The hardest thing to do is to try to describe regional (folk) costumes which no one wears anymore. This may sound unbelievable, but very true, because nothing has changed so fast in Karpathos as did the costumes of men and women, especially the women's costumes.

The Karpathians are very conservative about their way of life and strong traditions, even to the point of having a distinct accent and dialect. But when it comes to their dressing habits, then there are so many changes, even within a generation, that one cannot keep track of their evolution. The never forgotten university professor M. G. Michaelides - Nouaros wrote in one of his books about and observation he made while visiting his village of Othos. He remarked that he once saw an old neighbor wear the "zipouna" (dress from Olymbos). Her daughter was wearing the "vesta" (mid-length dress) and their granddaughter was wearing the "sakofousta" (combination skirt and vest). Still another friend was wearing a more modern dress.

This way all the traditional folk costumes of the men and women of Karpathos have been lost, except in the village of Olymbos where one can find some of the traditional costumes because the inhabitants are moist conservative about the traditions of Karpathos. The richly decorated "kavai" of Olymbos is the most representative sample of the Karpathian traditional costume.

It is worthwhile to mention the symbolic nature of the Karpathian costume. More than one hundred years ago, the costume is what was used to show the person. That is, the costume was a status symbol, and it was scandalous for someone belonging to a lower class to wear the costume worm by the elite class.

It is worthwhile for anyone to see and study the Karpathian folk art, which is really something different and interesting; a departure from the usual. Representation of the Karpathian folk art is primarily found in the home. The way the Karpathian women decorate the "karpathiko" with their best needlecraft creation, and the details of the meticulous woodwork of the Karpathian craftsmen can be seen on all wooden items in the house.

The outside of the house is quite plain in comparison with the inside which depicts the sensitive nature of the Karpathians. Silk scarves colored with bright colors which blend harmoniously depict pictures of flowers, birds, leaves, crosses and other geometric designs. Bed sheets and pillow cases decorated by hand with needlecraft designs reflect the pride of the Karpathian woman. The doors, closets, shelves, and trunks which are all hewed with artistic patience out of wood radiate a warm atmosphere within the "karpathiko". Plates with colorful designs are lined up on three tier shelves which surround the walls of the "karpathiko "

This takes us into the everyday house wares. In the wooden "stamnathaka" (water container storage area) one will find the clay urn which holds the cool drinking water supply of the house. Also in the wooden "psomothouka" (bread box) one will find the weeks supply of round home baked bread. From the ceiling hangs the "katsouna" which holds the "koulouria" (breadsticks in a round donut shape) coated with sesame seeds. One can see the "kafkalo" (round wooden basin) which is used to mix the dough.

Finally we come to the costume of the Karpathian woman, which is definitely a work of art with its rich and abundant folk art designs. The material which is made out of raw cotton is hand made and custom dyed. The head scarfs are decorated with silk. The artistic "stivania" (boots) complement the costume. Sometimes instead of the "stivania" women wear the "gemenia" (slippers) which are richly decorated.

The use of musical instruments had its origin in ancient times and there are many ties between the music, religious and cultural ceremonies. Throughout the centuries, musical instruments served more the intellectual and cultural needs. Today, the musical instruments serve the purpose of preserving the folk song of Karpathos, and the dances during the various events on the island. Credit for this musical tradition must be given to the craftsmen who still, to this day, fabricate these instruments and to the musicians who play them.

In Karpathos there are basically three types of musical instruments, the "lyra", the "laouto" and the "tsambouna". There are however several other instruments also used in Karpathian music including the violin and the flute, which are not very widely used. All the instruments together are commonly referred to as the "lyrotsambouna". The musicians typically play in pairs; usually the "lyra" with the "laouto" or the "lyra" with the "tsambouna".

The "lyra" is an instrument similar to that of the string instruments. It has a pear shape, made out of a very hard pine wood called "katrani", and contains three strings. A bow is also provided, usually made from the same wood as the "lyra", which also has bells attached to it.

The "tsambouna" is an instrument similar to a bagpipe. There are three main parts to a "tsambouna"; the "masouri" mouthpiece, the "tsambounokafkalo", a double flute piece, and the bag which is made from goat skin. This instrument is primarily popular in the northern village of Olymbos.

The "laouto" is an instrument very popular in many places throughout Greece. This instrument has a shape similar to the Greek bouzouki by a little larger. The "laouto" usually accompanies the "lyra" and/or the "tsambouna".

In spite of the historical fluctuations and conquests that Karpathos endured, its dances, like its customs, religion and language and moral values, remained unchanged with the passing of time.

Describing the island's dances, one could comment that the dances reflect the character of the Karpathian, his most basic values. The dances portray strictness in the movements; group homogeneity, allowing only the leader of the dances, the "kavos" a bit more freedom in his movements. Similarities with the ancient Greek dances are obvious, especially with those of the Dorian settlements. As far as the rhythm is concerned, the Karpathian dances begin, for the most part, with a slow beat, gradually working up to and ending with a fast beat, passing through a brief intermediate phase of middle beat and rhythm. The dancer's tension follows the rhythm, maximizing the effect of the part of the dance with more nervous and vertical movement. This is exemplified particularly in the classical and most popular dance of the island, "pano horos". The structure of the Karpathian dance has, as previously mentioned, many similarities with the ancient Greek dances, as far as the shape and togetherness the group presents. The role of the "kavo", the head of the dance is to lead the rest of the line. In almost all of the Karpathian dances, the leader sings spontaneously created verses, "mantinades" especially to the beginning slow rhythm. The verses are sung to a specific fifteen syllable iambic beat. Each verse is then repeated along, with the rest of the men in the dance.

The basic dances of Karpathos are:

Pano Horos - This classical dance of Karpathos is danced without exception, in all the villages, with small and few variations between versions. Basically, it is a unification of three dances, the "gonatistos", a slow part with singing, the "kato horos", a middle rhythm and the "pano horos" .

Zervos - It is the only Greek dance which is danced from right to left. For this reason it gets its name "zervos" meaning backward. Tradition says that the "zervos" should not be danced at weddings, because generally speaking, the right is associated with good lick while the left "zervos" is connected with bad luck.

Kefallonitika - This old Karpathian dance took its name from the lyrics of the song which accompanies it. Its structure is similar to that of the "pano horos" but has different steps and a shorter duration. Unfortunately, it is one of the dances which is in danger of extinction on the island.

Sousta - This is a group dance which is danced in the southern villages of Karpathos. It is believed to have been influenced by the southern islands of Greece.

Antipatitis - This dance from Mesoxori, a village in the central part of Karpathos, is also a group dance. It is also one of the dances slowly fading from the island.

Arkistis - This dance is danced as a love/hate duel between two men who claim their affection of their loved one. It is danced at the edge of a cliff under the window of their loved one. The winner is he who manages, while dancing, to throw the other over the cliff, winning the heart of his love.

The ancient Greek writers gave very little information about Karpathos. Hesiod was the first to mention Karpathos in the "Homeric Odes". The greatest poet of all times, Homer, author of the Iliad, included Karpathos, along with other islands that participated in the Trojan War. The father of history, Herodotus mentioned Karpathos as a stop over place between Greece and Egypt. Apollonius the Rhodian wrote that the Argonauts passed from Karpathos on their homebound trip.

The early ancient travelers gave us more information about Karpathos. Diodorus the Sideliot wrote that the followers of King Minos of Crete were the first inhabitants of Karpathos and many generations later the Peloponnesians set up a colony there. Strabo gave more details and referred to Karpathos as the "tetrapolis" meaning four towns. Ptolemy referred to Karpathos as "tripolis", meaning three towns.

Latin writers also include Karpathos in their works. Pliny informs us how the tasteful fish "skaros" was transplanted from Karpathos to the Italian coast. Horatio wrote about the rough Karpathian Sea.

Very little information was written about Karpathos by Byzantine authors. Anna Komnena referred to Karpathos as a Byzantine naval base while the Byzantines attempted to recapture Crete from the Arabs. Around the same time the Arab writers refer to Karpathos as a naval base, used for the control of Eastern Mediterranean trade. More information about Karpathos is provided by the medieval travelers and obtained from the Venetian archives. Nineteenth century travelers, most of them renowned scholars and archaeologists, provided well documented scientific information.

By the end of the nineteenth century, starting with the published of Emmanuel Manolakakis "Karpathiaka", Karpathos became a subject of special study. This period reached its peek with the publication of the monumental historical and folklore works of Michael Michaelides -Nouaros. This work is continued to this day by many Karpathians and other Greek and foreign writers.

From a historical standpoint, very little has been written on the subject of Karpathian women. Mythology reveals, however, that the first woman of Karpathos was the Goddess of Wisdom, Athena.

Traditional, the role of a Karpathian woman was one of housewife and mother. She was the center of home life, preoccupying herself with raising her children, weaving her family's clothes on hand looms, bread baking and embroidering. With the advent of commerce, however and in addition to her household duties, the Karpathian woman evolved to become the backbone of a self-sufficient Agrarian economy. While her husband traded to Asia Minor or to neighboring Islands, she devoted herself to the cultivation of the land, i.e., olive and almond groves, vineyards, etc.

Generally speaking, modern day Karpathian women are beginning to abandon their traditional roles, attending universities and entering professional fields. The women of Olymbos, however, are an exception; they have retained their traditional roles and persist on maintaining them. The ancient Dorian dialect is still spoken today. Traditional hand-woven costumes are still worn, while the cultivation of the land is still a woman's duty.

It is not something new nor paradoxical for the Greek heritage to find that even though Karpathians have their origin in a very small island, one will find them settled in all four corners of the earth. During the nineteenth century the agricultural goods produced from the few farmlands of the island could not support the inhabitants of Karpathos. As a result, people were forced to seek their fortunes in foreign countries.

During the previous centuries, the immigration of the Karpathians was directed and concentrated in the Greek speaking colonies of the Ottoman Empire. This immigration was actually executed on a part time basis. That is, the men would go to Asia Minor for the summer months to work, thus supplementing their yearly income. In the beginning of the twentieth century the systematic immigration of Karpathians to far away counties started. This outflow was mainly concentrated toward the United States of America. In whichever country the Karpathians found themselves, they had to overcome cultural and language barriers to elevate their status. They worked under the most adverse conditions, in the most menial and socially unacceptable jobs. The late nineteenth century marked the arrival of Karpathian to the United States of America. There were many and varied reasons for the mass immigration of Karpathians, among which were the lack of sufficient work to occupy them selves on the island. Because of the nature of the Karpathians and their desire to maintain close ties among themselves, various social clubs and societies were formed.

The first society formed was wheeling, West Virginia by a group of Karpathians working in the coal mines. Their prime objective was to collect money in order to build a school for the children in Aperi, one of Karpathos villages. This organization had a relatively short life, and in 1928 was succeeded by the Karpathian Educational and Progressive Association, K.E.P.A. The main goals of K.E.P.A. were more general and had to do with major problems facing the island including the fight for independence. Many organizations were subsequently formed, many of them for the sole purpose of providing aid for their respective villages. Today there are over a dozen Karpathian societies in the United States of America.