Vintage Turkish‎ Oya Square Fine Scarf with Crochet Edging

Oya, 'Turkish lace', is a traditional art performed by Turkish women. This art, whose history dates back to ancient times, still maintains its vitality today. Today, you will definitely find colorful oya in the closet of every married woman or in the dowry of every young girl in Anatolia. Young girls and new brides traditionally conveyed their love, hopes, expectations and happiness through the lace they wore. For example, a new bride who is at odds with her husband chooses a scarf with pepper oya embroidered on her head. If there is a lot of incompatibility, the color of the peppers is red. Many motifs are inspired by nature, usually the Anatolian flowers. Various motifs take on symbolic meaning like a secret language between the women.For example, women wore lace with different flowers depending on their age; While old women wear tiny wildflowers, young women and brides wear roses, jasmine, carnations, violets and fuchsias; yellow daffodils symbolized hopeless love; A woman whose husband went abroad to work would wrap a wild rose oya around her head; A girl in love was wearing a purple hyacinth. Four edges are hand crocheted with multicolor OYA flowers. Square cotton thin fine fabric length is approximately 30 inches