Slide presentation Comenius "Lost in Time" project about traditional costumes in Petralia Sottana and Piana degli Albanesi,Sicily.

1. Traditional
Costumes
Comenius Project “Lost in Time”
Istituto Superiore “Majorana”
Palermo (Italy)

2. 18th century
Typical feminine costumes were made up of red
or yellow draped damask skirts, black striped
velvet waistcoats enriched with a flowery trim,
white blouses, culottes and smocks with precious
lace.
Typical Sicilian male costumes were made up of
black striped velvet trousers and waistcoats,
white or checked shirts, caps and various
ornaments such as red or yellow waistbands and
pompons.

3.  The bride wears a precious silver grey dress
with embroidery and lace and wears an
ivory white veil . She holds a rosary and
tools to spin wool in her hands to symbolize
hard work and faith in her marriage.

4. Wedding Procession
The groom wears a beautiful velvet
dress with a blue vest and a cap
embroidered with silk.

5. Twelve couples of dancers interweave long, coloured
ribbons around a pole to the rhythm of “Tarantella”,
following the directions given by the “bastoniere” in
order to form a polychrome fabric. After that, they
unravel the fabric with big ability, dancing in the
opposite direction.

6. The types of weaving represent the four seasons of
the year and the different phases of the fieldwork.
A sheaf of wheat
on the top of the pole

7. Typical Movements of the
Dancers
plus fours
neckerchief
waistband

8. Musical instruments
accordion, flageolet, Jew’s or mouth harp,
tambourine, guitar and mandolin.

9. The Arbëresh Costume
Dresses influenced by Eastern
and Byzantine tradition are
unique and precious in Piana
degli Albanesi, the most
important Albanian community
in Sicily with its own ethno-linguistic
and religious
identity.
Piana degli Albanesi was
founded in the late fifteenth
century by a large group of
Albanian refugees coming from
the Balkans during the
conquest by the Ottoman
Empire.

10. The wedding dress is the most valuable one . It is
richly embroidered in pure gold and embellished with
jewels and a rich and heavy silver belt.

11. Traditional women’s costumes for special occasions
are bright in colours, have precious fabrics
embroidered with silk, gold and silver and the
draping skirts are large, long and wide.

12. Jewels are all made according to
the Byzantine tradition and
complete the woman’s attire on
feast days.

13. Earrings, garnet necklaces , pendants and
breast-pieces are worn on special
occasions.

14. Clothing for Religious
Festivities

15. Every day dresses: a young man, a mourning lady, a
young woman wearing a black linen skirt and a velvet
corselet with large sleeves, an old lady.

16. Comenius Project “Lost in Time”
Istituto Superiore “Majorana”
Palermo (Italy)