Macedonian embroidery encompasses all forms of

embroideries Embroidery is the craft of decorating fabric or other materials using a needle to apply thread or yarn. Embroidery may also incorporate other materials such as pearls, beads, quills, and sequins. In modern days, embroidery is usually seen on ...

that are part of

Macedonian culture The term Macedonian culture may refer to: * Culture of Ancient Macedonians * Culture of Macedonians (ethnic group) In territorial terms: * Culture of Macedonia (region) * Culture of Ancient Macedonia * Culture of Macedonia (Greece) * Culture of No ...

. Macedonian embroidery began to appear with the arrival of the

Slavs Slavs are the largest European ethnolinguistic group. They speak the various Slavic languages, belonging to the larger Balto-Slavic branch of the Indo-European languages. Slavs are geographically distributed throughout northern Eurasia, main ...

to the

Balkan peninsula The Balkans ( ), also known as the Balkan Peninsula, is a geographical area in southeastern Europe with various geographical and historical definitions. The region takes its name from the Balkan Mountains that stretch throughout the who ...

and was transmitted through generations in accordance with the beliefs and

spirituality The meaning of ''spirituality'' has developed and expanded over time, and various meanings can be found alongside each other. Traditionally, spirituality referred to a religious process of re-formation which "aims to recover the original shape o ...

of Macedonians. Macedonian embroidery reached its peak of development in the 19th century. The evolution of this artform, whose roots are proto-Slavic, also bears influence from other epochs and cultures.

History

Macedonian embroidery began to develop with the arrival of

Slavic peoples Slavs are the largest European ethnolinguistic group. They speak the various Slavic languages, belonging to the larger Balto-Slavic language, Balto-Slavic branch of the Indo-European languages. Slavs are geographically distributed throughout ...

to the Balkans with which they also started adjusting their styles with Old-Balkan cultural elements. Byzantine culture was also of significant influence in the development and formation of Macedonian traditional embroidery partly due to its vicinity. Despite the five century-long Islamic influence of the country and its peoples under the Ottoman Empire, it is not further reflected on Macedonian embroidery. Nevertheless, Islamic elements, reflected in the colorful pattern changes and infiltration of new motives are evident on embroidery patterns. Despite the different cultural and historical factors that influenced it, the differentiated Macedonian embroidery was mainly the result of collectivist artistic potentials from the environment where it sprang up and existed.

Carriers of embroideries

The most common form of embroideries in North Macedonia were traditional vests, especially those used in villages, which were in day-to-day use until the first decennia of this century. The embroidery was a characteristic traditional adornment, commonly found on female traditional vests, embroidered shirts and head covers. Female shirts, which resemble tunics and are typical of North Macedonia, contain traces of ancient forms connected to Old-Balkan

ornament An ornament is something used for decoration. Ornament may also refer to: Decoration * Ornament (art), any purely decorative element in architecture and the decorative arts * Biological ornament, a characteristic of animals that appear to serve ...

ed tunic, even before the arrival of Slavic people and also used by other Slavic peoples. Sticking to the first stadia of the development of this clothing that is related to its shape, Macedonian shirts further developed their decorations, which also reflected the luxurious style of the Byzantine textile. Among different females embroideries used for head vests are bride vests which also contain a lot of historical values. They have an apparent similarity in form, technique, ornamentation and function to the vests of some peoples of the

Povolzhye The Volga Region (russian: Поволжье, ''Povolzhye'', literally: "along the Volga") is a historical region in Russia that encompasses the drainage basin of the Volga River, the longest river in Europe, in central and southern European Russ ...

region, which confirms distant cultural and historical relationships to those peoples.

References

Literature

* * {{Embroidery Embroidery by country Macedonian clothing Macedonian traditions