Romanian Folk Costumes
Romanian folklore costumes are full of colour and very varied in various regions of Romania. Moreover, that folklor is best preserved and traditional in Europe. Ethnic identity is reflected in those costumes. It also represents artistic values of the Romanians.
Generalising, women' garment comprises wool, hemp or linen chemise or blouse, long skirts and vests and their hairs are pulled back under scarves decorated with flowers. Men's costumes consist of a white blouse and pants, a cap or hat, and waistcoat and or overcoat. The part of the whole costume can be decorated with embroidery. Both men and women wear decorated outer garments made of sheepskin or felted woollen fabric.
The most traditional men's costumes are cămasă – men's white shirt, leather peasant Sandals opinci which were used to in the past. Men's wollen or cotton trousers, called ițari, cioareci, are replaced by modern trousers like jeans. Suman is brown, gray or black long peasant coat, richly decorated. A part of the men's garment is a hat. There is a lot of types of hats like Căciulă, hard Felt hats or Straw hats.
Traditional women's shirt is also known as the "Carpathian shirt". It has the three-part decor code of blouse: altiță - the underarm embroidery, increț - a single horizontal row on the sleeve, the râuri - diagonal stripes below the armpit and shoulder. The fotă is a richly-ornamented wrap-around skirt made of woollen or cotton with wool. The women's "head coverings” is Maramă worn after a marriage. It is decorated with white or coloured patterns woven onto a white background.
In villages in Romania, you can still find people who wear this traditional costumes especially during festivals, national or local holidays.
