Slovakian national costumes
National costumes of Slovaks in Vojvodina
Traditional slovakian folk clothing consists of various elements made out of cotton, hemp, wool and other materials depending on the region in which they were made. Distinctive floral motifs are scattered through the whole structure of clothing from the collar, sleeves, the chest, the front part of the pants worn by the males and all over the dresses of the females.
Female skirts are richly embroided, colorful and have many layers. Every village in Serbia inhabited by the Slovak nationality has its distinct look of the national costume and the way it is worn but the general characteristics are similar. The differences can be discerned in the use of certain patterns, materials, visual identity of the ornaments and jewelry that is tied to it.
The traditional garments of today are much more colourful and richer in floral patterns than the robes of our ancestors. The clothes in the Slovak society have always been a simbol of tradition, they have determined the socio-economic status of the wearer, its marital status, its age and its gender. The purpose of the germents was never just about covering the body and its protection from the external influences but to testify to the culture of the community, its moral norms and values and nowadays, to open a window 270 years into the past when the Slovaks firt came to the region of Vojvodina.
Variables of the Slovakian traditional garments
Slovakian folk costume albeit unique has its variants depending on the part of the region where they were made and used. Not only does it differ by the regions of Bačka, Banat and Srem, it has different variants in every slovakian village in Vojvodina. The differences can often be found in certain elements of the garment, ornaments, naming of costume parts and the materials used to make them.
Bačka
Slovakian folk costume in Bačka has its subvariants, which are the costumes from Pivnica, Selenča, Bački Petrovac, Kisač, Kulpin and Gložan. Differences can also be found in the same village and such is the case in Selenča, that has two different christianic churches and the garments of the roman catholics differs a bit from the evangelists.
Srem
The most recognizable folk costume of the slovaks in Srem is the costume from the village of Stara Pazova that has for most part kept the archaic patterns of clothing that have been long replaced by more modern forms in other towns.
Banat
In this region there is a subvariant from the town of Kovačica that is similar to the folk costumes of the neighbouring village of Padina, also Janošik, Hajdučica and Vojlovica that are in the same region. Vojlovica has some Hungarian influences in their costumes and there is also the village of Aradac that has a garment specific for its Serbian and German influences.
Typical patterns used in Slovakian traditional folk costumes
