People of Croatia have a phenomenal heritge, which is their traditional clothing worn by them, who not only live in the Republic of Croatia but also by the other Croats who are scattered in different areas of other Central European states. This is also a bitter fact that the most of the Croats have left the centuries old custom of wearing the traditional dress of Croatia and use Western-style clothing on a daily basis. Now, the traditional attires are worn by the people of Croatia on the events of national importance, festive moments, wedding celebrations and religious ceremonies.
The women or Croatia in traditional cpstumes – Image :Radio Velika Goriaca – RVG
The females of Croatia usually wear the dresses that consist a plain white dress or blouse (košulja) or underskirt (skutići), which is usually the basic form of the costume. It is then added with other clothing and decorations, which may include another overdress or skirt (kotula), a decorative jacket (djaketa, paletun or koret), apron (ogrnjač or pregjača), scarf (ubrsac), kerchief or shawl which are usually decorated with a floral or animal motif. The embroidery is very intricate and is usually red, white, blue, gold, or black.
A Croat Girl in traditional attire – paul Barker Hemings
The women of Croatia also wear a lot of traditional jewellery, ranging from necklaces, earrings, bracelets, and rings could consist of gold, silver, beads, pearls, or even corral from the Adriatic . Hair is interwoven into one or two braids and decorated with red ribbons for girls or women that are unmarried, while married women wear woven or silk kerchiefs on their heads. Costumes of brides consists of a crown or wreath often made of flowers (vijenac) and large amounts of jewelry.
Croatian folk dancers – Frans (3Djavu.nl)
The woman’s head could be adorned by a kerchief, cap, or a headdress, the most famous being the headdresses worn by the women from the island of Pag. The amount of paraphernalia a woman is adorned with, either very much or rarely any at all, depends on the region. Completing the costume are stockings (bječve) or knee-high socks, and boots or a special kind of sandal called opanci.
Opanci – A typical Croatian footwear – Image by Aleksandar Cocek
For the Croatian males, the traditional dress which is their phenomenal heritage usually consists on loose, wide slacks (gače širkoke) and a shirt, and both are usually either black or white, or both. The men of Croatia may wear a decorative or plain vest (fermen or jačerma), over his shirt, and possibly a waistcoat. The man almost always wears a cap, varying in shape and design depending on the region. The most famous cap is perhaps the Lika Cap, worn in the Lika region for centuries by the people. Footwear, like the women’s', consists mainly on boots and sandals. Because of the weather, certain places often have woolen vests, cloaks, coats, or fur for the colder regions, and silk and light linens for the warmer climates.
A Croat boy wearing a traditional dress. Image: Radio Velika Goriaca – RVG
For more interesting posts with the same subject on the Lovely Planet Website, please click the following links;
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