THE INHERITANCE FROM THE KRANJAN EXILES
The Krajane-Allaturka wedding dress is the heritage of the region of Kraja that has preserved its origin even during the 20th century, maybe even before that, until our days. It represents a precious treasure of the traditional culture of the area in question, which is in danger of disappearing from the flood of modern times.
This garment, with its varied colors and decorations, as well as its aesthetics, resembles a magical garment that can arouse the curiosity of artists just as it has awakened the curiosity of local craftsmen, who have embroidered it with a needle, forming this garment as a form of keeping it as a souvenir.
The beauty of this traditional regional bridal dress (allaturka) that resembles a magical cloak, it appears serene to its wearers. However, when I unfolded this decor piece by piece, I was surprised, with many thoughts, with many judgments, etc., how this entire decor of this clothing was created and preserved until today, even though with changes many that she has passed from decade to decade. One such surprise is even for our days, that this clothing is increasingly preserved and inherited in the local diaspora, such as in America, Australia, Germany and wherever there are local people who know its value and beauty. .
This clothing is a heritage of the material culture, which the local girls fanatically preserve, without avoiding it, while in terms of its decorations it is like a part of the spiritual culture of the local girls, who created, decorated and given the proper shape, which has made it possible to keep this outfit alive in their ranks. It is not only present in the territory of Kraja, but as we mentioned before, it is preserved and inherited in the Krajian diaspora. Today, this clothing is almost more present in the Krajian diaspora than in the territory of Kraji itself, from where it is inherited in the diaspora. You are saying that there is no local girl who did not wear this dress when she got married, maybe not on her wedding day, but she definitely wore it for souvenir photos, or even for inheritance, with which her origin is identified. When we see a local girl wearing a "local bride (allaturka)" dress, every local's heart sinks, every local reminds them of their hometown Kraja, every local remembers those days of early local weddings, when such a wedding, when the bride was escorted, she was dressed in an "allaturka" outfit. Today this does not happen in the territory of Kraja. This does not even happen in the diaspora, because it has never happened there, but today in the diaspora this dress is preserved and remembered even more than in the Kraja itself, from where its heritage in the diaspora derives.
The whole outfit of the "Krajan bride (allaturka)" is the product of work by the hands of the local girl, that is, the domestic worker. The materials of this clothing are mainly made of silk and cotton. Once upon a time, each regional house had a horizontal loom where women wove to prepare the regional wedding dress. They, besides weaving, embroidering, sewing parts of this clothing and crocheting the necessary materials for it. Regional girls know how to preserve their rich traditions, both in culture, in the spiritual field, in folklore, etc., as well. also in their clothing, and in particular the clothing of the "local bride (allaturka)". It has always been treated as the main element of the spiritual and material culture of the regional girl, namely of her ethnic affiliation. This clothing has many important characteristics in its composition, but one of them is to be singled out, the "kaferdzhiku" headdress. ”, which is made of red or pink silk (bajbakame), decorated and at the end of the silk fabric there are heels that are released down the back of the bride. The composition of the "kaferdjik" also includes a small hood which is placed on the head and has a pink (bajbakame) or red color, which should be the opposite of the color of the "kaferdjik". Then, to be singled out, there is also the large string of gold lyres (florin tests), without which this garment cannot even be imagined to reach its aesthetic value in terms of the jewelry it contains in its frame.
The presentation of the Kraja wedding dress to its wearer was made as dignified as possible and was something special, so the Krajanija, specifically her parents, compensated with full awareness, because such an economic sacrifice for their daughter (to give her preparing the wedding dress), it was considered a traditional thing or a spiritual obligation to one's child (daughter), which cannot be avoided easily. Being so expensive and so precious in terms of material and spiritual values, this dress became a beloved sign of belonging to the regional girl and especially to those who wear it. We can say that the preservation of this dress in the regional diaspora, as an asset spirituality of the regional girl, such as the ethnic affiliation of the region from which she comes, the dress of the "local bride (allaturka)" is a traditional dress that indicates: relations in the regional society, dreams, desires, aspirations, to preserve one's own tradition, etc., of every local girl to have and keep it as a relic of her origin, even though today it can be considered as such.
From: Hamid Alaj
New York
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