Rhodope traditional costume

The national costume is a traditional dress of the past, variable and typical for the different parts of the country.  The preconditions for creating the costume are backed in the folk and the cultural traditions of the different regions. One of the most picturesque Bulgarian costumes is the Rhodope traditional dress. It reflects the rich cultural inheritance left by the locals It is one of examples showing the esthetics sense and the craft skills of the Rhodope inhabitants. Women’s costume is traditionally more colorful that the men’s one. Besides the slight variety the Rhodope costume is always including some main parts: chemise; low-cut sleeveless; waist-belt; apron. The chemise is made of linen, and later of cotton. It is tunic-like with long straight sleeves, which are wide open in the lower part. The chemise has a round neck opening for the head and a cut in the front part of some 30-cm. It is decorated in yellow-brown wide strips at the edge of the cloth, and the edges of the sleeves have colorful ornaments. The skirt is decorated only in the edges with embroidery of silk threads, as the other part of the skirt is covered by the low-cut sleeveless dress. The low-cut sleeveless dress is made of woolen dark-blue or homemade cloth. The waist-belt is a constant part of the costume. The female Rhodope waist-belt is known by its woolen tissue and its size – it is wide some 35 cm, and long 2-3 m. It is wore bend twice and wrapped around the waist. Its color is from yellow-red to violet-red. The one- apron dress could only be seen in the Rhodope Mountain. Its composition and appearance are significantly simplified– with long chemise and one apron, wide enough to cover the front part of the body.