not interlaced. It took the form of a black gum shaped to the form of a foot. Laces were incorporated but frequently broke. The type of shoe is typically worn by farmers or field workers who find it convenient and comfortable for working in their gardens. It can be bought at many open air markets in Serbia.