Photograph showing two village girls no. 066

Street photograph showing two village girls, Meyrem Okay (born in 1936) and Ayşe Mustafa (born in 1933). The photograph was taken in 1955. They stand side by side in front of a background showing an aeroplane painted in modern style, and hold each other’s hand (right with left hand respectively) in front of them. Both wear modern, tailor-made sleeved dresses, one with flower patterns and the other monochrome. The dress of Ayşe looks more sophisticated; it has a V-neck and the skirt is pleated. Under the dress they wear pantaloons, which reach down to the ankles and are decorated with lace at the edges. Such pantaloons, but more baggy, and wider, are typical of the traditional dress of Karpasia, the easternmost part of the island. Therefore Turkish Cypriots called them Karpaz donu. In fact, the girls come from the village of Galinoporni (Kaleburnu), in Karpasia. The narrow, ankle-long pantaloons are in contrast to their modern dresses. They also wear traditional headscarves (yemeni) which leave exposed the front part of their black hair; Ayşe’s scarf is decorated with lace made with a hairpin (firkete), while that of Meyrem is ornamented with tassels (pompons). Both wear dark stockings and black shoes; their necklaces consist of a single row of beads. The appearance of the two village girls is typical of a transitional phase, between traditional and modern, western-style dress; these examples reflect the culture of the previous generation in Karpasia; such traditions were not carried on by the new generation, that of the 1960s.