This material was created with the support and funding of European

Union through the Lifelong Learning Programme for Multilateral

Comenius projects.

The authors of this material take full responsibility of its content.

National Agencies and the European Commission are not responsible

for the way in which the content of the information will be used.

UNITY IN DIVERSITY

Short Introductory Statement

“The idea of this brochure is the result of multicultural

experiences with multiple educational features, acquired during

the activities within the Comenius project STEP. We hope that,

by the end of this project, we will be spiritually richer, good

friends and a beautiful and fruitful cooparation will be founded

among our schools.” (Mrs. Mariana Arhiri – Head teacher at

Saint Mary high school, Galati, Romania)

“The purpose of this brochure is to make the students

and teachers of the institutions taking part in our project gain a

greater understanding of the importance of preserving and

respecting national and European values and traditions. Thus

the knowledge of these young Europeans will directly filter

upwards through family, local and international communities

creating a healthier, more tolerant and open-minded generation

of Europeans.

In such a globalizing world we need to know, respect and

preserve both our own traditions and other cultural motives in

the EU. These make us learn to respect each other by learning

similarities and accepting our differences. Thus we will feel

more comfortable, more tolerant, and secure.

While working on this brochure, that is writing and learning

about folk costumes, students as well as teachers realised their

importance to each culture as well as their influence/presence

in nowadays fashion, music, dances and even if our modern

world changes rapidly, it will always come back to its traditional

values.”

(Mrs. Sabina - Maria Hâncu – coordinator of the project)

FRANCE

Traditional dress of Aquitaine

Country shepherds - Landes : Headdress motto tied,

laced bodice, black skirt with remarkable frieze and sneakers for

women's feet. Knitted and felted beret, long sheepskin, shirt

and jacket for men.

Countries in the

Gironde: the cap Eyelet

cadichonne, camisole with

square neckline and three

quarters sleeves, matching

skirt for her. Felt flat

bottom, printed velvet

waistcoat, shirt and pants

pantets white bridge for

him.

L'Espadrille Basque

It consists exclusively of 3 plants.

• A product Natural 100 %. He(it) was completely spirited

away in a generous nature.

• The cotton – To weave the

cloth.

• The hevea – Its milk enters the

composition of the rubber of the sole.

• The jute –

To braid the sole.

Rope-Soled Sandals

We tell that at the

beginning of XIIth century, the

foot soldiers of king of Aragon

were put shoes by rope-soled

sandals, but this day, nobody

can exactly determine the

birth of these craft industry.

From the 18th century, the

rope-soled sandal is made in Bearn and in Pays Basque by

craftsmen of the hemp

and the linen

It is at the

beginning of XIXth

century in Mauléon, a

family the BEGUERIE, dashes in the sale of

rope-soled sandals in great quantities and collects packages

made at home. Between 1850 and 1880, the manufacturing is

going to pass of the craft stage at the preindustrial stage.

So appears the manufacturer of sandals. He buys the

jute forwarded by the port of Bordeaux since the shadowings of

the Scotland and the painting heiress of the weavings of Basque

linen.

By using new materials such as printed paintings or

even leather, the rope-soled sandal becomes a fashion

accessory and fashion designers are interested in this

phenomenon to present their collections.

The Beret

Legend

Noé would have had

some wool freshly cropped at the

bottom of the boat, to serve as

litter in animals. At the end of 40

days of journey after the Flood,

the felted wool would have given

rise to the raw material of the

beret. The legend does not tell how

arrived the headgear.

In much safer source, it is the

shepherds from Bearn, upward Middle

Ages, that "invented" this knitting

which felted due to being "beaten" by

the bad weather and which protected

them at the same time from the sun

and from the cold, from the wind and from the rain. It was not

even called beret …

History

If the “béret” remains a national emblem, it is a

speciality from Bearn, which we cannot date any more. The

“béret” stays so much more from Bearn today than it is not any

more made in France than in this region.

Today, the caricaturists use the “béret” to

represent typical

French with the

“baguette” and

the liter of red.

Being a traditional element, it also has

this representation in the imaging of

the foreign tourists.

“Bérets” in the lively colors,

the embroidered “bérets” or the simple black “bérets” find their

letters patents on the catwalks of the fashion design.

ITALY

Folklore in Sicily

Sicilian folklore, generally, is made up of traditions,

songs, dances, costumes and recipes.

The birth of folklore in Sicily can’t have a precise date in

history, because it was born with the Sicilian people itself, as an

indissoluble synthesis of the myths that have become tradition.

We can find the authentic Sicilian folklore in the dialectal

poems, in the familiar customs, in the songs of celebration, in

the religious festivals and public meetings. The knowledge of

the authentic Sicilian folklore means the understanding of the

deeper spirituality of the Sicilians.

The person who visits Sicily "feels" the folklore in

everyday life: the decorated floats, the song of the peasants

among gardens scented with citrus, in the desserts, in the

typical objects such as

“Pupi Siciliani” and

small drums, but above

all at parties.

The folklore is

experienced in Sicily

thanks to folk groups,

religious associations

that relate our days to

the ancient traditions, folk songs, dances, traditional costumes

and objects. These groups receive with enthusiasm the other

folk groups from all over the world.

Costumes

The costumes

worn by today's folk

groups, are modeled on

those of women and

carters’ nineteenth

century. The woman's

dress consists of:

brocade skirt, waistcoat

and a shirt, panties, apron and handmade

woolen shawl. Both the panties and the

apron are handmade Sicilian lace. The

women's hair is braided and then gathered

into a chignon. The male costume: trousers

and a velvet waistcoat, sash, belt red

woolen belt, shirt and neckerchief.

Instruments

The typical instruments Sicilians are

the "Tambourine", the "Friscalettu", the

"Marranzano", the "Matracola" and

"Bummulo". The "Tambourine" is a

percussion instrument consisting of a round

skin of a donkey or sheep with the bells at

the edges. It is used to set the pace. The

"Marranzano" was once a hobby tool and

now it has become the symbol of the Sicilian sound. The

"Bummulu" is an instrument with a particular sound and it is

constituted by a sort of

earthen vessel used for

the wine and water. It is

played in whistling inside

it. The "Frisacalettu" is an

instrument of Hellenic origin. It is made of

cane and its sound is similar to the whistle

of the shepherd.

Songs and Dances

The songs were performed mostly at work, during

religious festivals or when someone had to court a woman.

So the dances were a way to court women, to spend

leisure time at the end of long day of work, but also during

family celebrations such as weddings and engagement. The

most common dance is the

"Tarantella".

Tarantella

“Tarantella” is a traditional typical dance of all southern

Italy. It is famous for its liveliness and joy that it transmits. The

phases of the tarantella are different. The most common step is

the basic step consisting of alternating small jumps. Other steps

are: "On the contrary, backward" and "collective". The side

step: you jump with your right foot to the right and left on left

foot. Not heel and tip: it jumps continuously with one foot and

with the other, always once leaning on the heel and once on the

tip.

POLAND

Mazowsze

Kolbielski national costume for women consists of white

linen shirt with characteristic embroidery on collar and cuffs, a

red cross lace-up waistcoat.There is a striped cape on the

shoulders. The skirt is long in colourful stripes. Bright colours

such as red, pink, orange, brown, violet, yellow and green

dominate in Kolbelski women’s costume. On head women wear

a red or green flowery scarf. The shoes are black, lace-up with

high legs, but women prefer walk barefoot when the weather is

warm.

Kolbelski national costume for men consists of a white

long-sleeved shirt, a red ribbon around the neck, a red or blue

waistcoat ,long brown buttoned up in the front jacket with a

collar, long red trousers and black leather boots. On head men

usually wear a peaked black cap.

Sieradzki clothing

In the summertime men wore to work on the fields:

hats made out of straw, shirts with ribbon tied under the neck,

trousers without shoes.

But when the men went to

the church, they wore a white linen

shirt, a red or orange woollen

waistcoat, red or striped wide

trousers, a long green jacket and

high-heeled black boots, on head

they wore navy blue or black cap in

the shape of a square. In the

winter they wore the same clothes,

but changed the colours for blue

and navy blue and added red belts.

The women used to wear a white linen shirt, colourful

scarves with floral patterns, black or navy blue jackets with

handmade ornaments, a woollen skirt and a linen slip. On foot

they wore high-heeled lace-up black boots. They also put caps

on their heads, wore necklaces made of colorful corals. The red,

black, purple and warm green colours dominated in Sieradzki

clothing. Nowadays people prefer the red and navy blue colours

as they remain the colours of the flowers grown on fields. The

red colour they associate with poppy.

PORTUGAL

Women´s costumes

Bride´s costume, typical of the Minho region

It is characterized by varnish slippers, embroidered in

white and accompanied by a white sock. The skirt is black

velvet, embroidered

with sequins and

beads, approximately

with three meters.

The apron is made of

silk and velvet is also

black, embroidered

with sequins and

beads, and

embroidery reveals

the shield of

Portugal.

The blouse is embroidered

on the cuffs and shoulders, is

accompanied by a black cardigan

and a veil on the bride’s head. In the

hand the bride holds a wedding

bouquet, wrapped in a lover scarf

offered by the future husband. This

scarf should be used carefully

because it will be used to cover the

bride’s face on the day of her death.

The bride is still adorned with massive gold, offered by the

family, which will serve as a dowry.

Folk Costume

Thanks to its bright and beautiful colours, since a long

time ago it has remained as the official costume that represents

Portugal wherever Folk is displayed.

Girls, ladies and children wear this costume with great

pride and satisfaction. In addition to the traditional and

colourful scarves featuring the head and shoulders, also make

this costume a bright skirt made of wool, completely hand

embroidered wool yarn also in colour, with several designs that

give grace and beauty in the authenticity of this outfit.

Men´s Costumes

In the field men used to wear an embroidered shirt

made of linen, around the waist a band made of black wool, and

brown trousers. On their head, they usually wore a hat made of

straw.

Going to

church men used to

wear a shirt made of

linen, embroidered in

red or white, a red

band, black trousers,

a hat called bragues,

white socks and black

shoes.

Accesories

The capucha

The capucha

appears covering the

heads of the ladies in

most of the images

from the beginning of

Christianity. Its

originally homemade,

appearing as a typical

mantle and can be done

with various types of fabrics. There are also some designed

especially for Sundays and holidays, made from a kind of very

glossy black zaragoza.

Filigree

Filigree is a hand-made ornamental

work, usually with gold or silver wires that are

welded and molded until the tangled is

obtained, and the art work

done.

This kind of work is

more visible in the north of Portugal, in both

traditional bride and folkloric outfits.

Lovers scarves

The lovers scarves, are made from a thin linen cloth or a

cotton handkerchief, embroidered with various drawings later.

The girl used to embroider the handkerchief and then hand it to

her beloved when he was absent. In

these scarves there could be several

poems embroidered in addition to some

drawings.

Cork

In Portugal there are several things made from cork, because

it’s a raw material and environmentally friendly. The purses

made from cork are really

pretty and nice to wear.

Viana bags

Viana bags are handmade with

regional scarves in several colours, lined

with printed fabric and wooden handles.

They are original from Viana do Castelo, as

the name indicates.

Others accessories

Wooden shoes

ROMANIA

The Moldavian Folk Wear

In the

overall context of

the Romanian folk

wear, the Moldavian

costume seems to

illustrate most

convincingly the

principle of unity in

diversity, preserving

– in forms unaltered

by the passage of time – an ethno-cultural unity of a great

historical documentary and artistic value, both in the highlands

and on the plateau.

The folk wear from VRANCEA

The traditional holiday

costume in Vrancea County is one of

the most gorgeous throughout

Moldavia. The existence of the golden

thread, with both women’s and men’s,

reflects a prosperous economic status

and special refinement. The decoration

of the women’s blouse catches the eye

with its shining gold beads, used for the motif of the cross, as

part of the sleeve and chest decoration. Their effect is enhanced

by the orange colour of the dyed

cotton yarn used for making the che

iţe – that is the loops used to join the

pieces of cloth together. The marama

with alesături at the end, ennobles

the bearing of the women wearing it.

The blouse with twisted

sleeves, worn by women of Vrancea

County, is a zonal mark and an

ethnographic relic attesting to the

relationship between the folk and the

boyars’ costumes. The specific

tayloring of the sleeve – a rectangular

triangle with a very sharp point – is

highlighted by the spiral embroidery

on the fabric. The other decorative

elements on the sleeve, altiţa (a group of four decorative

registers on the shoulder) and încreţul (the decorative registers

coming below the altiţă, sewn with white thread) observe the

ornamental style of Moldavian blouses.

The most important piece of the men’s costume is the

ample cotton shirt, embroidered with golden thread on the

sleeves and the chest. The straight collar is covered by compact

embroidery, also sewn with golden

thread. The „tree of life” vegetal motif

and the „stars” pattern are frequently

embroidered on these shirts.

Influences of the traditional folk wear in

nowadays fashion

A French designer, Philippe Guilet, has lived in Romania

for four years. He has travelled throught the country and has

met different people of different ages, jobs and social milieu. He

has tried to understand the culture nad history of the country

which has welcomed him.

Philippe Guilet has learnt to know Romania as he has

seen it without preconceived ideas, but with an open mind and

creativity. Thus the French artist has discovered that Romania

has an amazingly rich culture, that the Romanian artists are full

of energy and talent, that the Romanian craftsmen are very

skillful, that two apparently different worlds – the one of the

talented craftsmen from the Romanian villages and that of the

Parisian Haute-Couture – can influence and turn each other into

profit.

The designer who had

worked in paris with Jean Paul

Gaultier, Karl Lagerfeld şi

Thierry Mugler has left allowed

himself to be inspired by

Romania, Romanian people

and Romanian cultural

patterns and traditions.Thus

he had the idea of making a

collection 100% Couture, 100%

modern, 100% Romanian with

Romanian artists and

craftsmen – named 100% RO.

100%.RO is a project

that focuses on Romania and its cultural patrimony, translating

in a modern language the Romanian culture, traditions and

handicrafts.

The idea of the project is based on the encounter

between a foreign artist and the Romanian patrimony in order

to make a new artistic creation by reinterpreting the Romanian

inspirational sourc es.

Almost 50 craftsmen from different regions of the

country wove, sewed, span, carved, knitted, embroidered and

restyled elements that make up the outfits imagined by Philippe

Guilet, following their traditional method, the designer’s

indications and sketches.

Bibliography

Catherine Debusne

La France en costumes traditionnels, Du continent aux tropiques

Elżbieta Piskorz-Branekova

"Polskie stroje ludowe"

*** Costumul românesc de patrimoniu / Patrimony Romanian Costume, Editura SC Alcor Edimpex SRL, Bucureşti, 2007

web sites :

Site du Musée du Béret de Nay Site de L’espassoule à Mauléon http://trajesdeportugal.blogspot.pt www.romanianmuseum.ro www.100-100.ro

Blending Tradition and

Modernity

France: Béatrice Ransinangue Dominique Emombo Xuan Lethi

Portugal: Ana Raquel Mariana Pinto Margarida Dantas

Italy: Accursia Craparo Monteleone Calogero Eleonora Santangelo Leonardo Vaccaro Eleonora Lala

Romania: Monica Ene Mariana Arhiri Sabina Maria Hâncu

Poland: Svetlana Zaikina Agnieszka Kobus Buoka Marta Ślażyoska Marta Szczęsna Joanna Nessel Julia Murzynowska Natalia Ossowska Jagoda Figurska Sara Dombrowska Sandra Żyła Daria Dronka Daniel Adamowicz Martyna Agnieszka Sadowska Zuzanna Gnutek Owczarek Inga