Sayia

Inv. No. EE 1622: Sayia made of alatzia with white cotton background and stripes in blue, light blue and light brown colours in the warp. Brown stripes also run through the weft at intervals, thus creating plaid. At the back of the hem there are denser plaids with brown and blue horizontal stripes. The sayia has a small upright collar, a deep narrow opening at the chest and a vertical slit all the way down. At the base of the chest opening, it closes with two knitted buttons, one red/reddish-brown and the other yellow/honey-coloured. The back of the garment consists of a single fabric panel, which extends to the front. Two gores (loxes) have been added from the base of the chest opening to the hem, one on each side, made of the same fabric. Similar gores on both sides of the garment’s lower part bear the side openings, each 0.24 m long. The sleeves, long and vertical, are fixed to the shoulders with their stripes arranged in a horizontal position. They end in an opening 0.16 m. long, lined internally with a piece of the same alatzia. The usual square piece of fabric has been added under the armpits to facilitate movement. In term of colours, the rich decoration of the sayia agrees with the woven fabric. The finish of the collar and of the chest opening, extending to the upper part of the vertical opening, consists of a cord braided with honey-coloured and reddish-brown threads. A similar cord adorns the opening of a small pocket on the right side of the chest, the inside of which is lined with purple silk. At the side openings and the sleeves, the cord also includes green thread. Parallel to the cord, a zigzag line is formed of black thread. This simple design is the only decorative element at the lower part of the vertical slit and at the hem. More elaborate decoration encloses the opening of the chest, which is trimmed with sewn-on green and rose cord forming a wavy line. A zigzag line of reddish-brown and metal threads runs internally along the green cord. All around the opening, lattice-filled triangles embroidered with reddish-brown silk alternate with black triangles, of which only traces are preserved. Small lozenges around the collar, made of black thread, are also worn. A zigzag line, with lozenges on every other of its points, borders the seam of the sleeves. The line consists of twisted metallic and black threads. Black thread, alternating at intervals with reddish-brown one, is also employed for the fly stitch of the seam. The sayia has no lining. Only the part under the appliqué decoration, all around the chest opening, is lined with the same alatzia. Embroideries similar in patterns and colours, characterise many surviving sayies from Karpasia (see for example Papademetriou 1991, 100-101 fig. 64, 65, 114-116; The Cypriot Costumes 1999, 170-173, 176-177). Donated by Fokion Tanos in 1948. Length of the sayia: 116 cm. Length of sleeves: 50 cm.