Tradition
GREECE
Traditional Costume of Roumlouki Region
by Vagia
The costume of the
“Roumlouki” region is so
popular that is
frequently used by
various folk dance
groups as proof of the
ancient roots of the
Greek folk costume.
Nowadays, it is used only on special
occasions such as folklore festivals. The
nam e Roumlouki refers to the part of
Macedonia, which
extends from the
Pieria mountains to
t h e r e e d y Fe n o f
Yannitsa, and from
the hills of Veria to
the Kara Asmak
(Loudias) river.
Its name was given by the Ottoman
conquerors and it’s called “Rumlik”,
because it means the land of the Rums,
t h e G r e e k l a n d . D e s p i t e t h e ra p i d
economic development of recent years,
the inhabitants of this area have not
forgotten their custom and traditions. The
traditional costume of the women is
believed to be a relic of an ancient
military costume.
Its main feature is the “katsouli”, the
headdress, made up of three kerchiefs
which take the form of a helmet and it
believed to go back to the time of
Alexander the Great. According to the
legend, while Alexander was at an
expedition, invaders attacked the region
and women were those who bravely took
up arms and displaced the enemy.
Alexander, hearing that, thought that
women deserve a prize…and that was his
prize.
The women of the numerous cultural
clubs nowadays, have adopted the
“katsouli” and the “sayias”, as well as,
some of the accessories being used, the
w o o l e n s o c k s , t h e “ k o n d o s i ”, t h e
“poukamiso”, the “trahlia”, the “zonari”
and “podia”. I strongly believe that it is
one of the best folk costumes in Greece
and we have to preserve it. That is a
photography depicting this wonderful
costume…