© Walter Maksimovich

"Still today at christenings, marriages, and festivals wherever in the world they find themselves, Lemko men and women don brilliant white shirts and blouses of hemp (common) or flax (extra-special) emblazoned with patterns of local design, color, and mystical meaning. Embroidered with thread, beads, and metal buttons, especially on sleeves, hems, and collars, the designs are intricate—of “flower, twig, bud, or leaf,” or of hexish geometric patterns—giving a feel of wildflowers blooming through bright fields of snow. The pants of men and the skirts, vests, and horizontally-striped aprons of women mimic the natural colors of sky, forest, meadow, and night—with backgrounds of blue, green, red, pink, purple, or black—the color of skirts or aprons often signaling the status of their wearers: red, blue, pink, or white (depending on village) for single; green for married; and black for widowed."

— page 45, Into the Carpathians, Part 2, © Alan E. Sparks.