We love the name “Petit Grecs.” In a universal language used around the globe, the name promises something inviting and recognizable – we can locate its source on our maps in an instant. And the logo? We understand it at a glance as the Greek Evzone, the “Tsolias” of the Presidential Guard in Athens, keeping watch over the monument to the Unknown Soldier 24/7 and giving visitors to Greece their grounding in the symbol we identify with Greece.
Get to know more about the “Tsolias” by looking carefully at all the details of the logo. First, the round cap, red in real life and reminding you of a “fez” worn through history in so many parts of the eastern Mediterranean. It is called the “farion.”
Next, the shoulder pieces of the richly embroidered “fermeli,” or waistcoat, made of blue or black wool and covered with patterns of traditional stitches of white or yellow silk.
And now, the “fustanella!” This “little skirt” actually takes an amazing 30 meters of stiff white cotton fabric to make, and results in 400 deftly made pleats, ironed meticulously before wearing. We know that the fustanella was worn by the thousands of fighters throughout the mountains of Greece who fought for and achieved their country’s independence nearly 200 years ago. Who can forget the paintings of Lord Byron and other Philhellenes, who donned the fustanella and helped their beloved Greece win its freedom?
Finally, the “tsarouchia,” the soldier’s shoe made of red leather with as many as a hundred nails struck into the sole for strength and endurance, and with the black wool pom-poms giving flair to the intricate and precise ceremonial steps of every “Tsolias” who is chosen to guard and honour Greece’s revered soldiers’ monument in Athens.
Get to know more about the “Tsolias” by looking carefully at all the details of the logo. First, the round cap, red in real life and reminding you of a “fez” worn through history in so many parts of the eastern Mediterranean. It is called the “farion.”
Next, the shoulder pieces of the richly embroidered “fermeli,” or waistcoat, made of blue or black wool and covered with patterns of traditional stitches of white or yellow silk.
And now, the “fustanella!” This “little skirt” actually takes an amazing 30 meters of stiff white cotton fabric to make, and results in 400 deftly made pleats, ironed meticulously before wearing. We know that the fustanella was worn by the thousands of fighters throughout the mountains of Greece who fought for and achieved their country’s independence nearly 200 years ago. Who can forget the paintings of Lord Byron and other Philhellenes, who donned the fustanella and helped their beloved Greece win its freedom?
Finally, the “tsarouchia,” the soldier’s shoe made of red leather with as many as a hundred nails struck into the sole for strength and endurance, and with the black wool pom-poms giving flair to the intricate and precise ceremonial steps of every “Tsolias” who is chosen to guard and honour Greece’s revered soldiers’ monument in Athens.