Costumes: Macedonia - Psaradhes

The Psaradhes region is among the very few regions in modern-day Greece, where many women still continue to wear their every-day folk dress and even their festival costume. The cotton chemise worn, similar in form to all chemises belonging to costumes using the siguni, are characterized by the old, traditional motifs sewn with the same stitches as found in the embroideries of Macedonia, Epirus, Thessaly, Attica, Boeotia and Euboea. In the past, the costume of the villages around Lake Prespa, Agios Germanos and Psaradhes was all white. Around the years 1930-1935, the women replaced the all-white bridal and festival costume with a black siguni and dark-colored apron, worn later only by middle-aged women. A decorative dickey, the tracila, draped over the bosom. A black, woolen, elbow-length overcoat was also worn. An apron, made of either black wool, a dark-colored velvet or brocade material, adorned with silver coins, tied over the waist and overcoat. Black stockings were always worn and a printed black scarf adorned the head. To accent the costume, pearls were worn around the neck; silver coins draped from the bosom down to the waist and up to the shoulders; and silver chains were used to grace the aprons.