Best of Crete - Tourism Consulting

Walking in the streets you may come across men wearing the traditional Cretan outfit. The typical kerchief “sariki” worn in the head is called “tears” and it is a symbol of mourning over peoples’ loss at Arkadi Monastery during their uprising against the Turks.
Men wear baggy trousers “Vraka”, black shirt, a sleeveless waistcoat and high boots. Around their waist they wrap an 8 meters’ red silk sash in which they put their knife, which symbolizes pride and honor. The Cretan knife is also a symbol of friendship and is often engraved with a small poem “mandinada” especially dedicated to the owner or the person that the knife is offered as a gift.