Why do greeks use the albanian fustanella and dance chamiko ?
Fustanella is a very old albanian dress used in south especially from Laberia and Chameria regions.
Chamiko, dance from the albanian region of Chameria.
In 1944, in chameria greeks comitet ethnic cleansing of cham albanias, today unshamfully they use their dance including fustanella.
there is no Chameria, there is the Greek region of Epirus and half of it is under Albanian occupation
Albanians claim to be descendants of ancient illyrians and at the same time they confuse illyria with the Greek kingdom of Epirus! Well Albanians are not even illyrians, not even European, according to the Ottoman archives the Ottomans brought them to Europe as mercenaries from the region of Azerbaijan! They called them "Arvanutluk" which means those who did not return, because they stayed in the Northern part of Greece and never went back! Indeed in the region of Azerbaijan there is a region called Albania and the cultural and linguistic background of this place is almost identical to the albanian…………
My poor Greece everyone wants a lil bit of your glory~
January 27th, 2010 at 8:18 am
what?! Greek school lied to me?!
Welll….actually……
The fustanella appears to have evolved from the Roman toga; many statues of Roman emperors depict them wearing knee-length pleated kilts. In colder regions, more folds were added. Byzantine iconography depicts Akritan troops wearing a kilt resembling the fustanella.[3]
There are numerous other theories. It is thought by some that the modern fustanella originated in the Ottoman vilayet of Yanya. This vilayet comprised much of the region of Epirus (today divided between Greece (Epirus (periphery) and Albania) and was inhabited by a variety of populations, including Albanians, Greeks, Aromanians, Bulgarians and Turks. The use of the garment was probably spread by klephtic bands via Epirus into the rest Albania and Greece during the 18th and 19th centuries. Similar garments exist as part of the folk costume as far north as Romania and as far east as Syria, with nationalists on every side claiming the garment to be an indigenous creation. Similarities to historical garments in literature and on art objects make these claims difficult to prove or disprove.
One claim of an ancient link to the modern fustanella involves an ancient statue dated from the 3rd century BCE in Kerameikon (a part of Athens to the northwest of the Acropolis). Another claim involves a small figure from the 5th century BCE in Slovenia.[4] Another one was found in the outskirts of the ancient Greek city of Epidamnus (modern Durrës, Albania).[5] Yet another claim involves the statue carved in a niche in the Cave of Archedemos the Nympholept, near Mount Hymettus in Athens, which statue wears a fustanella-like garment and has been dated to c. 500 BCE. Archedemos, although living in Athens, came from the Spartan colony of Thera. This is why he carved himself wearing the Dorian tunic. The Dorian tunic was also a garment of Kouretes.
Evolution
Romanian Căluşari dancer from Arad, dressed in a traditional Romanian costume, early 20th century. Notice the fustanella-type garment, similar to the costumes of the Aromanians.The garment is made from long strips of linen sewn together to make a pleated skirt. Some Greeks, such as general Theodoros Kolokotronis had almost four hundred pleats in their garments, one for each year of Turkish rule over Greece. The style evolved over time. In the 18th and early 19th centuries, the skirts hung below the knees, and the hem of the garment was gathered together with garters and tucked into the boots to create a "bloused" effect. Later, during the Bavarian regency, the skirts were shortened to create a sort of billowy pantaloon that stopped above the knee; this garment was worn with hose, and either buskins or decorative clogs. This is the costume worn by the modern Greek Evzones, the Presidential Guard.
While the image of warriors with frilly skirts tucked into their boots may seem impractical to a contemporary audience, it should be noted that modern paratroopers use a similar method to blouse their trousers over their jumpboots. Lace was commonly worn on military uniforms in the west until well into the 19th century, and gold braid and other adornments still serve as markers of high rank in formal military uniforms. Fustanella were very labor-intensive and thus costly, which made them a status garment that advertised the wealth and importance of the wearer. Western observers of the Greek War of Independence noted the great pride which the klephts took in their foustanella, and how they competed to outdo each other in the sumptuousness of their costume.
Today
Boy Scouts wearing fustanella dancing in Greek heritage festival at White Springs, Florida, 1960.Today, the fustanella is part of traditional Albanian and Greek dresses, worn mainly by ceremonial Greek military units and Albanian folk dancers. Incidentally, the correct Greek plural is foustanelles (φουστανέλλες) but as with the (semi-correct) foustanellas, it is rarely employed by native English speakers.
References :
Greek school book
January 27th, 2010 at 8:25 am
Chamides were the muslim Albanians, isn’t it right?
Greek Orthodox Albanians, such as Markos Mpotsaris (oops, I forgot, you learn he was Marcos Botsvaref) fought and contributed considerably to the Revolution of 1821.
Now, tell me, Detar, do you understand why SHAMFULLY Greeks use the Albanian fustanella, that was not exactly Albanian?
The traditional costumes were mostly LOCAL COSTUMES or SOCIAL STATUS/CLASS COSTUMS and not that much Christian or Muslim costumes.
Hmmm, and about 1944, you mean that Chamides were expelled from their houses after Hitler lost the war.
What about you? You didn’t manage to ethnic cleanse them and you have to live with them….
References :
January 27th, 2010 at 8:49 am
there is no Chameria, there is the Greek region of Epirus and half of it is under Albanian occupation
Albanians claim to be descendants of ancient illyrians and at the same time they confuse illyria with the Greek kingdom of Epirus! Well Albanians are not even illyrians, not even European, according to the Ottoman archives the Ottomans brought them to Europe as mercenaries from the region of Azerbaijan! They called them "Arvanutluk" which means those who did not return, because they stayed in the Northern part of Greece and never went back! Indeed in the region of Azerbaijan there is a region called Albania and the cultural and linguistic background of this place is almost identical to the albanian…………
My poor Greece everyone wants a lil bit of your glory~
References :
January 27th, 2010 at 9:34 am
The "Fustanela" is a very old outfit, common in many Balkan nations.
Trying to find who it "belongs" to is equal to trying to find who invented the wheel.
The Greek version is called "Fustanela". And if you dont like it, start a war and lets clear our differences….ok pal?
Chameria is the area known as "Thesprotia".
Chameria is a derivative of the word "Thyamis".
Thyamis is the name of the river than runs through this region.
(Today the river is known as "Kalamas")
Thyamis > Thyameria > Chameria.
So… why do some Albanians claim as Albanian an area that carries an ancient Greek name?
So…. why do people wear pants with pockets (invented by Italians), moccasin type shoes (invented by American Indians), drive mass production cars (invented by an American) in a world ruled by mother Nature?
(Yeah… yeah.. yeah… I know… go figure….)
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During the Greek-Italian war of 1940, followed by the Nazi Germany invasion and occupation of Greece until 1944, the vast majority of Albanian origin Greek citizens residing in the prefecture of Thesprotia, joined the Nazi forces as volunteers performing atrocities upon the Greek origin Greek citizens of Thesprotia.
Upon the defeat of Nazis and their retreat from Greece in 1944, the newly established Greek government, after collecting the necessary evidence, took on trial anyone that cooperated with the Nazi occupation forces, under the article of Greek constitution that clearly describes such an act as "Ultimate treason to the Greek state :
"Cooperation with the enemy that the country is officially in war, against the interests of the state"
These Albanian origin citizens either they were accepted by Nazis to join them in a separate militia battalion (like the Thesprotian albanians did) or anyone that received payment of any kind for their services to the Nazis had to face trial (court martial).
About 90% of the Albanian Thesprotians fled to Albania upon the Nazi retreat, abandoning everything behind in order to not face the consequences (court martial and if found guilty, life imprisonment and possible capital punishment).
Under proof of "Ultimate Treason to the State" the ones found guilty are stripped off all civil rights and any property that then becomes property of the State.
By fleeing to another country, they silently acknowledged their guilt and preferred to not face the Law.
It is no coincidence that the few hundred Thesprotian Albanians that refused to cooperate with the Nazis during 1941-1944, did not abandon Greece and their homes, no proof of Ultimate Treason could be placed upon them and they kept their civil rights and their property.
This distortion of history you are attempting has been brought to the attention of United Nations several times in the last few years and every single time it has been rejected as historically inaccurate.
PS. After the end of Word War II, every country that participated in it, seeked and took on trial anyone of their citizens that cooperated with their enemies.
You should look into the history of France, Italy, (now days non existent) Yugoslavia, Bulgaria, Rumania, Poland, Germany, Austria, Japan, Australia etc, where similar acts (trials and penalty enforcement) were imposed on traitors.
References :
January 27th, 2010 at 10:23 am
Now that i have read your history lesson, it’s your turn to read mine.
Foustanela (as we know it) is said that comes from the Dorian Greek tribe.Google them.
Later on, almost everyone in the Balkan Peninsula was wearing a ‘kilt’ like that.
A century and a half, ago, people started wearing …pants.lol
‘Kilts’ isn’t something new….Or do you claim Highlander’s Scottish kilt too?Or the Egyptian one?
But you’re right…Yours, is a ‘dress’
‘Tsamiko’ and ‘Tsamis’ comes from Θύαμις aka ‘Thiamis’ river, so Tsamis is the one who lives close to the Thiamis river, that’s how the dance took the name from.
Some of them were Christians and some of them were Islamists.
The Muslim Tsamists were allies with the Turks, when Greeks were fighting against Turks.
In the first Balkanic war, they were still against us, ’till Turks were deafeted (1913) so they made a huge turn and started ..liking us.
After the Treaty of Lausanne they deny to be included in the exchange population between Greece and Turkey with a little help from Italians who decided to call them ‘Albanian tribe’ out of the blue.
In the Greek-Italian war, they take Italy’s side.No surprise.
When finally Germans marched too, the Tsamides you are talking about, did anything to ruin,kill,destroy,rape,burn houses in Greece.
You have no idea what they did in Paramithia…
References :
January 27th, 2010 at 10:57 am
Part no1:
Fustanella:
All the theories about Fustanella’s origin is about Greeks and one in Slovenia.
_Originated from Ioannina (under Ottoman occupation that time) and spread around by Kleftes
_Originated somewhere in Slovenia
_Being a continue of ancient dressing.A statue found with similar dressing is the source
_Another found in a Greek city (then) in now modern Albania
_Another found in imitos mountain ,Attica
part no2:Chameria
There is no Chameria.The place has a name and its called EPIRUS.
The Chams collaborated with NAZI and they :
Lose their citizenship for colobaration with enemies.
Read about your compatriot’s achievements here:
http://www.amazon.com/Inside-Hitlers-Greece-Experience-Occupation/dp/0300089236
References :