These nice motifs are traditional embroidery patterns of Torockó, which is a former Hungarian folklore region located in Transylvania. The motifs are made with cross stitches and also flat stitches. A common element of this pattern is the lily, which is a multifaceted symbol of purity, femininity and fertility. Sometimes the leaves are replaced by the head of a bird, and at the end of the waves they embroider a snake, which is a type of the ancient guarding animals.
Transylvanian embroidery and within that theme, they also represent the work of ethnic Hungarians living within Transylvania. To be even more distinct, these images portray embroidered jackets that originated in the Hungarian village of Torocko in western Transylvania.
Toroczko, now also known by the more Romanian sounding Rimetea, was an important centre of embroidery skills. Transylvanian Hungarians tended towards similar decoration work as that of Hungary proper further to the west. However, a mixture of styles, at least to some extent, would have been seen within the work. Influences from both native Romanians and that of the Turkish Empire would have been particularly strong. There was also an added influence from outside the region, that of native German settlers who also occupied areas of Transylvania alongside both Hungarians and Romanians.
Illustration: Torocko man's costume.
Torocko embroidery is specific and was traditionally coloured either red or blue, rather than a mixture of colours and tones. The illustrations shown in this article are of either leather or felted jackets, both sleeved and sleeveless, two with blue embroidery and one with red. The actual embroidery motif work was often floral as in Hungarian embroidery, with tulips being particularly important. The materials used were often the same as in many other areas of Transylvania and Romania as a whole, cotton or linen, but more often linen.
Interestingly, the illustrations shown here of Torocko costume, were originally produced by the Hungarian artist and craftsman Alador Kriesch-Korosfoi.
Illustration: Torocko woman's costume.
Romania itself, let alone the ethnically diverse Transylvania, has got to be one of the most complex and fascinatingly diverse areas of Europe. It is said that there are well over a hundred distinct and individual folk costume areas within the country, with countless smaller local variations. The way that today's Romania has incorporated independently distinctive ethnic areas, including Transylvanian Hungarians, has added to the richness of the culture and particularly the textile crafts, so that Romanian embroidery is now seen as one of the richest and most varied in Europe.
This library of ethnic and cultural diversity is part of Romania's heritage and there are a number of online sites that now deal with this heritage. The
RomanianMuseum.com is a particularly good site and is well worth visiting for anyone interested in the folk costumes of Romania. Also provided are a couple of links to Torocko/Rimetea, as well as a number of books and music of Transylvanian Hungarians all available at Amazon.com.
