A xhamadan or xhamadani is a traditional wool garment worn by
Albanian
Albanian may refer to:
*Pertaining to Albania in Southeast Europe; in particular:
**Albanians, an ethnic group native to the Balkans
**Albanian language
**Albanian culture
**Demographics of Albania, includes other ethnic groups within the country ...
men.
It can be sleeved or sleeveless. The sleeveless xhamadan is only one type of the Albanian vest, the other two being the ''xhamadani me reshme'', and the ''xhamadani fermele''.
The xhamadani me reshme went out of use around the beginning of the 20th century.
[ whereas the xhamadan and the xhamadani fermele continue to be used in traditional festivities. A good xhamadan is usually richly embroidered, sometimes in gold: in the past its quality revealed social rank.][
]
History
The xhamadani originated in the northeastern parts of Albania, but is worn throughout the country and in other territories inhabited by Albanians. The xhamadan appears to be the jacket to which 16th-century English poet Edmund Spenser
Edmund Spenser (; 1552/1553 – 13 January 1599) was an English poet best known for ''The Faerie Queene'', an epic poem and fantastical allegory celebrating the Tudor dynasty and Elizabeth I. He is recognized as one of the premier craftsmen of ...
refers in a line of his ''Faerie Queene
''The Faerie Queene'' is an English epic poem by Edmund Spenser. Books IIII were first published in 1590, then republished in 1596 together with books IVVI. ''The Faerie Queene'' is notable for its form: at over 36,000 lines and over 4,000 sta ...
'', published in the 1590s, where he mentions the ''sleeves-dependent, Albanese wise''. It is mentioned several times by British travel writers, such as John Foster Fraser
Sir John Foster Fraser (13 June 1868 – 7 July 1936) was a Scottish travel author. In July 1896, he and two friends, Samuel Edward Lunn and Francis Herbert Lowe, took a bicycle trip around the world riding Rover safety bicycles. They covered 19, ...
, who in the first (1906) edition of his book, ''Pictures from the Balkans'', observes the preferences of Albanian men for xhamadans embroidered in gold or silver.
Types of xhamadan
There were three types of xhamadanis in Albania: the xhamadan, the ''xhamadani me reshme'' and the ''xhamadani fermele'', of which only the fermele and xhamadan are still in use, the jermele having fallen out of favour around the beginning of the 20th century.[
The xhamadan usually can be closed on the left side, it has usually two pockets, an outside and an inside one, and is adorned with embroidery. In winter time the Albanians would wear the '' tallagan'', a heavy coat, on top of the xhamadan.] The embroidery can be in silk or cotton braids.
Northern and southern Albanians each had several types of xhamadan, which differed in color and cut. Northern Albanians would usually wear a xhamadan of red velvet, embroidered in black silk or, sometimes, gold. The quality of the embroidery itself indicates social rank. In particular, the xhamadan worn by Albanians in the region of Tetovo
Tetovo ( mk, Тетово, , sq, Tetovë/Tetova) is a city in the northwestern part of North Macedonia, built on the foothills of Šar Mountain and divided by the Pena River. The municipality of Tetovo covers an area of at above sea level, w ...
(now North Macedonia
North Macedonia, ; sq, Maqedonia e Veriut, (Macedonia before February 2019), officially the Republic of North Macedonia,, is a country in Southeast Europe. It gained independence in 1991 as one of the successor states of Socialist Feder ...
), is white, or creamy, and richly embroidered. It is sleeveless, and open on the chest, but it can be closed, with special fastenings. It has been a tradition that the bridegroom would wear it on his wedding day.
The southern Albanian version of the xhamadan for men is no longer red like the northern one, but creamy or dark blue.[
The northern Albanian xhamadan would usually have one pocket for the ]pocketwatch
A pocket watch (or pocketwatch) is a watch that is made to be carried in a pocket, as opposed to a wristwatch, which is strapped to the wrist.
They were the most common type of watch from their development in the 16th century until wristwatc ...
, or two, if the watch had a chain. In southern Albania the chain would be worn diagonally, instead.
Trivia
The song "Xhamadani vija vija
A xhamadan or xhamadani is a traditional wool garment worn by Albanian men. It can be sleeved or sleeveless. The sleeveless xhamadan is only one type of the Albanian vest, the other two being the ''xhamadani me reshme'', and the ''xhamadani ferme ...
" ( en, "Striped xhamadan"), composed in 1993 by Zef Çoba, refers to the xhamadan, and envisions the union of Albania and Kosovo, united under a common vest.
See also
* Culture of Albania
Albanian culture or the culture of Albanians ( ) is a term that embodies the artistic, culinary, literary, musical, political and social elements that are representative of Albanians. Albanian culture has been considerably shaped by the geography ...
* Qeleshe
The ''qeleshe'', ''plis'', ''qylaf'' or ''kësul'' is a white brimless felt skull cap traditionally worn by Albanians. It has spread throughout Albanian-inhabited territories, and is today part of the traditional costume of the Albanians. The he ...
* Opinga
Opinga (Gheg Albanian: Apânga) are traditional shoes worn by Albanians in Albania, Kosovo, North Macedonia (opinci), Montenegro, Greece (by the Arvanites), and the Arbëresh villages of Italy. They were also worn by countrymen in Romania (opinca) ...
* Albanian traditional clothing
The traditional Albanian clothing () includes more than 200 different varieties of clothing in all Albania and the Albanian-speaking territories and communities (including the Arbëreshë in Italy, Arvanites in Greece and Arbanasi in Croatia). ...
References
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{{Albania topics
Albanian clothing
Vests