What Do People in Cyprus Wear?
People in Cyprus, also known as Cypriots, wear clothing considered modern as of 2015, including jeans, t-shirts, cotton leggings for women and tailored suits for professionals. Cypriots do not often wear traditional clothing except when participating in weddings or festivals.
Tradition Cypriot clothing consists of cotton and silk produced on the island of Cyprus. The cloth used for outer garments is called “alatzia” and features a white base with thin vertical or crossed stripes in red, blue, yellow, orange or green. Men’s traditional trousers, known as “vraka,” are made with white cloth dyed black and are sown together from several individual pieces so as to look tufted. Traditional shirts are hand-woven out of silk by professional seamstresses. Traditional waist coasts can be either dark-colored and simple or feature elaborate designs. Men also wear a wedding waistcoat on their wedding day, a woolen belt known as a “zostra,” knee-high socks, boots and a hat made of cashmere or straw. Traditional Cypriot women’s clothing includes the “saiya,” a dress worn with a shirt, a formal dress and “the urban”: a wide silk shirt, a short-sleeved jacket and a fez or shawl. For their weddings, Cypriot women in big cities tend to wear the urban, while those in rural areas don a traditional dress.
