Denizli (needle lace) · Plant motifs
Çift dalagan (double nettle)
An oya born from the nettle leaf: two leaves, woman and man.
What does it mean?
“Dalagan” is the name for stinging nettle in some parts of Anatolia. The “çift dalagan” needle lace (oya) made in Denizli depicts two nettle leaves; the leaves symbolise woman and man. If the two leaves are worked in the same colour they announce love; if in different colours, discord [1]. In Anatolia, oyas were a way of saying what could not be said in words: the same study reports that the “elma çiçeği” (apple blossom) oya, worked in shades of pink and white, expressed youth, health and engagement, and that brides expecting a baby announced the good news with this oya [1].
Related plants
- Stinging nettle: “Dalagan” is the local name for stinging nettle; the oya depicts two nettle leaves.
Same theme
Sources
Drawing: Bitki Tabanı, interpreted from the traditional motif.