The road to Ravdoucha

Ravdoucha is a hidden cove in North West Crete. The small narrow road winds down to the sea. Looking down from my little jeep, the sight is spectacular and a bit scary to say the least. Rocks in the sea form a natural lagoon where local people come to snorkel and catch eels.

I too had been snorkelling, and it was now time to head for home. Driving slowly down a small road, I spotted an old lady who waved me down. She was leaning heavily on a stick, and I wondered if she wanted a lift somewhere. I picked up a few words- Giatro, spiti etc, and assumed that she was trying to get to the local doctor.

Chintz

I tried to help the old lady get in to the jeep, but she seemed somewhat reluctant. She pointed to a nearby house and started hobbling up a path. She grimaced and stopped pointing to her knees. She muttered the word ‘Arthritico’ and then came the Big Reveal. She hoisted up her long black skirt, and displayed, to my astonishment, flannel knee length gaudy chintz knickers. She pointed again to the nearby house and from the few words that I was able to understand, I realised that she was going there for supper.

She didn’t need a lift at all, and her reason for waving me down, was that I was obviously a foreigner, and she was just being friendly. I really must improve my Greek.

The word ‘Chintz’ comes from the Hindi word ‘Chint’ meaning ‘spotted’. Chintz fabric originated in Hyderabab in India possibly as early as the 15 th Century. Calico was printed using wood blocks into which the pattern had been carved, so that each block represented one colour. Vegetable dyes such as indigo and onion skins were used, which resulted in very bright and vibrant. colours.

Sometimes the printed cloth was polished, giving the fabric a shiny finish. The fabric was very popiular in the West, so popular in fact, that the Calico Act of 1720 banned the import of Chintz as it was feared that it was competing with the home trade.

The original chintz patterns were often based on ancient motifs, such as the Tree of Life, with bright red flowers and ornamentation.

Hand block printing is still done today, which makes the fabric very expensive, but it is also printed using silkscreens or rollers, which is less labour intensive.