One of the very rare and old Greek matchboxes owned by the “Matches Museum” is “Tsolias”.
“Tsolias”, the matchbox, is from the period of the Greek monopoly. It was manufactured in 1930 in Finland and of course the box is wooden.
The “Tsoliades” (plural of the word Tsolias), or ” Evzones ” in other words, are elite group of soldiers of the Greek army. Their uniform was officially established by King Otto of Greece, which he was also wearing to official appearances.
Through their historical action, the Evzones had become symbols of bravery for the Greek people. Nowadays, the soldiers of the greek Presidential Guard are called “Evzones”, and they carry out missions of a symbolic nature, mainly guarding the Monument to the Unknown Soldier and the Presidential Palace.
What is unexpected is the etymology of the word “Tsolias “, which is derived from the Turkish word “chul”, from which our well-known word “choli” comes, meaning a worn carpet or garment. Thus, “Tsolias” is the one who is dressed in scumbags, i.e. the dirty, the ragged, the worthless, the lewd. The Turks called “Tsoliades” the Greek fighters of the Revolution completely derogatory. It is curious how this incredibly offensive characterization was retained, not by the Turks, but by the Greeks…
In 1868, when the Presidential Guard was established, the Homeric word “Evzonos” (the well-girded) was chosen to describe the men who served in it.
And in any case, the signified of the word “Tsolias” now is certainly a masculine man of great stature and imposing.