Sunday, March 08, 2015

Andorra Traditional Clothing


The Andorrans generally identify by their ethnicity, not by their nation. Due to this, most of the people will proclaim themselves to be Catalan, Spanish, French, or Portuguese. Some even call themselves "Andorran," but within the country's borders this is often a term used in reference to their ethnicity, not their nationality; for many people the terms "Catalan" and "Andorran" are interchangeable from an ethnic definition.
These identities, no matter how one defines him or herself, are obviously tied to their ethnicity and language, but in the case of being "Catalan" versus being "Andorran" it is more of a question of personal preference as to how they identify. On a secondary level, and when abroad, many people in Andorra, no matter their ethnicity will identify as being "Andorran," referencing the nationality.

The Andorran costume is very similar to the Catalan costumes worn in France and Spain. For women the costume features a full, mostly flowered skirt over a white petticoat; a blouse (sometimes covered by a flowered shawl); long, black, fingerless net gloves; and black espadrilles (cloth sandals) with white stockings. The traditional costume for men is a white shirt, dark knee-length pants, white stockings, black shoes, broad red sashes tied at the waist and the barretina (the traditional Catalan cap).
The stamps above are from a series of 1972 celebrating Andorran customs. They show "Les Caramelles" (traditional Easter songs choir) and La Marratxa (a traditional dance representing the two co-princes dancing with the six parishes), respectively.




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