The Folk Costumes of the Struga Drimkol

The southern part of Drimkol known as the Struga Drimkol is entirely different to the ethnic features of the population of its northern part – the Debar Drimkol. The most impressive difference is the difference in the Folk Costume. In the Folk Costume of the women in the Struga Drimkol several white clothing items made of klashna are characteristic. They are classified according to the age group and function (klashenik – decorated with choya for the brides, jube –with red and white optoki for mature women, resachka – with woolen fringes on the inside for the winter). These clothing items made of klashna are worn over the log shirt, decorated with a woolen or silk embroidery with petite ornamentation, a long black woolen sash and a decorative prepashka, junjitsa and an apron skutina bovcha with many woolen fringes. The embroidered bridal face cover called sokay is typical for the bridal costume of this region that was extensively used at the end of the 19^th century. The sokay one of the most decorative elements of the female costume of premium esthetic value expressed through the embroidered ornament manifests ancient cultural and historical ties and relate to homogeneous peoples of Povolzhyeto. Its conical shape associates to the one-horn hood resembling the old Frigia hats.

The bridal face cover is a bandana made of a white cloth ornamented with many geometrical motifs and dense woolen fringes. The footwear is comprised of woolen socks with small ornamentation - chorabi and leather shoes.

A variety of jewelry (mangara, tunturitsi, chaprazi, kiska) is present in the costume of this region where the metal is embellished with coral decorations.

It is interesting to note that the female costume of this region is still used mostly for specific occasions but is significantly changed and its composition is decreased – the embroidery, some clothing items, as well as the ornamentation method.

The male costume of this region is made up of numerous white clothing items decorated with black braids bechvi, jamadan and the groom's costume so-called zetoska is completedwith a white dolama, knee length, tight at the upper end of the item and loose and ruffled at the lower end. An integral part of the costume is the jewelry for men – kyustek, with a wristwatch and an antique pistol.