Traditional Dress of Cheremule

Historical background and roots of tradition

Cheremule, known in Sardinian as Chelèmure, is a village in the Meilogu, in the province of Sassari, historically part of the Caputabbas (or Cabudabbas) area. The origin of the name is debated: one hypothesis links it to the Phoenician root Cherem-el, “vineyard of God” or “pleasant vineyard”, for the fertile soils suited to vines; another derives it from the Greek keir (hand) and mule (mill), “hand mill”, a theory supported by the many small hand mills found in the area. The territory was inhabited from the Neolithic to the Nuragic age, as shown by its nuraghi and the Moseddu necropolis, with domus de janas decorated with bull protomes. In the Middle Ages it belonged to the Giudicato of Torres, in the curatoria of Caputabbas; after 1259 it passed to the Doria family and later became an Aragonese fief. The patron saint is San Gabriele Arcangelo, to whom the 16th-century Gothic-Aragonese parish church is dedicated.

Women’s dress

The women’s dress described here is the bridal one. On the head rests the velu (veil), white tulle, square and hand-embroidered: it is worn with the ends loose and covers the whole bust.

The camija (shirt) is white cotton, finely pleated at the front with an embroidered bib. The imbustu (bodice) is beige silk, hand-embroidered with multicoloured floral motifs and enriched with gold canutiglia and white trimming; it is stiffened by rush stays and has a series of small flaps at the bottom forming the peplum. Laced with a crossed white ribbon, it ends at the front in two rigid points hidden by the skirt. The corittu (short jacket) is black velvet worked with flowers on a brown ground, hand-embroidered with multicoloured floral motifs in silk thread and gold canutiglia: it is a small shoulder cover that leaves the bodice in view. The sleeves have a small inner opening at the elbow from which two little puffs of the shirt emerge; numerous buttonholes in yellow thread are embroidered on the forearm and the cuffs close with a small button.

The munnedda (skirt) is red wool cloth, fully pleated except for the front panel, which closes on one side with small buttons covered in black velvet; edged with black velvet, it is enriched with a black lace flounce and black trimming. The falditta (apron) is black silk, edged with black lace and hand-embroidered with multicoloured floral motifs.

Men’s dress

The men’s festive dress includes the berritta (cap), black wool cloth, tubular with rounded edges and about one metre long, worn falling to one side. The entone (shirt) is white cotton, finely pleated at the front, with lace along the buttoning, on the collar and on the cuffs. The cosso (waistcoat) is black velvet, double-breasted, with a row of ornamental buttons.

The ragas (trousers) are white cotton, mid-calf length, tucked into the gaiters. Over them goes the munnedda (kilt), black orbace, finely pleated and edged with black velvet, reaching mid-thigh: a thin strip of fabric joins its front and back, passing under the crotch of the trousers. The ghettas (gaiters) are black orbace: they cover the calf and end in a rounded shape, hiding part of the shoes, and are tied with a lace below the knee. The chintorza (belt), in brown leather, completes the dress.