In Andorra, everyday dress is contemporary Western style, while traditional costume is kept for folk dances and special occasions.
The men’s costume
The traditional male outfit pairs knee breeches in hard-wearing cloth with a long-sleeved black velvet jacket that has a small collar, lapels and large buttons. Underneath is a white shirt with a small string tie, worn with white stockings, leather shoes and a cloth or fur hat topped with a red tassel.
The women’s costume
Women wear a full, long skirt, a long-sleeved bodice and a jacket with a shawl, with very little decoration. Married women may add a hat or kerchief, although it is not required.
A dark palette and the dance groups
The traditional scheme was black or very dark. The Society of Folk Dance Historians links this partly to the country’s smuggling past, when dark clothing helped people cross the French and Spanish borders at night. Dark browns, blues and greens have appeared more recently, though the look remains subdued, and corduroy has become fashionable.
Today the costume is most often seen at dances. UNESCO Andorra notes that the valley dance groups, known as esbarts, help preserve the country’s traditional clothing, dances and legends, and an Andorran news report counts five esbarts with more than a hundred dancers between them. Dances such as the sardana and the contrapàs are performed at festivals and in town squares in summer.
Sources: Countries and Their Cultures: Andorrans, Society of Folk Dance Historians: Andorran Dance and Music, UNESCO Andorra: Cultural heritage of Andorra, Alto Andorra: Andorra’s dance groups.
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