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Fustanella

2009-06-16T17:52:51Z

Ght: /* External links */

'''Fustanella''' (for spelling in various languages, see [[#Name in various languages|chart below]]) is a traditional skirt-like garment worn by men in the Balkans. In modern times, the fustanella is part of traditional Albanian and Greeks dresses, worn mainly by ceremonial Greek military units and Albanian folk dancers.

==History==

Findings of depictions of fustanellas in Slovenia , from eras in which Slovenia was part of Illyria, and inhabitants in several regions of the country wearing fustanellas in the past have lead many researchers and historians to the conclusion of an Illyrian origin of fustanella, with Albanians having inherited fustanella from Illyrians.<ref>[http://img88.imageshack.us/img88/7060/fusgvjetmar2nx.jpg Image]</ref><ref> Arthur Evans, J. Wilkes, p.126, Ancient Illyria: an archaeological exploration ISBN 1845111672</ref> The fustanella is thought by some researchers to have evolved from the Roman [[toga]]. Many statues of Roman emperors depict them wearing knee-length pleated kilts<ref>Institute for Advanced Study (Princeton, N.J.), American School of Classical Studies at Athens, Hesperia</ref>. In colder regions, more folds were added.

Fustanella is thought to have been originally a southern Albanian outfit of Tosks, which was introduced in Greece, during the Ottoman Occupation.<ref>James P. Verinis, [http://muse.jhu.edu/demo/journal_of_modern_greek_studies/v023/23.1verinis.pdf "Spiridon Loues, the Modern ''Foustanéla'', and the Symbolic Power of ''Pallikariá'' at the 1896 Olympic Games"], ''Journal of Modern Greek Studies'' '''23''':1 (May 2005), pp. 139-175.</ref>

The use of the garment was spread by Albanian bands via Epirus into Greece during the 18th and 19th centuries<ref>Samuel J. Barrows,The Isles and Shrines of Greece, 2005, [http://books.google.com/books?id=RoRoO8yKvckC&pg=PA159|pg. 159], ISBN 1417917482</ref><ref>A short history of modern greece, 1958, [http://books.google.com/books?id=UwwOAAAAQAAJ&pg=PA245|pg.245]</ref><ref>The Nomads of the Balkans, 1914, [http://books.google.com/books?id=_eoOAAAAQAAJ&pg=PA60|pg.60]</ref>. Similar garments exist as part of the folk costume as far north as [[Romania]] and as far east as [[Syria]], with nationalists on every side claiming the garment to be an indigenous creation. Similarities to historical garments in literature and on art objects make these claims difficult to prove or disprove.

One claim of an ancient link to the modern fustanella involves an ancient statue found in the outskirts of the ancient Greek colony of [[Epidamnus]] in Illyria(modern Durrës, Albania). The region surrounding Epidamnus was inhabited by the [[Illyrian]] tribe of the [[Taulanti]]. .<ref>[http://img88.imageshack.us/img88/7510/fusgurdr6jz.jpg Image]</ref> Yet another claim involves the statue carved in a niche in the [[Cave of Archedemos the Nympholept]], near Mount [[Hymettus]] in [[Athens]], which statue wears a fustanella-like garment and has been dated to c. 500 BCE. Archedemos, although living in Athens, came from the [[Sparta]]n colony of [[Thera]]. This is why he carved himself wearing the [[Dorians|Dorian]] [[tunic]]. The origin of the Dorians is most likely to be found in the ancient Illyrian-Epirote regions.<ref>Paul Cartledge, Sparta and Lakonia: a regional history [http://books.google.com/books?id=uo4oy1IMQokC&pg=PA65&dq=dorians&as_brr=3&hl=PPA80,M1#PPA80,M1|pg.80] ISBN 0415262763</ref> The Dorian tunic was also a garment of [[Kouretes]]. Another object which is related to the fustanella was found in Albania in the modern [[Korçë]] region, which was inhabited by [[Illyrian]] tribes<ref>http://img88.imageshack.us/img88/5585/fusgvarrikr3um.jpg</ref><ref>John Wilkes, The Illyrians, pg.45-47, ISBN 0631198075</ref>.

==Evolution==

The garment is made from long strips of [[linen]] sewn together to make a pleated [[skirt]]. Some Greeks, such as general [[Theodoros Kolokotronis]] had almost four hundred pleats in their garments, one for each year of [[Ottoman Empire|Turkish]] rule over Greece. The style evolved over time. In the 18th and early 19th centuries, the skirts hung below the knees, and the hem of the garment was gathered together with [[garters]] and tucked into the boots to create a "bloused" effect. Later, during the [[History of Modern Greece##Reign of King Othon|Bavarian regency]], the skirts were shortened to create a sort of billowy [[trousers|pantaloon]] that stopped above the knee; this garment was worn with [[hose (clothing)|hose]], and either [[buskin]]s or decorative clogs. This is the costume worn by the modern Greek [[Evzones]], the Presidential Guard.

While the image of warriors with frilly skirts tucked into their boots may seem impractical to a contemporary audience, it should be noted that modern [[paratrooper]]s use a similar method to blouse their trousers over their jumpboots. [[Lace]] was commonly worn on military uniforms in the west until well into the 19th century, and [[gold braid]] and other adornments still serve as markers of high rank in formal military uniforms. Fustanella were very labor-intensive and thus costly, which made them a status garment that advertised the wealth and importance of the wearer. Western observers of the [[Greek War of Independence]] noted the great pride which the klephts and [[armatoloi]] took in their foustanella, and how they competed to outdo each other in the sumptuousness of their costume.

==Etymology==
The word derives from [[Italian language|Italian]] ''fustagno'' 'fustian' + ''-ella'' (diminutive), the fabric from which the earliest kilts were made. This in turn derives from [[Medieval Latin]] ''fūstāneum'', perhaps a diminutive form of ''fustis'', "wooden baton". Other authors consider this a calque of [[Greek language|Greek]] ''xylino'' lit. 'wooden' ''i.e.'' 'cotton'<ref>Institute of Modern Greek Studies (Thessaloniki), Λεξικό της Κοινής Νεοελληνικής, 1998 ISBN 960-231-085-5</ref>; others speculate that it is derived from [[Fostat]], a suburb of [[Cairo]] where cloth was manufactured.<ref>[[Oxford English Dictionary]]; Babiniotis, Λεξικό της Νέας Ελληνικής Γλώσσας.</ref> The Greek plural is ''foustanelles'' (φουστανέλλες) but as with the (semi-correct) ''foustanellas'', it is rarely employed by native English speakers.
===Name in various languages===

Native terms for "skirt" and "dress" included for comparison:
{|id="toc" align="center"
!Language
!Kilt/short skirt
!Skirt
!Dress
|-
|[[Albanian language|Albanian]]
|fustanellë/fustanella
|
|fustan
|-
|[[Aromanian language|Aromanian]]
| fustanelã 
| fustã 
| fustanã 
|-
|[[Bulgarian language|Bulgarian]]
| фустанела (fustanela)
| фуста (fusta)
|
|-
|[[Greek language|Greek]]
|φουστανέλλα (foustanélla)
|φούστα (foústa)
|φουστάνι (foustáni)
|-
|[[Italian language|Italian]]
|fustanella
|gonna
|
|-
|[[Macedonian language|Macedonian]]
| фустанела (fustanela)
| фустан (fustan)
|
|-
|[[Megleno-Romanian language|Megleno-Romanian]]
|fustan
|
|fustan
|-
|[[Romanian language|Romanian]]
|fustanelă
|fustă
|
|-
|[[Turkish language|Turkish]]
|
|
|fistan
|}

==Notes==
{{reflist}}

==External links==
*[http://www.albmuzika.com/albanian_folk_costumes.htm Albanian Folk Costumes]
*[http://library.thinkquest.org/04oct/01181/the_new_state.htm The Fustanella in Greece]

{{Credit wikipedia}}

[[Category:Albanian clothing]]
[[Category:Greek clothing]]
[[Category:Skirts]]

Fustanella

2009-06-16T17:52:23Z

Ght: doesn anyone refresh articles from wikipedia around here?