64
THE NOMADS OF THE BALKANS
but not so practical a colour for those engaged in trade. Nowadays the only fashionable men who wear white clothes are bridegrooms. For his wedding every bridegroom is expected to get himself a full national costume of white homespun
very best clothes The leggings, tsipune and pishli are the same (Plate Vni 3). as in the ordinary clothes, but more elaborate and mth more braiding, and the skirts of the tsipune are as full as they can be. The bridegroom's white shirt is pleated do^vn the front of the chest because he wears an open waistcoat. This is of velvet
which for the
rest of his life serves as his
and embroidered with the fine narrow braid so heavily that the ground can hardly be seen. So much skill is expended on the making of such a waistcoat that in spite of the small amount of stuff used, for it is tight and is open in front, twenty a common price. It is noticeable that the Pindus Vlachs from Avdhela, Samarina and Perivoli now settled in the Verria district, have given up the use of the kilted shirt and the tsipune and have adopted instead the palto and the breeches which they make of brown not blue homespun Boys do not from the very beginning wear (Plate XXni). but a far simpler kind of dress. Over costume, the full tsipune their underclothes they put on a long robe of jean rather like a dressing-gown. This has sleeves and is lined and fastened It reaches to the in front with hooks and eyes or buttons. knees and is girt at the waist with a belt. On his legs the boy will wear stockings and not socks, and as a rule nothing on Over his head unless it be Sunday when he will have a red fez. this long robe known as andri he can wear either a malliotu or a When he reaches the age of twelve or palto (Plate XI 2). fourteen the andri is considered too short for a growing lad and so on his legs he puts homespun leggings of the usual type. The next stage is reached when he is about seventeen and is promoted to the full tsipune dress. The andri costume was once the ordinary garment of the town Vlach or shopkeeper, though now it is only very occasionally worn by such. Probably they wore this costume, which is perhaps in origin Turkish
shillings is quite
or at least oriental, in the times
when
it
was considered a
privilege by the christians to be allowed to dress like Turks.