A Historical Overview of the Influences of the Macedonian Embroidery Tradition

Today it is difficult to speak of Macedonian national embroideries dating back in the past. The lack of remaining older written sources, as well as the research done so far and the development of this field – do not allow comprehensive course of the evolution of the embroidery art throughout the centuries. This old cultural attribute can only be seen in the most general sense via its historical retrospective.

According to L. Niederle it is without a doubt that the old Slavonic peoples wore clothing decorated with embroidery made of variegated threads. He accentuates that this old craftsmanship was known by many ethnic groups of the primary phase of cultural development. Nevertheless, this can not be disputed to the old Slavonic culture, even more so that the art of embroidery was known by many neighboring nations of that time (Greeks, Romans, northern and eastern nations). Besides this, according to Prisk's testimony, even in the 5^th century in Attila's yard, a group of Slavonic women sat around his wife, embroidering multicolored patterns on a cloth. Later, Herbord accounts for the embroidered shirts made by some Slavs. On the other hand, Niederle emphasizes that even the Slavonic embroidery manifests a high level of efficiency as such a level as accomplished by the Slavonic peoples of the 19^th century. In order to reach such a level many years of experience are presumably required.

Not forgetting that embroidery was known to many old Slavs we could presume that numerous Slavonic tribes who migrated to Macedonia in the 7^th century had brought some of that technique with them. They suppressed the old Balkan inhabitants by coming to the Balkan Peninsula in irrevocable outpours but also in that process embraced many of their cultural features. Of course, the same implies to the costume that is most apt to various influences and transformations. But, this didn't imply to significant changes or the entire dissolution of the old cultural traditions. Features that were mutual, similar or identical to two or more cultural influences most often prevailed when there was discordance between the cultural influences. It is general knowledge that even in their primary homeland the old Slavs used a kind of cotton fabric decorated with the embroidery – sraka received under Roman influence which Niederle relates to the old Balkan tunica dalmatica. This tunic was the primary item of clothing of the Balkan inhabitants even before the Slavs came. It too was decorated with embroidery attested by some archeological discoveries. Even today the primary item of female clothing is the opulently embroidered tunic-like shirt. Its form and applied decorations are very old and contain features of the old Balkan and old Slavonic cultural tradition.

Inhabiting the equidistant section of the Balkan Peninsula, a junction of centuries of various ethnic and cultural currents, the Macedonian Slavs soon fell under the influence of the Hellenistic-Roman culture and later under the strong influence of the Byzantine civilization and then Eastern culture. The Byzantine decorative costume especially attracted the attention of the Balkan Slavs and was probably first accepted by the upper class to later be applied by the mass population in specific features. The Balkan Slavs were particularly drawn to the decorative Byzantine gold and silk fabrics, obtained by larceny, through gifts and even by the exchange of Byzantine prisoners. These opulently embellished fabrics, whose production flourishes in the period of the Slav arrival, may have served the Slavonic population as sources of new item used to decorate their clothing even with their own modest materials and supplies.

The famous early Christian fabric, highlighted in the Copts fabric and embroidery, probably influenced the application of decorations on clothing items of the Macedonian Slavs even before it turned into a highly developed textile artistry. The distribution of the opulently ornamented Copts tunics began early, first of all among themselves and later, in the period of Islamic by Syrian merchants and then by the Arabs throughout the Mediterranean, on one side to Caucasus up to valley of the river Volga.

The ornamental features permeate the costumes of the Balkan Slavs with the arrival of the Turks on the Balkan, even though the old Slavs had had previous contact with various Asian peoples which certainly contributed to the oriental influence in their clothing. Even though this oriental influence prevails in the upper class clothing particularly in the period of the Turkish rule, it cannot be neglected that this influence is seen in the peasant costumes. This especially can be seen in the application of the materials, colors and decoration, which is also confirmed by the accustomed terminology.

The written sources of the Middle century, as well as the notes taken by various travelers in journals who traveled through Turkey present specific facts about the embroidered clothing of the peasants, even though they do not present sufficient facts about the costumes of the mass Balkan population. This is confirmed not only by the German travel journalists of the early middle century, but by journeyers in the 16^th century that happened to be passing through Serbia, Macedonia, and Bulgaria. These written sources of the Middle Ages contain data on shirts from the vicinity of Dubrovnik mentioned as to Slavonic fashion (ad modum Slavonecium), which Juricek assumes were decorated with embroidery. Dernshvam, a 16^th century travel journalist, precisely describes the female clothing of Serbia with heir shirts decorated on the sleeves, collar and breasts with variegated woolen embroidery. Gerlah reports that the women between Nish and Tsaribrod wore shirts that were embroidered on the sleeves and the front with red, black and dark wool. On their way to Constantinopol the west European travel journalists noticed white shirts made of a thick fabric decorated with beautiful embroidery in variegated silk on the Bulgarian female peasants. Also, the Macedonian costume is shown in the depictions and illustrations of Vechilio, including items of clothing such as a type of shirt opulently ornamented on the collar and breasts.

Specific sources more or less confirm that during the 17^th and 18^th centuries and particularly in the 19^th century embroidery continued to decorate peasant costumes. This was also characteristic for the greater part of the Slavonic population on the Balkan. It is without a doubt that at that time even the peasant population of Macedonia made use of embroidery as a traditional décor on their clothing, which is kept as such from the 19^th century to the present day.

Even though insufficient to determine the nature of the embroidery in prior periods the existing fragmented data on Slavonic embroidery from ancient times until today gives grounds for a very old embroidery tradition and a specific continuity. This also applies for the Macedonian Slavs. On the other hand, the Macedonia embroidery has kept many archaic features throughout the 19^th and early 20^th century that ascertains its ancient tradition or its foremost phases of evolution. This implies not only to the embroidery technology and older methods of decoration but also to their close relation to ancient traditions, customs, and beliefs. On the other hand these ancient traditions, customs, and beliefs give the embroidery characteristic features not only as an aesthetic phenomenon, but also a special element of the national spiritual culture with its determined function and significance.

The Macedonian embroidery techniques represent an ample cultural inventory determining the ties to the oldest cultures, following the ways of these influences, and enlightening specific moments of the evolution of this art throughout the centuries. The technique crosses and podlachno are present in almost all of the Slavonic costumes although they date as far back as the ancient Egyptian tombs. They are the materials for making these kinds of analogies. Analogies tied to techniques and ornamentation can be found in the embroidery artistry of the Middle Ages presented in many church clothing items and decorative objects. Even more so if the assumption that women made the church embroidery in the estates of the rulers, which most likely existed here resembling the czar's workshops of Byzantine. The embroidery on the Macedonian shirts indicates a strong reflection of the textile of the Middle Ages particularly evident in the female shirts of the Prilep and Bitola Plains and their resemblance to Middle Aged portraits. Such traces are also found in the names of some motifs: popov krst (a priest cross) (Skopska Blatia), ikonite (icons) (Upper villages of Bitola), tsrkvenichki (church) (Drama). These also show resemblance to the church embroidery of the Middle Ages.

The female costumes of Skopska Crna Gora carry traces of even older cultures. Kondakov compares them to the Byzantine purpur (purple) in the 9^th an 10^th century. Not to mention the analogies of the Macedonian embroidery to the other Slavonic people, which shows mutual beginnings, but of course this is another subject to be discussed.