A parzenica is a heart-shaped

traditional A tradition is a belief or behavior (folk custom) passed down within a group or society with symbolic meaning or special significance with origins in the past. A component of cultural expressions and folklore, common examples include holidays or ...

handicraft pattern and decorative folk art of the

Goral people The Gorals ( pl, Górale; Goral dialect: ''Górole''; sk, Gorali; Cieszyn Silesia dialect, Cieszyn Silesian: ''Gorole''), also known as the Highlanders (in Poland as the Polish Highlanders) are an indigenous ethnographic or ethnic group primar ...

, who live in the mountainous region of southern

Poland Poland, officially the Republic of Poland, is a country in Central Europe. It is divided into 16 administrative provinces called voivodeships, covering an area of . Poland has a population of over 38 million and is the fifth-most populous ...

. It is often found embroidered on the upper front side of men's trousers.Condra, Jill. 2013. ''Encyclopedia of National Dress: Traditional Clothing Around the World''. Santa Barbara, CA: ABC-CLIO, p. 600.

History

This characteristic decorative motif probably originated in

Hungary Hungary ( hu, Magyarország ) is a landlocked country in Central Europe. Spanning of the Carpathian Basin, it is bordered by Slovakia to the north, Ukraine to the northeast, Romania to the east and southeast, Serbia to the south, Croatia a ...

, and by the beginning of the 20th century it became one of the most recognisable decorative patterns in the Podhale region. The origin of the term is unclear, it is possibly related to old-Polish verbs ''parznąć'' and ''parznić'' meaning to make some object filthy. Initially the name also applied to various other objects popular in everyday life of the Goral people, including wooden forms used in cheese production and heart-shaped motifs used in

wood carving Wood carving is a form of woodworking by means of a cutting tool (knife) in one hand or a chisel by two hands or with one hand on a chisel and one hand on a mallet, resulting in a wooden figure or figurine, or in the sculptural ornamentation ...

.^.The origin of the pattern itself is also unclear, some authors believe that it was imported from

. In the second half of the 19th century, the first parzenicas made in the Tatras were but simple string loops, used for reinforcing cuts in front of cloth trousers. Such loops prevented wool fabric from fraying. With time local craftsmen adopted navy blue or red string and added additional loops to create an ornamental design rather than a simple loop. With time appliqué design was replaced with embroidery and more colours were added.

Description

The parzenica

embroidery 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 c ...

(also called ''cyfra'') dates back to the mid-19th century. Initially they were simple string loops, used for reinforcing cuts in front of cloth trousers. They had practical functions and protected the cloth from fraying. The "Knightly knot" is a decorative motif laid in three-loop of string, characteristic for highlander's male costume, often used as base for parzenica. It is one of the eldest type of parzenicas, present in the traditional costume of highlanders of

Beskid Sądecki Beskid Sądecki is a mountain range in the eastern section of the Western Beskids, within the Outer Western Carpathians. It is located in the border region between Poland and Slovakia. On the Polish side, it stretches along an area of 670& ...

, Gorce Mountains and other areas. The modern look parzenica got from those

tailor A tailor is a person who makes or alters clothing, particularly in men's clothing. The Oxford English Dictionary dates the term to the thirteenth century. History Although clothing construction goes back to prehistory, there is evidence of ...

s who began using red or navy blue string, simultaneously increasing the number of loops. Later the appliqué design was replaced with embroidery. Using

wool Wool is the textile fibre obtained from sheep and other mammals, especially goats, rabbits, and camelids. The term may also refer to inorganic materials, such as mineral wool and glass wool, that have properties similar to animal wool. As ...

len

yarn Yarn is a long continuous length of interlocked fibres, used in sewing, crocheting, knitting, weaving, embroidery, ropemaking, and the production of textiles. Thread is a type of yarn intended for sewing by hand or machine. Modern manufact ...

allowed the parzenica to become more colourful and eventually it became a stand-alone trouser ornamentation, developed by talented tailors and

embroider 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 c ...

ers.{{Cite book, title=Birnbaum's Eastern Europe, last=Birnbaum, first=Alexandra Mayes, publisher=HarperPerennial, year=1992, isbn=9780062780836, pages=625

History

Description

References

See also