IA
Read more about this cultural treasure
Name: Anca Azoitei
Place: Suceava
Region: Bucovina
Origin: Romania
Category: handicraft
Description
The richly colored and varied shapes of the traditional shirt, IA, had more than an aesthetic significance. The shirt was full of magical symbols meant to ward off the wearer from evil spirits or old women’s charms.
Whether it was made of linen or hemp, borangic or silk, the central sign of the shirt was always the cross. The shirts worn by married women differed from those worn by unmarried girls. Married and old women wore shirts with stitches in darker colors, while for the young girls the colors were lighter and brighter.
Intention
“IA reflects the identity of Romanian people. The traditional IA has a significance and value for the Romanian folklore similar to the meaning of the pyramids to Egyptians, cathedrals to French and the dams to the Dutch. IA is one visible and tangible testimony of the village tradition on our land. The Romanian costume takes us out of the field of art and leads us into that of history “, is the description made by the Romanian people in the volume” Romania – From the traditional folk harbor treasure”.
