National costume of Klaipėda region (Minor Lithuania)
Minor or Prussian Lithuania is a historical-ethnographic region of Prussia. To-
day a small portion of Lithuania Minor is within the borders of modern Lithu-
ania and Poland while most of the territory is part of the Kaliningrad Oblast of
Russia.
The region of Lithuania minor is the only area in Lithuania where the majority
of people accepted the Lutheran faith. This circumstance as well as the po-
litical and cultural environment differed from the rest of Lithuania and greatly
influenced this ethnographic regions clothing. Old clothing in Klaipėda as de-
scribed by writers was very colourful and decorative. The darkened clothing of
Klaipėda is attractive in its unique elegance and its somewhat inventive trans-
formation of urban fashions.
Some interesting facts about Klaipėda region national costume “Delmonas”
In the beginning of the 19th century, brides wore an impressive nettedcap, the
so-called ‘kykas’, a high cylindrically-shaped type of head dressmade from
black velvet or felt.
Women’s clothing
Almost every woman and girl in the Klaipeda region had an especially deco-
rative handbag, called ‘delmonas’. The ‘delmonas‘ presented a cloth pocket
worn at the waist, with geometrical or plant designs embroidered with coloured
threads or beads. It was held by a sash and worn on the apron on the right-hand
side.