GALICIAN COSTUMES

There are two kinds of Galician costumes: the one that is daily won, made of  a coarse fabric, and the etiquette costume, basically made of fine fabric and silk.

                A woman’s costume is made up of refaixo (an underskirt) , mantel  ( a long apron worn on top o the skirt and tied at the back), mandil a smaller apron worn on top of the mantelo, a shirt or blouse, dengue (a short cape covering the shoulders, crossed at the bossom and tying bac at the back. The dengue  is usually beautifully decorated with jet and sequins or gems depending on social status. It is only part of the etiquette costume). The mantón is a big embroidered shawl worn on top of the dengue.  The head is usually covered by a cap or a scarf. If women wear nothing on the head, they wear their long hair plaited or in a bun. Long beautiful earings, usually made of jet and silver are an important part of the outfit.

                The man’s outfit is simpler. It consisted of gaits, leggings o other forms of underwear, trousers a guird, a shirt, a waistcoat,  a jacket and a hat or monteira (a cap made of black velvet and adoned with sequins, tassels and other trimmings)