Thus, the International Cultural Center of Hammamet, the Maison de la Méditerranée for culture and the arts, in collaboration with the Association “the ambassadors of Hammamet” (Safirat), organizes on May 18, 2022 a day from 10:00 a.m. to Dar Sebastian to celebrate the traditional outfits and clothes drawn from the Hammammet heritage with the presentation of the stages of the making of the habit, the tracing of the drawing, Rchimaembroidery, Triza and finally to sewing and Tahrij. The craftswomen will have the opportunity to talk regarding their know-how and their transmission. The closing will be done by a parade highlighting the rituals of the traditional marriage in Hammamet and the clothes worn by the bride. The organizers of the event display, in the announcement of the initiative, the characteristics of this habit.
The precision and know-how of these women make their reputation. The embroideries of Hammamet are celebrated and evoked in sewing manuals and tell the story of Hammamet, its past, preserved until today. The mothers make sure to pass on this ancestral art to their daughters.
An embroidery that is always up to date. The variety of fabrics, wool, silk, cotton, linen, velvet, adds to the richness of the materials: gold thread, flat silver thread, sequins, cannetille, braids, buttons, embroidery, machine-made or hand-made lace. the hand, ribbons and rosettes make the ornaments of this local dress. The tracing of the designs, the embroidery and the ornamentation of the collars, the ends of the sleeves and the lower borders of the clothes, are executed by the “rachama”, the “tarraza” and the “harraja”. All you need is a few threads and a needle, and get creative.
Hammamet is renowned for the originality and diversity of its traditional costumes, especially women. Costumes that are remarkably well designed like “Al Keswa Kebira”, “La Jebba Matrouza” and which remain the most expensive. “The Jebba Akri” with a red half and the other black is worn by the women of Hammamet during the second day of marriage. The bride also wears a round gold “Taaguiya” hat on her head and a silk “Fouta Hrir” scarf to adjust the tunic at the waist. The “kadroune” is a woolen coat with long sleeves, worn especially in winter. “Al Kamis” and “Seroual” are both made from white, embroidered fabric. The “souriya” or “kmijja” is a shirt embellished with gold thread embroidery. The “farmela” is a generally embroidered waistcoat. “Mérioul fadhila” is a knit made of cotton or silk threads. The “Tigar” is worn by the bride with the local headdress. “Eckmak” is a hand-embroidered shoe with silk threads.
Accessories are the essential complements to enhance the beauty of women’s costumes in Hammamet. In addition to the headdresses, richly decorated with embroidery of silk, silver, pearls and shoes with appropriate embroidery, there are the traditional jewels which persist through times and eras (Roman, Byzantine, Arab, Turkish and Andalusian ) to add a little more sparkle to the outfits and to the charm of those who wear them and whose names were “Skhabe” “khalkhal”, “hjar”, “Khajla” “tlila” and “jlaïet”.
The traditional dress of the woman in hammamet is known for its authenticity. These women from Hammam are the holders of traditional know-how. They even shape the collective memory. They conserve, perpetuate and transmit to younger generations a cultural and identity heritage.
Thus, any effort to safeguard traditional craftsmanship must essentially aim not to preserve handicrafts alone, but to support craftswomen and craftsmen, to encourage them to continue to produce creations of all kinds, to transmit their skills and their know-how to others and to new apprentices.