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Apollera is aSpanish term for a large one-pieceskirt used mostly in traditional festivities and folklore throughout Spanish-speakingLatin America.Polleras are made from different materials, such as cotton or wool and tend to have colorful decorations. Most of the decorations are embroidered, flowers and regional animals are among the most common designs found inpolleras.
Polleras are a form of Spanish colonial dress enforced sometime between the sixteenth and seventeenth centuries on indigenous populations in the Andes byhacienda owners orhacendados. Traditionalpolleras come from peasant dress from southern Spanish regions likeAndalusia. Today,polleras are associated with indigenous andfolkloric forms of dress.
In Spain, it is askirt worn by women almost a century ago. They are made ofwool orcotton and are very colorful. The large gathered skirt is generally white with two or three ruffles which have a floral design orembroidery. The top has several ruffles as well on theshoulders and has inlaid yarn. There is a large pompom matching the yarn in the front and back of the top. Theyarn also matches several large ribbons at the waist and the slippers that go with the outfit. The clothing includes aheaddress called atembleque (ortembeleque) which is made of beads attached to a spring so that they shake when the wearer dances.
In Panama, fully handmadepolleras are worn during festivals or celebrations. They are mainly made of cotton and linen. Normally, the dominant color is white, and the skirts feature colorful flower designs as embellishment.
A singlepollera can cost from several hundred to several thousand dollars and take up to a year or two to create, depending on its complexity.Gold andpearl jewelry such asmosquetas (made up of concentric, alternating circles), combs, collars andtembleques (hair jewelry in the shape of three-dimensional flowers or insects such as butterflies)[1][2] that may be worn with apollera, are generally passed down as heirlooms through generations.
Panamanianpolleras are made up of an upper and lower section, the latter of which is the skirt of thepollera.
The adornments are embroidery or needlework on the skirt and upper part that are sewn entirely by hand in several steps that progressively build the desired effect. Eachpollera is custom-made and handmade by an artisan.
There are several kinds of Panamapolleras, each of which may vary by region, such as:[3][4]
Apollera festival is held on 22 July each year.[5]
In Bolivia and Peru the wordpollera denotes a pleated skirt very much associated with the urbanmestizo and the rural indigenous classes where women usually wear this garment (nowadays also instead of the woven indigenous dresses). The urbanpollera typical of theBolivian altiplano should be made of 8 metres (26 ft) of cloth and it is worn with 4–5 embroidered underskirts.
The skirt worn under the toppollera is called thefuste; under thefuste (in the third skirt) is typically made from wool. Many women still wear this skirt, which originates from Spanish rural dresses and for theCarnaval de Oruro orVirgen de la Candelaría festival in Peru, and other festivities. During traditional festivities women who do not usually wear it will put it on for the dancing.