The Folk Costumes of Polog

There are three different costumes in the Polog region – the costume from Dolni Polog (Lower Polog) and Gorni Polog (Upper Polog) which differ not only in their designing but also in the techniques and materials applied for their adornment. Within the Polog region consisting of five villages beneath the mountain Suva Gora there is another costume that is different to the previous two not only in its general composition but also in the techniques, materials and colors applied for its adornment. The female costume of Dolni Polog (Lower Polog) resembles the costume from Skopska Crna Gora in some of its ornaments and embroidery. The long, heavy shirt is impressive and is opulently embroidered in black. There are oktsa on the lower end of the shirt made of a wire full of glitter décor (more on the back end than the front end). Two aprons, a big and small one are placed over the shirt one on top of the other. The upper clothing items – saya golema, saltafere, klashenik saltafere, gornik, shubare – define the age group and are made of klashna or a cotton fabric. They have a specific role in the various stages of a female's life and each of them has its own distinguishing esthetic features. The bridal costume is complemented with many decorative elements – a sramualka, a sash with s'skavtsi, supplemental sleeves zavrakalke and jewelry that give the costume characteristic features and a special esthetic value. A fes with a podgushnik, sokayche is worn on the head and is covered with a white piece of cloth. This is ho the women of Dolni Polog (Lower Polog) got their name belokrpki (meaning white cloths).

The bridal act is marked by a white cover for the head – krpka chkoraa, embroidered with geometrical motifs made of silk threads and naplitsi – rows of black woolen braids.

The female costume of Gorni Polog (Upper Polog) is distinguished from the others as a costume that introduces a distinct design (a very loose shirt) and ornamentation (embroidery and glitter décor), as well as the two aprons. The front one opregach preen is longer and is decorated with variegated embroidery and fringes and the back one opregach zagen is shorter, black and very ruffled.

The largest and most beautiful shirt ruo – nevestinsko is intended for the bride. It has 30 klinovi, kindoi, followed by r'kai - a short shirt with sleeves, all embroidered with white glitter décor and variegated kadelka (a ready made woolen thread), as well as a klashenik – an upper clothing item opulently decorated in motifs of white glitter décor. They also put a sash kolun with decorations around the waist with many fringes and hoops of glitter décor placed on the hips. Besides the sokay – vrski and the head cover with decorated glitter décor – prevrzok, with a festoon, the brides wore a lot of jewelry gerdani (necklaces), nametushki, tepelatsi, ushnitsi (earrings).

This costume, extensively decorated with glitter décor embroidery, shiriti, braids and lots of jewelry is one of the most expensive in Macedonia. It is said that some of its parts were brought as far as from Levant.

The female costume restricted to the five villages beneath the mountain Suva Gora is totally different to the costumes of Gorni and Dolni Polog (Upper and Lower Polog). The long tunic like shirt is decorated with embroidery imade in the technique goblenska and azhur. The clothing item that are placed over the shirt – a stripped vest, a saya made of a homemade fabric with decorations made of silk thread, the saltafere made of klashna with embroidered adornments as well as the woven sash and socks – are in stylistic harmony. They are characterized by dark colors and accented white decorative elements – embroidered, woven or knitted which contribute to the mosaic appearance of this costume.

The most ornamented and decorative is the bridal costume that besides the opulent embroidery and woven motifs and other ornamental accessories have a lot of jewelry made of beads and metal - kustek, uzobraznitse, podbradnik, ushnitsi, pirishani, venets, kitka.

Unlike the female one, there are not so many differences in the male costume of this region. Throughout the Polog region men wear white clothes made of klashna decorated with black braids. The design is similar but they have different popular names – the chakashiri in Gorni Polog (Upper Polog) are known as the benevretsi in Dolni Polog (Lower Polog) and as the chashire in the villages beneath Suva Gora. In Gorni Polog (Upper Polog) a mintan and an anteria made of a motley ready-made fabric alaja are worn on the upper part of the body and a velvet vest decorated with embroidered glitter décor motifs from Dolni Polog (Lower Polog). Throughout the region the upper clothing items are known as julia made of a dark brown klashna up to the waist, with short sleeves and a big collar and a sash. The male costume is complete with the sheepskin hat kachula, the woolen knitted socks kalchini and the footwear opintsi with white woolen laces opchanitsi.

Narodnite nosii od Polog

Vo predelot Polog se sre}avaat tri razli~ni nosii - nosija od Dolni Polog i nosija od Gorni Polog, koi se izdvojuvaat edna od druga kako po kompozicijata i krojkite, taka i po tehnikata i materijalot na nivnoto ukrasuvawe. Vo ramkite na predelot Polog, regionirana samo vo pet sela pod planinata Suva Gora, se sre}ava u{te edna nosija koja se razlikuva od spomenatite dve, kako po op{tiot izgled i kompozicija, taka i po na~inot, tehnikata i koloritot na ukrasuvaweto.

@enskata Dolnopolo{ka nosija vo nekoi ukrasni elementi i vezbeni dekoracii ima sli~nosti so taa vo Skopska Crna Gora. Vpe~atliva e belata dolga i te{ka ko{ula, bogato izvezena so crn reljefen vez i okca od srmen tel po celiot dolen del, pove}e od zadnata a pomalku od prednata strana, koja e pokriena so dve skutini - golema zavja~ka i malo skutin~e opa{ani edna vrz druga. Gornite obleki od bela kla{na ili platno, diferencirani po vozrast - saja golema, saltafere, kla{enik saltafere, gornik, {ubare - imaat odredena funkcionalna namena vo odredeni vozrasti na `enata, a sekoja od niv ima svoi estetski odliki. Nevestinskata nosija e dopolneta so brojni dekorativni elementi - sramualka, pojas so s'skavci, dodatni rakav~iwa zavra}alke, ukrasni votuzi i raznoviden nakit, koi na nosijata ì pridavaat specifi~na odlika i poseben estetski efekt.

Na glavata se nosi fes so podgu{nik, sokaj~e, a se pokriva so bela krpa, po koja sosedite na `enite od Dolni Polog im go dale etnonimot belokrpki. Nevestinstvoto se odbele`uva so bela pokrivka za glava - krpka ~koraa, izvezena so geometriski motivi od svileni konci, i naplitci - niza od pletenki od crna volna.

@enskata nosija vo Gorni Polog se izdvojuva kako posebna so pojavata na obleki so karakteristi~en kroj (mnogu klinesta {iroka ko{ula) i poinakov na~in na ukrasuvawe (vezovi i ukrasi od srma), kako i zastapenosta na dve skutini od koi prednata oprega~ preen e podolga, ukrasena so vez vo razni boi i reski, a zadnata oprega~ za|en, e pokusa, crna i mnogu nabrana.

Za golemoto ruo - nevestinsko, e nameneta najubavata i naj{irokata ko{ula, onaa so 30 klinovi, kindoi, potoa r'kai - kuso ko{ul~e so rakavi, seto izvezeno so bela srma i raznobojna kadelka (industriski predeni volneni konci), potoa kla{enik - gorna obleka od bela kla{na, bogato i rasko{no ukrasena so raznovidni motivi od bela srma. Se opa{uvale so pojas - kolun so kitki, so dolgi raznobojni reski i srmeni trkalca, koi pri opa{uvaweto pa|aat na kolkovite, i ì pridavaat na ovaa nosija poseben dekorativen i vpe~atliv izgled. Pokraj srmeniot sokaj - vrski, i bogato izvezenata so srma pokrivka za glava - prevrzok, so venec, nevestite vo svoeto golemo guvealsko ruo nosele i mnogu nakit gerdani, nametu{ki, tepelaci, u{nici.

Ovaa bogata nosija, izobilno ukrasena so vez od srma, srmeni {iriti, gajtani i mnogu nakit e edna od najskapite nosii vo Makedonija, a ima i podatoci deka nekoi nejzini delovi se nabavuvale, neposredno ili posredno, duri od Levant.

@enskata nosija, ograni~ena samo vo pette sela pod planinata Suva Gora, e sosema poinakva od gornopolo{kata i dolnopolo{kata nosija. Dolgata bela platnena tunikovidna ko{ula e ukrasena so bogat i dekorativen vez vo gusta goblenska i a`urna tehnika. Oblekite {to se oblekuvaat vrz ko{ulata - elek od prugasto {aren materijal, saja od belo doma{no platno so potkiti od svileni konci i srma saltafere od bela kla{na so vezeni ukrasi, potoa tkaeniot pojas i pletenite volneni ~orabi po na~inot na ukrasuvawe se skladni so stilskoto edinstvo, so karakteristi~ni temni boi i akcenti od beli sitni dekorativni elementi - izvezeni, vtkaeni ili vpleteni, {to na delovite od ovaa nosija im pridava ukrasen mozai~en efekt.

Najmnogu ukrasena i najdekorativna e nosijata za nevesti so koja, pokrij bogatstvoto na izvezenite i vtkaenite motivi i drugite ukrasni dodatoci se nosi i mnogu monistren i metalen nakit - kustek, uzobraznice, podbradnik, u{nici, piri{ani, venec, kitka.

Ma{kata nosija, vo sporedba so ovaa raznovidnost na `enskata, e poizedna~ena. Niz celata oblast na predelot Polog ma`ite nosat beli kla{neni obleki ukraseni so crni gajtani, so sli~ni krojni elementi, no so razli~ni narodni nazivi - ~ak{irite vo Gorni Polog se ozna~eni kako benevreci vo Dolni Polog i selata pod Suva Gora ~a{ire. Na gorniot del od teloto se nosi mintan i anterija od {aren industriski materijali alaxa vo Gorni Polog i jelek od kadife, bogato ukrasen so srmeni vezeni motivi od Dolni Polog. Niz celiot predel gornata obleka e xulija od temno kafena kla{na kusa do pojas, so kusi rakavi i golema jaka i tkaen pojas. Celokupniot sostav na ma{kata nosija e oformen so kapa od ov~a ko`a ka~ula, a na nozete pleteni volneni ~orapi - kal~ini i opinci so beli volneni vrvci op~anici.