Inv. no. 284: Black vraka (breeches). It features the characteristic middle part, which is longer and made of rich fabric with many folds. This was called vakla (meaning the fat tail of the Cyprus sheep) and it was usually tucked inside the waist sash at the back and untucked when entering a church. The vraka was dyed by local craftsmen called poyiatzides (Papadimitriou 1991, 41). It is gathered at the waist, where a white cotton drawstring, the vrakozoni, passed through the hem using a wooden stick called vrakorehtis, is tied at the front.
Translator:
Euphrosyne Rizopoulou-Egoumenidou
Noly Moyssi
Author:
Euphrosyne Rizopoulou-Egoumenidou
Noly Moyssi
Description:
Vrakia (pantaloons, underwear) made of white cotton fabric. Pantaloons were worn beneath the chemise, and formed a basic item of the costume. They are gathered at the waist and reach down to the ankle, where they are also gathered. The povratzia (the lower parts of the pantaloons) are made of a separate piece of thick cotton material woven on the loom and embroidered with dense needle-woven geometric patterns made of red and blue thread. Red and blue were the earliest dyes used. These needle-woven designs are typical of the Karpasia embroidery and are called pefkota, because they resemble a peftzin (carpet).
Translator:
Euphrosyne Rizopoulou-Egoumenidou
Author:
Euphrosyne Rizopoulou-Egoumenidou
Description:
The vraka is made of thick cotton material dyed black in the traditional manner. It is the kind of vraka worn by monks, which has a different cut from the rest and is longer.
The secular dress worn by the village priests, who also engaged in farm work, is similar to that of the villagers. It consists of a vraka, yileko, zibouni and sash, the distinctive item being the head cover, the kalymafchi, which was worn in the countryside with a headkerchief called the kaspastin.
