Limassol’s Municipal Museum of Folk Art

Part of a female costume consists of a sayia and a white shirt. The festive sayia from Karpasia, made of thick cotton cloth. The garment is adorned with white embroidery and threaded beads. It was worn over a chemise. The back and front parts consist of a single fabric panel. At the front, a vertical slit extends all the way down. A deep opening is also formed at the bust, leaving a large part of the chest uncovered. Just below the chest, the sayia closes with  loops and buttons.  The long and narrow sleeves, sewn vertically to the shoulders, have two additional triangular pieces joined diagonally below each armpit to facilitate movement. The back part below the neck is  lined with white cotton fabric; the same applies for the part surrounding the chest opening, which is embellished with white embroidery in delicate scrolls or zigzag patterns, enriched with threaded red and green petroues (beads). The same embroidery covers the seams of the sleeves at the shoulders and, in a thinner band, the shistres (side openings) of the sayia. Threaded beads decorate also the openings of the sleeves.

Cypriot costume of the “Amalia” type. It consists of the following pieces: Off-white silk chemise with a V opening at the chest, decorated with handmade pipilla (needle lace), which also adorns the edges of the sleeves.The puple skirt is ankle-length with rich folds at the waistline.  Sarka made of black felt with straight, long sleeves sewn vertically onto the shoulders, and a low upright collar. It closes above the waist, forming a large V opening at the bust. The collar, the sleeves and all the edges have a rich decoration of sewn-on gold cords. On both sides of the chest, the decoration extends into a paisley design. Even the seams of the sleeves are accentuated with gold decorative braid. The outfit is completed with a silver necklace. The “Amalia” costume was established in Cyprus before the mid-19th century. It was initially the formal attire worn by women in the urban centres, where it was preserved until the adoption of European dress. Later it was adopted in rural areas, where it was used as a festive or bridal outfit even as late as the first decades of the 20th century.     

Cypriot costume of the “Amalia” type. It consists of the following pieces: Off-white silk chemise with a V opening at the chest, decorated with handmade pipilla (needle lace), which also adorns the edges of the sleeves.The puple skirt is ankle-length with rich folds at the waistline.  Sarka made of black felt with straight, long sleeves sewn vertically onto the shoulders, and a low upright collar. It closes above the waist, forming a large V opening at the bust. The collar, the sleeves and all the edges have a rich decoration of sewn-on gold cords. On both sides of the chest, the decoration extends into a paisley design. Even the seams of the sleeves are accentuated with gold decorative braid. A red fez with a long thick tassel made of black silk threads. This dangling tassel falls on the chest, while a second tassel is fixed on the top of the fez, forming the tepeliki. The outfit is completed with a clasp. The “Amalia” costume was established in Cyprus before the mid-19th century. It was initially the formal attire worn by women in the urban centres, where it was preserved until the adoption of European dress. Later it was adopted in rural areas, where it was used as a festive or bridal outfit even as late as the first decades of the 20th century.     

Costume with sayia. It consists of a woven shirt embellished with silk pipilla (needle lace) and fine embroidery of light blue flowers at the visible part of the chest. The sayia is worn on top of the shirt. It is made of silk-cotton striped alatzia with alternating white and yellow stripes, and has brown thread decoration at the edges. The garment is long-sleeved and open at the front. The lower part of the sleeves is lined with a colourful printed fabric, which is visible in the opening of the sleeves and on the small pocket on the right side of the chest. The sayia is long enough to cover the knees, revealing the rich loom embroidery on the lower part of the cotton pantaloons, which are worn as underwear. The sayia closes at the waist with a colourful sash made of striped fabric. (for sayies made of a similar striped fabric, see Cypriot Costumes 1999, 133, and Papadimitriou 1995, 112).

Double-breasted vest (yelekkin). The front part consists of two pieces of striped velvet fabric in red and yellow colours. There are six buttons made of silk cord on each side. These correspond to eight buttonholes decorated with black soutache with tassels.

Male costume which comprises a red vest (yelekkin) with yellow embroidery at the openings, a grey shirt, a brown headscarf, black baggy trousers (vraka) and boots (podines).

Filigree bracelet with granulation. The clasp is covered by a rosette.

Bracelet of fine craftsmanship, filigree and granulation. The clasp is covered by a rosette with an inlaid green stone in the middle.

Filigree cross with granulation. All  parts have a silver border and are covered with spiral patterns in filigree work. There is also applied decoration forming rosettes with inserted blue, red and green stones, one in the middle part and one on each of the side parts.

A filigree cross. The arms of the cross consist of four drop-shaped elements, soldered to a central rosette-shaped part, with a blue/turquoise stone in the middle. Red beads are affixed at the angles between the drop-shaped elements.