Vlachs

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Silk head kerchief with gold yarn (tsipa).

More about this object here

Old man

Of the various races that inhabit the Balkan peninsula the Vlachs are in many ways one of the least known. […] At the present day they are to be found widely scattered over the more mountainous and remote parts of the peninsula from Acarnania in the south to as far north as the mountains of Bulgaria and Serbia. […] The position of the Vlach villages high up in the hills of Macedonia, in districts rarely visited, the departure of the Vlachs from the plains in early spring before the time when travelling is most common, their use of a second language in all intercourse with the outer world and lastly the double meaning of the name Vlach in Modern Greek have all helped to restrict and confuse outside knowledge of their life and conditions.

“The nomads of the Balkans: an account of life and customs among the Vlachs of Northern Epirus”, Alan J. B. Wace – Maurice S. Thompson, Methuen, London, 1914

Woman

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Metsovite women, circa 1900. (Archive of G. Platari-Tzima)

During the period of large-scale migration, Metsovo women were forced to take responsibility for their families’ survival, as well as for the wellbeing of the entire community. At home, women managed their families’ daily needs (food, clothes, etc).

Father

Typical rich Metsovite livestock farmer wearing a white woven shirt. This white outfit, which was also one of the oldest, was typical of the livestock farmer class, which was generally called Alghi (Whites).
(Archive of G. Platari-Tzima)

Originally, the traditional Metsovo outfit came in two colours: white and black.
Livestock farmers and landowners usually wore the white dress and lower classes the black one.
The black dress gradually became the norm.

Girl

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Tositseio Girls’ School students from the wider region of Metsovo.
(Archive of G. Platari-Tzima)

In 1861, a Girls’ School was founded in Metsovo thanks to a donation from Eleni Tossizza. Until that time, most Metsovo women did not speak Greek.

Doctor Spyridon Sokolis, who worked in Metsovo during the mid-19th century, mentions that after the founding of the school, «…students showed immense progress in both language studies and handiwork…»
He also noted that men spoke Greek well thanks to their commercial activities and their continuous contact with Ioannina and Trikala.

During the 19th century, there were five schools in Metsovo: a kindergarten, a girls’ school, two primary schools and a “Scholarhio”, where students could attend the two first years of high school.

Tsarouhi shoes

The typical footwear of the Vlachs is the “tsarouhi” shoe, which was also worn by villagers throughout the southern Balkans. These shoes have almost flat, thin soles fitted with nails, and pointy toes decorated with big pompoms.