The Traditional Dress of Syme

 

1. Syme

Following the fall of the Byzantine empire, the island of Syme, along with the rest of the Dodecanese islands, came under Latin control. It would be conquered by the Ottomans in 1522 and would only be granted to Greece post the Second World war. 

Symi was noted for its sponges, which provided much of its wealth. At a certain point, the island had the largest sponge fishing fleet in the world.

2. An analysis of the women's costume

The costume's name is of 'Frankish' (=Western, Latin) origin; 'Gounnellati', derived from  gonnella, meaning "small skirt". 

a) Eisophori (εισοφόρι)

A long garment reaching the ankles with long sleeves, typically made of silk. It featured embroidery at the hem and delicate lace—often hand-knitted by the women themselves—on the sleeves and around the deep neckline, which plunged down to the waist. 

b) Anteri/Kavvadi (αντέρι/καββάδι)

The anteri (or kavvadi, as it was formerly known): Worn over the chemise, this garment was cut to end five centimeters above the hem of the chemise. It is a long, sleeveless tunic; for the Gounnellati costume, it was made of woven crimson fabric. The opening at the chest was fastened with three or four clasps. 

c) Zonari (ζωνάρι)

The zonari (sash): A striped silk sash, 3 to 4 meters long and 40 cm wide, which was wrapped around the waist over the two petticoats and tied on the left side. 

d) Tsourdi (τσουρδί)

Worn over the petticoats was the tsourdi—a striped jacket paired with a skirt that was lined with wadding for structure and winter warmth; it was fitted at the waist, flared at the sides, and reached a length of 75 centimeters. The gouna (long coat) followed the same pattern and featured gold-woven fabric, but it extended all the way to the ankles.

d) Boxas (μποξάς)

Over the tsourdi, the boxas was worn—a square shawl (1.50 x 1.50 m) made of wool or silk with sparse fringe. It was folded into a triangle and draped over the shoulders with the point at the back; the two ends were crossed over the chest and shoulders before being tied or secured at the back.

e) Kephalodesmos (κεφαλόδεσμος)

The headdress was constructed from 22 or more triangular scarves tied one over the other, creating a towering structure approximately 50 centimeters high. The vergosi was placed atop this imposing headdress.

The vergosi was a gold ornament adorned with precious stones, gold coins, and double-headed eagles. Details drawn from 1786 dowry contracts—published in the second volume of the Symi publications—mention single verges (ornamental metal bands) and pairs of verges (each worth two flouria coins), as well as sets of up to twelve that fastened sideways onto a vertical bar, encircling the entire headdress to secure the many silk scarves. At the time, the value of this piece was equivalent to the cost of a villa today; the reason for investing in such jewelry was to ensure it could be easily liquidated in the event of financial collapse.

f) Fur wrap 

A fur wrap was worn over the shoulders during winter—since the costume itself was lightweight—though it was not a permanent accessory.

f) Shoes

Footwear consisted of gold-embroidered slippers. Depending on their origin, they were known by various names: pantoufles, empoufles, tapounia, pasoumia, gemenia, and tsemsedes.

- Periellados

Sources: 

--ΣΥΜΗ Παραδοσιακές φορεσιές της Σύμης

-Παραδοσιακές γυναικείες φορεσιές της Σύμης: Γράφει η κα Σεβαστή Νικόλη