Costumes of the Regions Mala Reka and Dolna Reka

There are several villages in the central section of the river Radika known as Mala Reka (Small River) and Dolna Reka (Lower River) where Miyatsi live. They are famous stockbreeders but even more so as pechalbari – (a person who goes abroad to earn money). Their costume is particularly distinct and unique, not only for the Miyatsi region, but also for their migrants – the village Smilevo, near Bitola, the villages Oreshe and Papradishte - Babuna and Krushevo.

The male costume has features of a mountain stockbreeder costume, which consists of a number of thick clothing items made of cotton with distinguishable black braids as decorations. The bechvi are decorated with rows of black braids. The grooms costume has seven such rows. A dark red sash is worn around the waist patterned with white stripes. The upper part of the body has a mintan, a dark brown zobanche, kepe, with a large collar which can be transformed into a cone. The hat keche is shallow, flat and black, similar to the crnogorskata but without decorations. A white knee-length dolama made of a cotton fabric klashna is worn over the religious observance and ceremonial costumes. It is wide and ruffled on the lower end decorated with black braids and bikme. The groom's costume is decorated with green braids and is known as the green groom's dolama.

These costumes were worn by men of bordering regions near Debar spread out to the south of the Ohrid and Struga Plain including Poreche, Kichevija, Zheleznik and Debartsa. With a few insignificant differences this type of costume is worn by the Torbeshi of Dolna Reka and Zhupa, the Turks of Upper Zhupa (around Kochajik) as well as the Albanians.

The long white tunic-like shirt decorated with a white azhurni embroidery chikminya distinguishes the female costume. The sleeves are opulently embroidered with a special technique called kinatitsa and are heavily decorated with red woolen fringes. There are several clothing items made of the cotton fabric klashna, distinguishable by age. There is a klashenik for married women with lavishing embroidered glitter décor, filigree accessories and braids of glitter décor and a dolama for young women which used to be white and then later a dark red color decorated with embroidered glitter décor and filigree accessories. The massive metal jewelry – pafti, pins, nizalka compliment this exceptionally opulent Folk Costume.

The s and bridal and ceremonial costumes as well as costumes for religious observances are the most opulent ones. The special head accessory sokay and glavinka, the decorative bunches kiski and the embroidered darpna as well as the head covers, two sashs zdolnache and prepashka with many fringes, the apron and the special shoes emenii give the costume of this region attribute distinct decorative features.

The female costumes of the Miyatsi villages of the other regions of Macedonia are essentially the same as the basic Miyatsi Folk Costume but are distinct in specific features. The Folk Costumes of the villages Smilevo, Oreshe and Papradishte and the town Krushevo leave a particular impression in the opulence of their beauty in specific clothing items, specific embroidery, an abundance of fringes and other adornments, as well as the metal jewelry. Many villages in the area of Dolna Reka have a mixture of Macedonian Christian population and converted Muslim Macedonians – Torbeshi who speak Macedonian with specific Miyatsi characteristic features. The acceptance of the Muslim religion brought about changes in lifestyle and accordingly in the costumes.

The male costume is similar to the Miyatsi male costume in all aspects. The oriental influence is evident in the female costume there. Loose cotton pants and a multicolored apron (which is white for the brides) bovcha are worn over the shirt made of a thin white cotton or silk fabric as well as a vest decorated with glitter décor, bikme and a lot of beaded jewelry.