Al-Sitara, Past and Present [Archives:2000/47/Culture]

                Layla Malek
Al-Sitara is a piece of clothing, large and loose as the cloak women of Sanaa wear over their ordinary clothes when they go out to places near their houses. In Aden, women wear the aba, a black covering worn on clothes. In Taiz, women put on large scarves, in Hodieda, a large sarong. This overcovering piece of clothing vary from one region to another.
Al-Sitara is a multi-colored rectangular piece of cloth, mostly green and crimson red in colour. It is called Sitara because it covers.
There are two kinds of Sitara: original, manufactured abroad and traditional, locally made in factories built for this purpose. However, the original is much preferred. Beside Al-Sitara, there is also another small rectangular piece of cloth called Al-Maghmugh, the veil. Al-Maghmugh is put on the head and conceals the womans face so that she can see people without being seen. It is red in color, white-spotted and transparent.
K. B., a 70-year-old lady, said, I have known Al-Sitara since childhood. All women around me used to wear it at different times. In the morning, they used to put on casual sarongs, in the afternoons or when going to weddings, they used to wear Al-Sitara which was of many kinds. Before Al-Sitara, there had been a red and black striped piece of cloth called Al-Maswan.
N. B., a 49-year-old woman, from Wadi Dhahr, said, In the past, women used to wear sarongs or Masawen (plural of Maswan) in the afternoons when they go out. Now, we wear Al-Sitara in the mornings and afternoons and we only wear Al-Sharashef, black frocks, when we go to Sanaa city. We got used to wearing Al-Sitara since we were very young girls for they used to make it for us small and casual. Every region used to have its own Sitara like Al-Kabbasyat Sarongs for the women in Dhula, a sarong with a black square in the center that has a hem, the Khawlani Maswan in Khawlan and the Sanaani Maswan.
S. A. a Lahooh (some kind of bread) seller, said, Al-Sitara is a very important and indispensable costume for us as Lahooh sellers for it is shameful to wear frocks while selling and this will make people criticize us. Therefore, we are forced to wear Al-Sitara even by our families who castigate us for not wearing it. We have to put on Al-Sitara at the age of 7, of course for work. For visiting relatives or going to weddings, we put on Al-Sharashef.
A. M., a married woman, said, I wear Al-Sitara because it is easy to use particularly when I rush to buy something from the greengrocers or to see a neighbor. Furthermore, it doesnt attract peoples attention. However, I put on the frock if I want to go farther than my home.
Samah Atef, a university student, said, I rarely wear Al-Sitara. I wear it for nearby places. However, the frock covers the casual clothes better than Al-Sitara which does not cover the dress below while walking. Now, Al-Sitara has become an old traditional costume for old women, but not for us.
Elham Malek said, I never wear Al-Sitara and I dont have one at home because it does not cover the whole clothes woman wears and I can hardly walk in it. It makes me stumble and not able to hold the shopping items because I have to keep holding it with my hand so as not to drop. Al-Sitara has become a traditional costume suitable for old women.
H. A. said, I never wear Al-Sitara and I dont have one but my mother has. Although it is good, I do not like wearing it for it does not cover all the clothes we wear. Frankly speaking, I feel shy to wear it. Besides, it attracts mens attention.
L. A., a university student, said, Frankly, Al-Sitara is a necessary thing that must be available at home even if not used. I think there is a Sitara in every house in Sanaa. For me, I dont wear it but my mother wears it all the time and sisters wear it when they go to visit neighbors. Nowadays, Al-Sitara is more suitable for the old women than for us.
Kh. M. said, I put on Al-Sitara when I go to places near my house. It is a traditional costume but I do not always wear it and I can not walk properly in it. Frankly, it suits the old ladies more than us.


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