The national costumes of Cyprus can be divided into four different types, town wear, the Karpass style, the Paphos dress and the mountain costume. Each garment displays the rich variety of locally spun fabrics, and the creative and artistic skills of the people who made them.
The main developments in Cypriot costume design took place from the beginning of the 19th century onwards. Until then women everywhere had worn the Sayia, a long tunic, open at the front and sides, which was worn over long baggy trousers and a blouse. The Sayia was made in a wide variety of fabrics from simple home spun flax, to fine silks decorated with gold thread. Interestingly, similar styles to the Cypriot Sayia can be found in parts of Greece.

Wedding outfits were traditionally a rich scarlet colour, which was obtained from the roots of the madder plant.
Changes in this style appeared in the towns as women began to wear the Amalia for the first time. This was a long flowing skirt and a short fitted jacket. The skirts were usually made in a silk fabric called sattakroutia which was widely manufactured in the main silk areas of Nicosia, Kakopetria and Yeroskipou, and dyed with natural plants dyes in vibrant shades of gold and red. Cyprus had been famous for silk since Medieval times and many households raised silkworms so that they could weave their own cloth. The jacket, which was called the Sarka was decorated with rich appliqué designs in gold and silver, and was worn open at the front to reveal a beautiful silk blouse edged with lace or embroidery.

Scarves Kouroukla, or Mandilli, were extremely fashionable throughout the island, but particularly in the Nicosia area where there was a thriving scarf industry. Squares in calico and cotton are beautifully patterned by the scarf maker (Madilarides) using carved wooden stamps painted with different vegetable dyes from plants like thorny burnet and pomegranate. Younger women often favoured shades of dark green, whilst older women wore brown. Scarves for special occasions were trimmed with a crochet edging known as Pipilla. The scarves were folded under the back of the neck and the loose ends tied on the side of the head and decorated with a flower blossom or silver scarf pin. The scarves were popular with visitors to the island who found that the patterns did not fade with wear, in fact over the years they seemed to grow more vibrant with each wash! An interesting collection of these scarves can be seen in the Folk Art Museum at Yeroskipou.

Elegant ladies in the capital Nicosia would wear the Amalia style of costume every day; the fine cloth and rich embroidery hinting at their social position. Some women from the larger villages would have similar outfits but would only wear them on special occasions like Saints’ days and on important family occasions like weddings and baptisms.
Costumes varied little between the various villages and usually consisted of a long sleeved Sayia made from woven striped cotton (Alatzia), worn with a blouse and baggy trousers underneath and stout leather boots (Potinia). One scarf would hold the hair in place, whilst a second covered the head and was tied carefully to reveal its intricate pattern or lace trim.

The Karpass area, the narrow ‘leg of Cyprus’ that is now in the area occupied by Turkish troops, developed its own local costumes and these were the most elaborate of all the rural areas. The Sayia continued to be worn, but was designed differently depending on the work of the wearer, and a beautifully embroidered apron was worn to protect the material. A young bride would often wear a beautiful beige or white Sayia which she and her sisters had decorated with gold thread and appliqué of brightly coloured felt and beads. Instead of the working apron a large colourfully striped scarf would be worn around the waist and knotted on one side. Occasionally the bride could be seen wearing a completely different wedding costume with a full cotton skirt dyed in a rich brown colour with bark from a pine tree and worn with a matching jacket with silver clasps. The local craftsman would make gold earrings, bracelets, coin decorated necklaces, and an intricately decorated cross to complete this very special outfit.


Costumes of Cyprus – continued.