Illustration: Torocko Man's costume.
All of the images in this article represent traditional examples of Romanian embroidery. However, the story is much more complex than at first appears. The images specifically represent 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.
Illustration: Satellite map of 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
Further reading links:
RomanianMuseum.com
Torocko.hu
Rimetea accommodation
Peasant Art in Austria and Hungary
Embroidered Textiles: A World Guide to Traditional PatternsTündérkert / Fairyland - Hungarian and Romanian Folkmusic from Transylvania (Collected by Zoltán Kallós, Edited by Ferenc Novák)
Hungarian Folk Music From Transylvania
Romanian and Hungarian Music from Transylvania
Hungarian Folk Music from the Kis-Küküll? Region of Central Transylvania, Romania
Hungarian Music from Transylvania
Transylvania: A land beyond fiction and myth
Ethnic History of Transylvania
The Land Beyond the Forest 2 Volume Paperback Set: The Land Beyond the Forest: Facts, Figures, and Fancies from Transylvania (Cambridge Library Collection - Women's Writing) (Volume 2)
Charted Peasant Designs from Saxon Transylvania (Dover Needlework)
