Greek folk costumes

In traditional Greek culture, costumes carry messages, subtle clues about a persons' social status. Especially for women, dress carries messages which can be interpreted by members of the community and which indicate if a woman is single or married, newly-wed, has children or is a widow. An example of this complex semiology are the 40+ motifs decorating Thracian Sarakatsani costumes. Any combination of these motifs indicates not only the place of origin, but also social status, occupation and detailed marital status.

For the most special occasions in women’s lives, their wedding, bridal costumes were made by hand, using the best and rarest luxurious fabrics available, depending on the region. In urban areas, they preferred gold, while in villages they went overboard with color, with a particular emphasis on red. The bridal costume had a lot of layers and its materials usually included wool, which is pretty heavy. Together with the headdress, the silver or gold-plated belt and the assortment of jewelry, the costume would weigh around 30 kilos, probably making the 'special day' a very uncomfortable experience for the bride.

Bridal dresses in traditional Greek culture are colorful, rich and vary a lot, depending on the region, the climate, available sources for textiles, as well as local traditions. The one thing they have in common is over-accessorizing: jewels and complex embroideries cover the whole body. Apart from the obvious decorative purpose and the indication of the family’s wealth, these decorations carried strong symbolism. Wishes for abundance and fertility were carried by symbols such as pomegranates, birds and boats (especially in island cultures), and other symbols such as crosses, colorful stones and two-headed eagles had an apotropaic role, guarding the young bride from evil.

The 'metaphysical' aspect of the bridal costume is mainly concentrated on the headband and the shirt: the excessively decorated headband is believed to bring happiness and good fortune and traditionally is a gift of the groom or the mother-in-law. Because the shirt comes into direct contact with the naked body, it absorbs a power as a form of 'touch magic', gaining most of the magical properties. For this reason, it is often traditionally red and is purified by a priest in church. Everything was made special for that day, not only underwear, but also towels, pillows and bed linen, sleeping gowns.

In this exhibition you will find bridal and everyday costumes and jewelry that were worn from the 19th to the beginning of the 20th century and highlight the creativity, craftsmanship and morphological variety of Greek folk costumes.