FOLK COSTUME AS AN ETHNIC IDENTITY PARAMETHER

Abstract

The function of folk costume as an ethnic identificator was only secondary in traditional society. That is why no adequat attention was paid by numerous researchers of folk costumes in Yugoslavia. This topic was activated by contemporary attitude towards the folk costume. At the moment when functions of folk costumes have been lost, this remains the only one that maintains costume in use, or what is more interesting, brings it back as already abandoned dressing fashion.

The main carriers today are males. This can be explained by traditional patriarchal system of relations in family and society, glorifying in such way some old values abandoned long time ago through development of social relations.

„Folk costume“ is mostly typical, and used as a sing of mush larger areas than in the past. According to research in Serbia, we may point out the notion that on whole republic territory, Serbian costume appears as variation of Šumadija costume beginning 19 th century, with lots of elements from the period afterthe First World War.

Research of this occurance shows that carriers of such costumes are citizens of towns, temporary workers outside the country, and recently, children and youth, citizens in towns without real connections with willages and village life. Profesional structure in this case is completly unimportant. In our social and political trends, this has a very exact cause.