Sarakatsani Apron (Greece)

A woman's apron from the Sarakatsani, northern Greece, sometime between 1925-1950. A woman's apron from the Sarakatsani, northern Greece, sometime between 1925-1950. © The Trustees of the British Museum, acc. no. 2008,8009.1.

The British Museum in London houses a woman's apron from among the Sarakatsani (originally a nomadic group) in northern Greece. Locally called a podia, this example is 36 cm long and made of wool with cross stitch, cotton-thread embroidery, rik-rak and metal thread decoration. The apron is dated to sometime between 1925 and 1950.

The podia was a very important garment of the Sarakatsani women, showing their age, marital status, even how the wearer was feeling. A young woman was required to make and decorate some 25 to 30 podies for her dowry, to cover every eventuality. The podia was worn over the fustani and under the zoni.

Source: HAIL, Barbara A. (1985). Female Costume of the Sarakatsani, Bristol, Rhode Island, Brown University, Haffenreffer Museum of Anthropology. 

British Museum online catalogue (retrieved 15 January 2017).

WV

Last modified on Sunday, 26 March 2017 19:39
Published in Daily and general garments and textiles
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