The white pleated kilt worn by Greece's Evzone Presidential Guard outside the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier in Athens is o...

The white pleated kilt worn by Greece's Evzone Presidential Guard outside the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier in Athens is one of the most recognizable symbols of Greek identity, and one of the most disputed garments in the Balkans. Greeks trace the fustanella to the klephts and armatoles who fought Ottoman rule, and to the revolutionary fighters of 1821, including Kolokotronis's men. After Greece gained independence, King Otto made it the official court dress of the new kingdom in 1833, and in 1868 it was formally adopted as the Evzone uniform. The Greek ceremonial version is shorter, reaching above the knee, and carries 400 pleats, representing the roughly 400 years of Greek life under Ottoman rule. Albanians contest that origin story. Albanian scholars and many 19th-century European travellers described the fustanella as an Albanian garment, and a version of it was worn by Albania's Royal Guard before World War Two. Albanian versions of the garment are generally longer and simpler, with fewer pleats. The historical record complicates both claims. During Ottoman times the fustanella was everyday dress across much of the southern Balkans, worn by Greeks, Albanians, Aromanians, and others. Whether Greek writers are right to link it to ancient and Byzantine pleated tunics, or whether Albanian scholars are right that Arvanite settlers brought it south, remains genuinely contested. What is not contested is what it means to Greece today. The fustanella became the uniform of the men who bled for Greek independence, was institutionalized by the first modern Greek state, and has been the ceremonial dress of the Presidential Guard for 158 years. Every time an image of the Evzones surfaces online, the comment sections between Greek and Albanian users turn into a full-scale argument. The debate shows no sign of ending. #Greece #Balkans #GreekHistory