One component of Palestinian culture that has fascinated me for quite some time is none other than tatreez, or Palestinian embroidery. As a lover of history, over the years I’ve gradually noticed my natural tendency to gravitate towards the traditional attires of any given culture I happen to be engulfed in at that moment. There may be various reasons as to why I was unaware of Palestinian embroidery for a long time, but its ‘discovery’ has enlightened me as well as allowed for comparisons with other traditional attires as well (ie: Incan, Mayan, African, and Russian traditional attires, to name a few). There is something about exploring the indigenous attire that really seems to transport you back in time by connecting you to the history and culture.
One of the popular designs of Palestinian dress is a long black thob (robe) with a mostly red flower pattern, along with a few other colors like blue, yellow, green, etc., which I saw worn quite often while in Jerusalem and the Occupied Territories. There are of course other dress colors and pattern designs which may be specific to different towns, such as Ramallah, Hebron, Bethlehem, etc. For instance, I have seen robes in white and blue originating from Ramallah (some pictures can be seen here) but black was the only color I saw worn during my stay.
Why the interest in traditional Palestinian embroidery, and other traditional embroideries for that matter?
For starters, the amount of time and work that it takes to make these dresses, decorations and accessories—handmade at that—definitely gets my utmost respect. In a world where almost everything is mass produced somewhere in a foreign factory, the thought that someone made your garment by hand can be very humbling. Also, depending on which garment you may be wearing, it could reveal a lot about you by appearance alone (ie: age, marital status, family/tribe/town origin, etc.). Thus in this sense, traditional attire can sometimes feel more personal than our modern-day attire, at least in the sense that we often choose not to reveal certain personal information through our clothing. Of course, I note that that is not to say that all thobs worn are this ‘revealing,’ especially nowadays. One can wear a black thob with flower pattern all over it, without it revealing said personal details. I suppose it all depends on how ‘authentic’ you want your dress to be, and what you want it to reveal about you.
Also, a detail I like to remember is the fact that there are no differences between Christian and Muslim dress patterns, as they have never been religious in nature. Given that Christian and Muslim Palestinians have lived side by side for centuries, the religious difference had never made itself apparent via clothing. Christian elements do appear in Palestinian embroidery made specifically for the home, and as such many—if not most—Christian Palestinian homes tend to have embroidered scenes from Jesus’s life hanging up on their walls.
*Edit to the above*: apparently that statement might not be completely accurate, at least in terms of the garments made in the past (think early 1900's and prior). I've talked with several people confirming that the garment patterns were specific to different towns, and seeing as religion was a defining factor, it was also incorporated into the clothing. It might be that these days, the dresses are less specific—or not as intent on specifying religion seeing as the majority of Palestinians still living there are now Muslim, and thus perhaps making the Christian population almost "too insignificant" to differentiate from—rendering that distant and perhaps almost forgotten information somewhat confused and/or mixed up.
*Edit to the above*: apparently that statement might not be completely accurate, at least in terms of the garments made in the past (think early 1900's and prior). I've talked with several people confirming that the garment patterns were specific to different towns, and seeing as religion was a defining factor, it was also incorporated into the clothing. It might be that these days, the dresses are less specific—or not as intent on specifying religion seeing as the majority of Palestinians still living there are now Muslim, and thus perhaps making the Christian population almost "too insignificant" to differentiate from—rendering that distant and perhaps almost forgotten information somewhat confused and/or mixed up.
It has been a dream of mine to have my very own custom-made Palestinian thob someday. Being vertically-challenged prevents me from going to fairs and simply snatching any of the dresses they have on display, as much as I’ve wanted to. Therefore, it has been and will remain a goal I will work towards, since I have heard they can cost anywhere from $400-$600+ depending on the specifics. Yes it may seem like a high price, but knowing what it entails, it’s one which I will gladly pay when the time is right. J
Here are two pictures displaying Palestinian embroidery taken on June 18, 2011 at the Bethlehem Fair Trade Market and a list of some books on Palestinian embroidery, as well as websites of interest:
Books:
Websites:
List of worldwide collections of Palestinian costumes:
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