National costumes around the world are an important part of the image of the country and culture. National costume is a way to express yourself on a national scale. Each country has its own traditions, its own history and its own uniqueness. And of course, each of them has their own unique national costumes. Today we will talk about the most colorful and interesting costumes.
National costumes Russia
In Rus' National Costume had its own characteristics depending on the region and was divided into everyday and festive. By national dress it was possible to understand where a person comes from and what social class he belongs to. The folk costume and its decoration contained symbolic information about the whole family, about its occupations and family events.
In Russian traditional attire, there was a clear division into everyday and festive attire.
National costumes Scotland
As soon as it comes to national costumes, Scotland is one of the first countries that pops up in our memory. A notable characteristic of the Scottish style is the checkered coloring of the fabric, used both in accessories and in clothing itself, but in principle, in plaids, even this is not the most striking of them. The most unusual thing about Scottish attire is the commitment to skirts, and for the most part in men.
At present, the Scots wear their national dress on important events, according to official holidays, for weddings or sporting events.
National costumes Japan
In Japan, the national costume is a kimono, a robe with wide sleeves. It is made of silk fabric and is always only lined. A Japanese woman in a colorful kimono is the most charming thing. At any age, a kimono shows the inner beauty and grace of its owner.
Today, kimonos are worn by both men and women on important occasions. The kimono has retained its weight and is therefore dressed up for participation in special events, such as a tea ceremony, a wedding or a funeral. Each of these events corresponds to an outfit of a certain color and style, depending on the season, age, marital status and social status of the person.
National costumes Kenya
The protected area of Kenya is the traditional place of residence of the Samburu tribe - a tribe of nomadic pastoralists who have preserved their ancient way of life and their customs to this day. The rituals and dances of Samburu leave an unforgettable impression.
Samburu wear jewelry made of metal, leather, stones, bones, large beads made of beads. They have bright national clothes - these are all kinds of windings, capes and bandages.
National costumes India
In India, wearing a sari is a special tradition, a way of life that shows the grace of Indian women. Most Indian women wear a sari every day of their lives, and this type of traditional dress shows not only the loyalty to tradition and rich culture, but also the personality of the woman wearing it.
National costumes of the USA
There is no national costume as such in the USA, but there are interesting features that can be considered as such, for example, long flying skirts, cowboy hats, warm clothes from the northern part of the country.
National costumes Brazil
Clothing in Brazil is famous for its sophistication and piquancy, eye-catching colors and colorful designs. It is difficult to determine which costume is characteristic of Brazil, since its territory is large and the population is multinational. Therefore, depending on the region of the country, the Brazilian costume has its own specifics and differences.
Brazil is known internationally for its conspicuous, stylish and elegant clothing. Their clothes are comfortable, colorful, beautifully and qualitatively sewn and framed with various accessories. The traditional clothing of the Brazilians carries a mix of different races and immigrants from all over the world.
National costumes Indonesia
More than 300 ethnic groups live in Indonesia, each of which has its own kind of folk costume: from loincloths and feathers, which are adopted by the Papuans, and ending with the bizarre outfits of the Minangkabou, Toraya tribes, decorated with magnificent embroidery and beads. Classic Indonesian folk costume originated on the basis of traditional outfits of the inhabitants of the islands of Bali and Java.
Costumes of the Masai people: wear red!
Maasai tribe prefer clothes bright colors: It is believed that the red and blue colors of the costume represent strength and power. Clothing for men, reminiscent women's dress, is called "shuka". Such an outfit is an indispensable thing in the African economy. It is convenient to hunt in it, it does not hinder movements, protects from the sun. In addition, according to the Maasai, the shuka perfectly emphasizes the militancy of its owner.
Philippines: Striped Flight
The main feature of the national clothes of the Filipinos among the costumes of other nations is the combination of bright colors and striped fabrics. Men here dress in brong tagalog - a spacious, brightly colored shirt with trousers. Women wear blouses with a sarong, a piece of cloth wrapped around the hips. Although some Filipinos wear nothing at all. In the remote mountainous regions of the country, men still sport nothing but loincloths.
Switzerland: caps with wings
The national costume of the Swiss differed greatly depending on the canton. However, pants just below the knees, a white shirt, a vest and a jacket for men remained common. As for the Swiss, they wore skirts, sweaters, corsages, aprons. The head was most often covered with scarves, in Appenzell-Innerrhoden with bonnets with wings, and in the Romanesque part of the country with straw hats.
Mexico: clothes-transformer
Many people are used to thinking that the national clothes of the Mexicans are sombreros, flared trousers and short shirts. However, this is not the case: the sombrero is more respected by tourists, and the cowboy outfit is used more often for dancing. In everyday life, men wear simple cotton shirts with trousers, with a serape on their shoulders, which can serve as a blanket at night. Women prefer plain blouses, long skirts. In their wardrobe there will definitely be a reboso shawl, which, under the circumstances, can become a headdress or a sling for a child.
Türkiye: unisex national costume
The main feature that distinguished the traditional Turkish women's and men's costume from the costumes of other peoples is that it consisted of the same elements: bloomers, shirts, vests and belts. True, the girls wore a toe-length dress over the shirt with sleeves covering the fingertips (entari). In addition, the ladies adorned dresses with a belt, the length of which reached 3-4 meters. Men wrapped a vest with a sash in order to store money, tobacco, matches and other trifles in a kind of "purse".
Bulgaria: wide pants!
In Bulgaria, two types of national men's costumes are known. Here they wore "chernodreshna" - a shirt and trousers with a wide belt of dark shades or "belodreshena" - clothes of light colors. The shirt and vest were richly embroidered. By the way, the well-being of the owner was judged by the clothes: the wider the pants were, the more prosperous the Bulgarian was considered. Bulgarian women most often wore a sarafan-sukman embroidered in the form of flowers and a painted apron.
North of Thailand: ringed
Karen women in northern Thailand wear a lot of bracelets, especially around their necks, which are main feature their national costume. Rings are put on when a girl is 5 years old, and their number only grows over the years. The tradition of wearing bracelets around the neck has a long history. According to one legend, in this way women tried to protect themselves from tigers while their men were on the hunt. But there is another version. Karens consider long ringed necks the standard of beauty and sexuality. Yes, and just a profitable business: tourists without grumbling pay money only for the opportunity to look at long-necked ladies.
Georgia: elegance itself
The Georgian national costume differs from the costumes of other peoples of the world in a special smartness. The girls wore long fitted dresses (kartuli), the bodice of which was richly decorated with stones and braid. A luxurious velvet belt with pearls or embroidery remained an indispensable attribute. Men wore a cotton or cotton shirt (peranga), bottom pants (sheidishi) and wide top pants (sharval). A short arkhaluk and a Circassian coat (chokha) were worn on top. Such an outfit favorably emphasized the narrow waist and broad shoulders of men.
Moravia: national costume cake
The national costume of the inhabitants of Moravia, in the east of the Czech Republic, is particularly pompous. Pleated skirts, white blouses with puffy sleeves, a dark embroidered apron, colored ribbons in her hair - such an outfit makes even the last ugly girl real star.
Buryat national costume
National woman suit in Buryatia depended on age and position in society. So, the girls wore long terligi (robes without a shoulder seam), with cloth sashes. At the age of 14-15, the dress became detachable at the waist with a decorative belt. Married women in a suit had puffy puff sleeves and a fur trim. The rich Buryats preferred clothes made of cloth or satin, trimmed with sable or beaver, while the poor were content with dressed sheepskin.
Netherlands: hat boat
The main feature of the female Dutch costume, which distinguishes it from the national clothes of other peoples of Europe, is variegation, preferably up to ripples in the eyes. White shirts were decorated with embroidery or lace. Bright corsets were certainly worn over the jacket. By the way, this part of the toilet was considered a family heirloom, passed down from generation to generation. That is why, in everyday life, the Dutch women hid their corsets in bright cotton cases. Women's costume was complemented bouffant skirts with thick gathers and a striped apron. Special attention attracted a cap, which in shape resembled a boat.
Spain: national costume in the rhythm of flamenco
The Spaniards had something to look at: the women's national costume in this country differs from the clothes of other peoples of the world in that it is all temptation, mystery and frankness. The girls wore sundresses, wide skirts, corsets, sometimes completely baring their arms. Skirts were sewn from colorful fabrics, made several layers of frills. The result was a unique costume "both in a feast and in the world." The most popular part women's wardrobe in Spain, a mantilla remained - a lace cape that was worn over a high crest. This accessory is still held in high esteem by brides all over the world: in the process of evolution, the mantilla has turned into wedding veil.
Russian national costume can be conditionally divided into the costume of Kievan and North-Eastern Rus' of the X-XIV centuries, the costume of Moscow Rus' of the XV-XVII centuries, the folk costume of the XVIII - early XX centuries. In addition, in each time period, one can distinguish a costume traditional for commoners, and outfits of noble people. Before the adoption of Christianity in the clothes of the ancient Slavs, the features of the Scythian costume (shirts, pants) can be traced.
The main materials for clothing during this period were linen and wool. In the 10th century, under the influence of the new faith, silk tunics that came from Byzantium appeared in the costumes of princes and their entourage, cloaks with a red lining, tunics, dalmatics, and draped cloaks appeared in the wardrobe of their wives and daughters. The clothes of noble people were made from expensive imported fabrics and decorated with gold and silver embroidery, jewelry, and furs.
In the Petrine and subsequent eras, the costume of the nobility changes greatly and becomes no longer a Russian national costume, but a kind of European one. Only in the peasant and partly merchant environment are the old traditions preserved. Men still wear shirts, ports, zipuns and caftans, sheepskin coats. The women's costume practically does not change either. Basic women's clothing continues to be a shirt and sundress.
In different areas, different colors and ways of cutting sundresses were traditional. In the 18th century they were sewn from canvas and calico red or of blue color and decorated with a central vertical strip of ribbon, lace, a number of buttons, the same ribbon was sewn along the bottom of the hem, at the top of the sundress, and sometimes under the chest. In the 19th century, sundresses were sewn from chintz, calico, satin, satin and other purchased fabrics, often not plain, but patterned, at the top the fabric was gathered into small folds. Such items of clothing as epancha, dushegreya, poneva and apron continue to be an accessory of the women's costume.
The basis of the women's folk costume of the X-XIV centuries was a long shirt with long sleeves, decorated with embroidery or a strip of fabric in a contrasting color along the neck. They never wore a shirt just like that; they put on a poneva, a zapon or a bib on top. Poneva is a skirt below the knees, consisting of three rectangular pieces of fabric connected at the waist with a belt. Ponevs were usually sewn from bright colored fabric.
The zapona was straight dress sleeveless, crew neck, side slits from waist to bottom. The zapon was tied with a cord. The bib is the top Short dress With short sleeves and a round neckline, embellished along the hem and neckline with embroidery or stripes of a fabric of a different color. By the headdress, one could judge the marital status of a woman. Unmarried girls wore bandages or hoops, and married women covered their heads with a warrior (something like a scarf) and an ubrus (a piece of long fabric that was tied around the head in a certain way).
In the women's costume of the XV-XVII centuries, some innovations also appear, although it is still based on a straight long shirt. A sundress is now worn over it - a kind of dress with a straight bodice with straps and a flared skirt. Peasant women sew it from linen, and noble girls from silk and brocade. In front of the sundress, in the center from top to bottom, a strip of wide braid or embroidered fabric in a contrasting color was sewn. The sundress was belted under the chest. In addition, the outerwear for women was dushegreya - short oar clothes with straps, with or without lining. The soul warmer was sewn from beautiful patterned fabrics and additionally decorated with embroidered braid along the edge.
Merchant and boyar daughters at that time wore a letnik over their shirts - long dress straight cut with wide sleeves, sewn to the elbow like a bell, and then simply hanging down almost to the floor. Several wedges were sewn into the side parts of the dress, due to which the clothes became very wide at the bottom. The collar and hanging sleeves were richly decorated with pearls, embroidered with gold and silk. Warm outerwear was a fur coat with long sleeves. Telogreya was a long swinging garment with folding sleeves, fastened with buttons or ties.
An important element of the women's costume was a headdress. Girls do not cover their heads, but decorate their braids with colored ribbons and beads, put hoops or crowns on their heads. Married women wear "kichki" - headdresses consisting of a hoop, a cloth cover and a decorated backdrop. At the same time, a kokoshnik appeared - a headdress with a dense front part of various shapes, richly decorated with gold and silver embroidery, pearls and precious stones. The kokoshnik was tied at the back with wide ribbons, sometimes precious pendants or beads fell on the forehead and temples in front. Behind the kokoshnik could attach thin beautiful fabrics, which fell in folds to the waist, and even to the floor. In winter, noble ladies wore fur hats, like men's.
Shirts and ports were the traditional everyday wear of commoners in the 10th-14th centuries. Shirts were sewn from linen fabric of various colors or variegated length below the hips with one-piece sleeves. They were worn loose and tied at the waist with a colored cord or a narrow belt. On holidays, the shirt was complemented with embroidered cuffs and round collars.
Ports are men's pants that taper to the bottom and tie at the waist with a drawstring. The traditional shoes of the peasants (both men and women) were bast shoes, instead of socks in those days there were onuchi, strips of fabric that were tied around the feet and ankles. Men wore felt caps on their heads.
In the XV-XVII centuries, the everyday costume of the peasants changes somewhat. So the traditional cut on the neck of a men's shirt moves from the center to the left side, and the shirt itself becomes shorter and gets the name "kosovorotka". Opening clothes appear, fastened with buttons: a zipun and a caftan. The zipun was a cloth dress above the knees, slightly widened at the bottom, with narrow sleeves and a butt closure.
A caftan is an outer garment below the knee length with long sleeves and a high collar. Caftans of noble boyars were usually richly decorated with expensive fabrics, embroidery, braid or galloon. Outerwear for winter was a fur coat, long, with wide sleeves and a large collar lined with sable, fox, hare, arctic fox, squirrel, sheepskin. From above, a fur coat was usually covered with cloth (the peasants used cloth for this, and the boyars used expensive imported fabrics).
During this period, the costumes of the feudal nobility and peasants began to differ more and more, and not only in the quality of fabrics and finishes, but even in the cut of clothes. In the 15th-17th centuries, the wardrobe of noble people included such items of clothing as a feryaz and an okhaben. Feryaz - a caftan of a special cut, floor-length with long sleeves, sewn from silk or velvet fabric. It was customary to put on a feryaz only on one arm, while tightly gathering up the long sleeve, while the second hung freely behind almost to the floor.
Okhaben was also a kind of caftan with a large square collar that hung down the back and long sleeves tied at the back. Such a caftan was worn on the shoulders. Both of these items of clothing were completely unsuitable for performing any work and were intended only to emphasize the class affiliation of their owner.
This article can be titled like this: "Clothes of the Russian village." For many centuries, the vast majority of the population of Russia were peasants. They led a subsistence economy, providing themselves with everything necessary, including clothing. By his very fate, inseparable from the life of the earth, the plowman was part of his native nature, and his costume to the greatest extent corresponded to the peculiarities of the Russian climate.
Festive girl's costume from the Vologda province.
The famous Russian artist I. Bilibin depicted a girl from a northern village. Her attire - a sarafan klinnik and a warming feather are sewn from a purchased damask with a rich pattern. Such fabric was brought from the countries of the East. But the headdress is a crown - Russian gold-embroidered work.
Festive women's costume from the Vologda province.
Again I. Bilibin, and again a Vologda peasant woman. Only this time, a young woman - that was the name of a woman at an early time of marriage, more often before the appearance of her first child. Her richly decorated costume symbolized this flourishing age, as if calling on the future mother the grace of heaven and earth. The sundress and the shower jacket are made of patterned damask, the latter being trimmed with stripes of gold embroidery. The high gold-embroidered kokoshnik is adorned with stones. Tied over it is a silk shawl that has turned into a cape.
Another thing is also important. The peasant only absented himself from his village in extreme need; alien guests were also rare. Therefore, in his clothes, which escaped external influences, the world outlook, customs, character, taste were clearly expressed - inner essence native Russian people. That is why, for many centuries, the peasantry was primarily the guardian of national traditions in costume. Especially after the famous decree of Peter, who obliged everyone, except for the peasants and the clergy, to wear a European-style dress. The townspeople were forced to switch to "German" clothes, and only the villagers continued to wear folk costume.
"Pendants" - an element of the head
girl's dress. Tomsk province.
Late 19th - early 20th century.
What was he like? Finding yourself a hundred years ago at a major fair somewhere in Makaryevo or Irbit, you would be amazed at the variety of outfits, especially for women: you can’t find two identical ones! Indeed, over the centuries, almost every village in vast Russia has developed its own traditions - so that by the color or pattern of clothes it was possible to find out where the hostess came from. The costumes of the northern and southern provinces differed most of all, Siberian women dressed in a peculiar way. Let's talk about these ensembles.
The traditional women's outfit of the Russian North is often called the "word of mouth complex", since its main parts are a shirt and a sundress. Our ancestors have worn the shirt since time immemorial - this is confirmed by many beliefs associated with it. For example, they did not sell their own shirt: it was believed that at the same time you would sell your happiness. Isn't that why the people were so valued by people who are ready to give the last shirt to the needy? It was the main, and sometimes the only clothing: as usual, village boys and girls in the 19th century, in some places, until the very wedding, went in the same shirts, intercepted by a belt.
Festive women's shirt. Olonets province. Beginning of the 19th century.
Decorating the shirt with generous embroidery, the craftswoman used paper, silk and gold threads.
The pattern on the hem is especially interesting: the Tree of Life with birds on the sides.
In the old days, a shirt was sewn from linen or hemp canvas, skipping a single piece of cloth from the collar to the hem. Hence the name - sinker, which existed in the Vologda province. But already in the last century, such clothes are found only as wedding and funeral, at the same time they wear a two-piece shirt. The upper one was called sleeves in the North and was sewn from thinner, even purchased matter, the lower one - camp - from ordinary homespun fabric.
In the Russian village, not all clothes were decorated, but only festive and ritual ones. The richest, annual, was worn three or four times a year, on the most solemn days. She was very cherished, tried not to wash and passed on by inheritance.
Preparing an elegant shirt, village needlewomen showed everything they were capable of. Sleeves, shoulders and collar, not covered with a sundress, were embroidered with red threads. Often decorated with a hem. In special shirts, which were worn with a belt for mowing or harvesting, it was almost completely covered with an embroidered or woven pattern. They went with songs - after all, for the peasants, harvesting is not only hard work, but also a great holiday. In the Olonets province, there was an elegant weeping shirt, or makhavka, with very long and narrow sleeves. The bride put it on on her wedding day and, saying goodbye to her parents, waved the ends of the sleeves around her head and across the floor, lamenting her lost girlhood and her future life in a strange family...
Skirt "skid". Olonets province. Beginning of XX century.
This skirt is amazingly beautiful, almost completely covered with a woven pattern. Looking closer at it, you can see how deer with branched horns walk measuredly around the solar rhombuses. The plot was not chosen by chance. Such a skirt was separated from the shirt of the mower, the hem of which was generously decorated with weaving. On the first pasture of cattle, young women put on two or even three skirts, showing the sun and girlfriends their wealth.
Interestingly, the word "sarafan" is first found in Rus' in the documents of the XIV century in relation to men's clothing. The most ancient type of women's sundress is shushpan with a solid front panel. But already in the last century, elderly peasant women wore it, and young people mastered a swing sundress fastened with openwork metal buttons. Due to the large number of wedges that greatly expand it in the hem, it was called the wedge. However, there were also other names - according to the fabric: kumashnik, naboeshnik, damask - after all, the wedge-makers sewed not only from homespun fabric dyed blue or red, but also from purchased materials. The kumach was extremely popular, which was used for festive clothes. For the most elegant, they took silk fabrics - satin and damask, and in the most prosperous families - brocade. In the second half of the 19th century, the oblique-wedge sarafan was replaced by a straight sundress of five or six panels with narrow straps: lyamoshnik, round, inflate, Muscovite, fur coat.
I remember that not so long ago, wide dresses without a belt were fashionable, supposedly designed “in the Russian style”. But is it? Indeed, in Rus' they never walked with a belt, and the first “clothing” that a newborn received was precisely the belt: it was believed that it protects from troubles. A variety of belts are known: woven, knitted, wicker. Wide - for outerwear and narrower - for the maid, festive and everyday. Patterned belts with lush terry at the ends were woven from garus wool. Many were "with words" - a skillfully woven line of prayer or dedication. And it’s just: “Whom I love, I give”, and the names ...
The outfit seems simple at first. But why is he so eye-catching? Homemade shirt made of bleached canvas embroidered with red threads. It goes well with a sarafan naboeshnik with bright spots of mountain ash and cloves of red braid on the hem. And yellow echoes in color with a headband embroidered with pearls and stones. The ensemble, which creates an image of girlish purity, is completed by a woven belt, an ancient symbol of chastity. Yes, behind the outward simplicity there is a delicate taste and needlework skill, a lot of work and great patience!
Finally, a headdress, without which the costume of a Russian peasant woman is simply unthinkable. Indeed, according to ancient custom, a married woman did not appear in public with a simple hair - this was considered a great sin. Girls could not cover their hair. Hence the difference in dress: a married woman has a deaf cap, a girl has a dressing that leaves the top of her head uncovered.
Gorgeous are the festive kokoshniks of northern women, embroidered with gold thread and river pearls(until the 18th century, Rus' was very rich in them). In their shape they looked like a fluffy chicken, but in some places they had other outlines. For example, Nizhny Novgorod - with a high crest in the form of a crescent or pointed Kostroma. The elegant maiden's coruna really resembled an old royal crown with bizarre teeth, which was echoed by a brocade braid, also trimmed with pearls and embroidery. On weekdays, girls wore a ribbon or scarf.
No wonder the traditional Russian costume is called “multi-layered”: a shirt, a poneva, a cap, a curtain, a kichka, a scarf ... And an abundance of jewelry that is completely unusual for us! Take a straight, like a bag, long pommel. The canvas from which it is cut is not visible - almost all of it is covered with stripes of braid and lace. But what is surprising: an inconceivable excess of clothes and a variegation of colors are incomprehensibly brought into harmony.
What else complemented the main costume? With a rich sundress, they put on a brocade shower warmer for warmth, gathered on the back with beautiful folds. With sleeves - it was called an epanechka, on the straps - a short one. An embroidered apron could also have sleeves, but more often it was worn around the neck or tied over the chest. Well, on a holiday - a beautiful scarf or shawl, say, a Kargopol gold scarf with patterns. Such is the outfit of the peasant women of the Russian North.
The costume of the southern provinces was noticeably different from it. And in terms of composition, this is the so-called “pony complex”. And according to the materials - the local peasants lived poorer and did not buy expensive fabrics. And in style - the South Russian costume is brighter and more colorful, which is the reason for the different climate and the proximity of the steppe peoples.
This is also a resident of southern Rus' - you see how bright the outfit is! Yes, and the composition of the costume is different: its basis is a checkered poneva with blue stitching. On the hem there is a braid and a row of a woven pattern; a woolen belt with the ends from multi-colored beads. From it is a breast decoration. And the figure is crowned with a horned kichka with a gold-embroidered browband and woolen rosettes at the temples.
It is based on an ancient belt poneva. Imagine three sewn panels with a cord threaded through the top - a damper. They are wrapped around the hips and fastened at the waist, and the floors do not converge and the shirt is visible in the gap. This is an old swing poneva. The deaf one appeared later, when they began to close the hole with a cloth of another matter - prdshva.
They usually made poneva from woolen homespun, blue or black, in a large cage. This ornament was supplemented with an embroidered or woven pattern; the young women also sewed on ribbons, tassels, buttons, sequins. The local attire is generally characterized by increased patterning. For example, on the shoulders of a shirt, already saturated with embroidery and weaving, red rectangles were often sewn - raids. The shirt itself is sutselny and very long. It was pulled up to the knees, and a large lap was formed at the belt, which was used as a pocket. Because of this bag, Ryazanka in the old days was often teased as "skant-bellied".
The complete ensemble also included a pommel of an ancient tunic-like cut and an apron covering a tear or seam. You will see all this in the illustrations. But about the headdress of a married woman - kichka should be said especially. This is a whole structure, sometimes consisting of ten parts, and weighing up to seven kilograms. In some places it was called "magpie" - according to the upper part, resembling a bird with wings when unfolded. In front of her, horns often towered. Apparently they are
Zans with some very ancient ideas, for the clay female figurines excavated in Kyiv also have two-horned headdresses. On top of the kichka, they put on a forehead, nape, magpie, headphones embroidered with gold or beads ... Oddly enough, Russian women did not want to part with all this for a long time. I. S. Turgenev tells how one landowner ordered the serfs to replace the “heavy and ugly” kits with a kokoshnik, but the peasants wore it ... over the kits. The fervent ditty is also known: “I will never throw Ryazan horns: I will eat one chaff, but I will not throw my horns! ..”
The ancestors of this woman moved to Siberia with whole families, hence the name - "the family of Transbaikalia." In great purity they carried ancient customs and rituals through the centuries and almost to this day they wear traditional clothes. In the figure we see an ensemble common to Rus': a shirt, a sundress, an apron, a kichka, a shawl. True, all this with details peculiar to the family. For example, the shawl is tied in a special way - like a turban, and on the chest there are several strands of amber beads. Sometimes there were up to twelve of them, and individual ambers were so massive that they were called pound ones.
A kind of Siberian costume. Russian people moved to Siberia from various places in European Russia. Over time, their usual outfits changed in new environmental conditions. Moreover, the settlers borrowed a lot from local peoples, especially warm clothes and shoes. So, in the lower reaches of the Ob, men and women wore a Nenets malitsa made of reindeer fur with wool inside, with a hood and mittens. They also mastered new fabrics, because flax and hemp did not grow everywhere. For example, in Transbaikalia, everyday sundresses were sewn from blue cotton daba, which was brought from China, while oriental silks were widely used for festive ones. However, in general, the traditional costume was preserved in Siberia and even acquired unique features, especially where the settlers lived in large villages, sacredly keeping the customs of their fatherly antiquity.
The composition of men's clothing was the same everywhere. But about the patchwork, from which shirts and ports were sewn along with the canvas, it is worth telling. This is a checkered or striped fabric made from dyed yarn. The colors and patterns are sometimes delightful - it’s not for nothing that the village dandies wore sundresses of motley. The cage went to the shirts, and the stripe to the pants, which were called so - blue-striped.
Peasants all over Russia dressed like this: a shirt, ports and a belt.
On the head is a groshnevik - a widespread headdress made of felted wool.
Sometimes it was decorated with ribbons and flowers.
Finally, shoes. We got used to the idea that in the village everyone wore bast shoes. But they were worn mainly in the Central Black Earth provinces, where serfdom had a stronger effect. Here they even got married and buried in bast shoes. But the steppes, Pomors, Siberians did not know them at all. In the North, bast shoes were woven for work, because they are indispensable for mowing or reaping: they are comfortable, light and you can’t prick your leg. On holidays, they wore leather shoes - boots, half boots, shoes. And also cats with a red trim - something like shoes more spacious, so that the leg in a woolen stocking enters. Both men and women wore knee-length knitted stockings with a patterned description, but with bast shoes - usually white linen or cloth onuchi. It seems to be the most uncomplicated detail of the costume, but how much fiction is there! The upholstery with which shoes were tied to the foot were often woven from black wool - imagine how beautifully they crossed over the festive onuch!
Festive men's shirt. Semipalatinsk province. Late 19th - early 20th century.
The men's clothing of the so-called "Bukhtar-Minsk Old Believers" who lived in the Southern Altai was very colorful. In terms of the richness of the decorations, the shirt you see is not much inferior to the women's one: kumach gores and stripes, embroidery and hemstitching. Preparing a gift for the groom, the bride with special diligence embroidered the top of her chest, where, according to ancient beliefs, the soul lived. The pattern in the form of a lattice located there was called a window and decorated with beads.
Beauty and usefulness have never diverged from meaning in folk art. Let's remember the patterns on shirts, ponevs, aprons: Women with raised hands, the unfading Tree of Life, solar rhombuses with crosses in the middle... Scientists have proved that they all express the idea of mother earth's fertility, which is so close to the farmer's soul. And the upper part of the costume was connected with the idea of the sky. Take, for example, the names of women's headdresses, reminiscent of birds: magpie, chicken (in the old kokoshi), swan (“white swan kitchet”). Thus, dressed in her festive multi-layered outfit, the Russian peasant woman was an image of the whole universe, as people imagined it then. She looked majestic, representative; performed solemnly.
Festive men's ports. Semipalatinsk province. Late 19th - early 20th century.
Having moved to the slopes of Altai in the 18th century, the "Bukhtarma" people were forced to adapt to other living conditions. And over time, new features appeared in their costume. For example, embroideries on men's pants, which are extremely rare in European Russia. Moreover, the ornament often combined Russian and Kazakh motifs. In our example, the traditional Tree of Life will face quite realistic horses, which played such an important role in the lives of the settlers.
It is always very important what stands behind a person. The Russian peasant lived in poverty and was often illiterate. But behind him was his native nature, from which he did not separate himself, a great people with its historical and spiritual experience, the most ancient of cultures - agriculture. The peasant served them, he was their representative. This was expressed with such force in his suit.
Men's and women's suits for winter trips. Central provinces of Russia.
The woman is wearing a sheepskin coat, the peasant is wearing a cloth zipun. The artist modernized it somewhat: the Russians fastened their clothes only on the left side. Fur coats and sheepskin coats were made with a very deep smell, so that the mother could even wrap up the child. On the head of a man is a handy felted hat, a woman has a factory-made shawl over a kokoshnik. Bast shoes with warm onuchs or wire rod, patterned knitted mittens. Whip in hand - and go!
Apron with agricultural calendars - "months". Olonets province. End of the 19th century.
The intricate patterns embroidered on the Kargopol apron are nothing but ancient agricultural calendars. Six petals and six sprouts inside the circle represent 12 months, and the symbols outside are the most important milestones of the annual circle of field work. For example, May 2 - "Boris-Gleb - I sow bread", May 31 - "Fedot will come - the earth will be taken for its kind." Similar calendars were embroidered on the hem of shirts and on towels. You can understand how they valued these things, carefully passing them by inheritance.
A. LEBEDEVA,
Candidate of Historical Sciences
Drawings by N. Vinogradova, G. Voronova
The costume of a peasant of Kievan Rus consisted of ports and a shirt. The shirt was cut out from separate parts that were sewn together. The seams were decorated with decorative red piping. Shirts were worn with a narrow belt or flower cord. The ports were sewn narrowed from below to the ankle. Tied at the waist with a drawstring. Tops were worn over silk or cloth trousers.
Doll in Russian costume XIX century. Oryol province. This is a South Russian type of costume with a ponytail. The shirt, which was also the oldest element of clothing, consists of two canvases, traditionally decorated with colored stripes along the bottom. The headdress of the doll is typical for the south of Russia. It is assembled according to the "magpie" type. Bunches of brightly colored feathers or threads were usually worn from the sides under the headdress.
Doll in Russian costume XIX century. Oryol province. Female wedding suit. A multi-subject, with an abundance of various decorations, a costume of girl's and women's clothing with a sundress was widely used throughout Russia. The costume is complemented by a neck decoration - a necklace decorated with beads and glass beads. The necklace in the doll's costume is also very accurately conveyed with the help of gold braid.
Doll in Russian costume XIX century. Voronezh province The most busy element of the costume is the poneva. It was sewn from three panels of black woolen fabric in a cage and connected with black wool stitching. The doll is wearing a white canvas shirt with puffy sleeves trimmed with calico and braid imitating black thread embroidery. A horseshoe-shaped magpie is worn on the head of the doll. In many provinces, women of the first years of marriage put on a magpie, hiding their hair under it.
Doll in Russian costume XIX century. Ryazan province. Sapozhkovsky district The costume consists of a shirt, ponyova, a short pommel, a belt and a headdress. A tunic-shaped short sleeveless pommel is one of the oldest elements of clothing that existed on the Ryazan land in many areas, including in the Sapozhkovsky district. Bast shoes served as the main everyday and festive shoes, they were worn in summer and winter. They were made from linden and birch bark.
The festive ensemble includes a sundress, a shower warmer and a headdress "pochelok". Shirts worn with sundresses had a simpler finish. On top of the doll's sarafan, a shower warmer is worn - an obligatory part of the costume with a sarafan. Girls and married city women wore a duchy warmer; among the peasants, a duh warmer was also an item of wedding clothing. Doll in Russian costume XIX century. Kostroma province. girl costume
Doll in Russian costume of the late 19th - early 20th centuries. Moscow province. Such a costume includes a shirt with a skirt, an apron, two scarves, bast bast shoes. At the beginning of the 20th century, skirts began to be widely used in the clothes of peasant women throughout Russia. They sewed quite simply. The fabric used was either single-color homespun or striped, or factory-made, as on a doll. The shirt, as the main element of the costume, was worn on weekdays and holidays. The apron was sewn from one straight piece of fabric, gathered on the lining and tied at the waist.
Doll in Russian costume XIX century. Moscow province The costume consists of a sundress, a shirt, a kokoshnik headdress. Its main feature is a shirt, which was called "long-sleeved", because. she had long sleeves special cut, reaching a length of 3 meters. The kokoshnik was worn by married women, and it was intended for big holidays. An apron is an obligatory accessory of a festive women's costume.
Doll in Russian costume XIX century. Moscow province. Girl's costume This is a costume with a sundress, where elegant red color prevails. The abundance of red distinguished the shirts of girls and young women. The shirt is made of natural bleached linen and features a minimal amount of embellishments in the form of calico patches. Also, only girls wore a headdress "pochelok", which did not cover the braid. Festive boots were made from thin skin different colors.
Doll in traditional costume residents of the Tula province. The costume consists of a red shirt, an open pane with a very rich decor, a sash with a back and a headdress "chicken"
Patterned weaving, embroidery, and prints were used to decorate home textiles. Patterns of stylized plants, flowers, and branches were depicted. The most common ornamental elements are: triangles, rhombuses, oblique crosses, octagonal stars, rosettes, Christmas trees, bushes, rectangles with dots, stylized figures of a woman, a bird, a horse, a deer. The range of colors is multicolored.
The ornament arose not as an adornment, but as a talisman, had a magical meaning and was placed in certain, the most vulnerable places for a person in his clothes: along the collar, hem, bottom of the sleeves, went on both sides of the incision on the chest. A shirt designed in this way served a person as a reliable protection against the encroachments of numerous and varied evil spirits. Practical task: Draw an ornament on a shirt
Publications in the Traditions section
Meet by clothes
Russian women, even simple peasant women, were rare fashionistas. In their voluminous chests, many different outfits were stored. They especially loved hats - simple, for every day, and festive, beaded decorated with gems. The national costume, its cut and ornament were influenced by such factors as geographical location, climate, and the main occupations in this region.
“The more closely you study the Russian folk costume as a work of art, the more values you find in it, and it becomes a figurative chronicle of the life of our ancestors, which, in the language of color, shape, ornament, reveals to us many secret secrets and laws of the beauty of folk art.”
M.N. Mertsalova. "Poetry of folk costume"
In Russian costumes. Moore, 1906-1907. Private collection (Kazankov archive)
So, in the Russian costume, which began to take shape by the 12th century, there is detailed information about our people - a hard worker, plowman, farmer, living for centuries in conditions of short summers and long, fierce winters. What to do on endless winter evenings, when a blizzard howls outside the window, a blizzard sweeps? Peasant women weaved, sewed, embroidered. They did. “There is a beauty of movement and a beauty of stillness. Russian folk costume is the beauty of peace"- wrote the artist Ivan Bilibin.
Shirt
Ankle length shirt - main element Russian costume. Composite or one-piece, made of cotton, linen, silk, muslin or plain canvas. The hem, sleeves and collar of the shirts, and sometimes the chest part, were decorated with embroidery, braid, and patterns. Colors and ornaments varied depending on the region and province. Voronezh women preferred black embroidery, strict and refined. In the Tula and Kursk regions, shirts are usually tightly embroidered with red threads. In the northern and central provinces, red, blue and black prevailed, sometimes gold. Russian women often embroidered incantatory signs or prayer charms on their shirts.
They put on different shirts depending on what kind of work was to be done. There were "mowing", "stubble" shirts, there was also "fishing". It is interesting that the working shirt for the harvest was always richly decorated, it was equated to a festive one.
Shirt - "fishing". End of the 19th century. Arkhangelsk province, Pinezhsky district, Nikitinskaya volost, Shardonemskoe village.
Slant shirt. Vologda province. 2nd half of the 19th century
The word "shirt" comes from the old Russian word "rub" - frontier, edge. So, the shirt is a sewn cloth, with scars. Previously, they said not to “hem”, but to “cut”. However, this expression still occurs today.
Sundress
The word "sarafan" comes from the Persian "saran pa" - "over the head." It was first mentioned in the Nikon Chronicle of 1376. However, the overseas word "sarafan" rarely sounded in Russian villages. More often - kostych, damask, kumachnik, bruise or kosoklinnik. The sundress was, as a rule, of a trapezoidal silhouette; it was worn over a shirt. At first it was a purely masculine attire, ceremonial princely vestments with long folding sleeves. It was sewn from expensive fabrics - silk, velvet, brocade. From the nobles, the sundress passed to the clergy, and only after that it was entrenched in the women's wardrobe.
Sundresses were of several types: deaf, oar, straight. Swings were sewn together from two panels, which were connected using beautiful buttons or clasps. A straight sundress was attached to the straps. A deaf wedge-shaped sundress with longitudinal wedges and beveled inserts on the sides was also popular.
Sundresses with shower warmers
Recreated Holiday Sundresses
The most common colors and shades for sundresses are dark blue, green, red, blue, dark cherry. Festive and wedding attire was sewn mainly from brocade or silk, while everyday clothes were made from coarse cloth or chintz.
“The beauties of different classes dressed up almost the same - the difference was only in the price of furs, the weight of gold and the brilliance of stones. The commoner "on the way out" put on a long shirt, over it - an embroidered sundress and a warm jacket trimmed with fur or brocade. The boyar - a shirt, an outer dress, a letnik (clothes expanding downwards with precious buttons), and on top also a fur coat for greater importance.
Veronica Bathan. "Russian beauties"
Portrait of Catherine II in Russian dress. Painting by Stefano Torelli
Portrait of Catherine II in shugay and kokoshnik. Painting by Vigilius Eriksen
Portrait of Grand Duchess Alexandra Pavlovna in Russian costume. Unknown artist. 1790javascript:void(0)
For some time, the sundress was forgotten among the nobility - after the reforms of Peter I, who forbade those close to walking in traditional clothes and cultivated the European style. The wardrobe item was returned by Catherine the Great, a well-known trendsetter. The Empress tried to instill in her Russian subjects a sense of national dignity and pride, a sense of historical self-sufficiency. When Catherine began to rule, she began to dress in Russian dress, setting an example for the court ladies. Once, at a reception with Emperor Joseph II, Ekaterina Alekseevna appeared in a scarlet velvet Russian dress studded with large pearls, with a star on her chest and a diamond diadem on her head. And here is another documentary evidence from the diary of an Englishman who visited the Russian court: "The Empress was in a Russian outfit - a light green silk dress with a short train and a corsage of gold brocade, with long sleeves".
Poneva
Poneva - a baggy skirt - was an indispensable element of a married woman's wardrobe. Poneva consisted of three panels, could be deaf or oar. As a rule, its length depended on the length of the women's shirt. The hem was decorated with patterns and embroidery. Most often, poneva was sewn from semi-woolen fabric in a cage.
The skirt was worn over a shirt and wrapped around the hips, and a woolen cord (gashnik) held it at the waist. An apron was usually worn on top. In Rus', for girls who had reached the age of majority, there was a rite of putting on a poneva, which said that the girl could already be betrothed.
Belt
Women's wool belts
Belts with Slavic patterns
Belt weaving loom
In Rus' it was customary that the lower women's shirt she was always girded, there was even a rite of girdling a newborn girl. It was believed that this magic circle protects from evil spirits, the belt was not removed even in the bath. Walking without it was considered a great sin. Hence the meaning of the word "unbelted" - to become impudent, to forget about decency. Woolen, linen or cotton belts were crocheted or woven. Sometimes the sash could reach a length of three meters, such were worn by unmarried girls; a hem with a three-dimensional geometric pattern was worn by those who were already married. A yellow-red belt made of woolen fabric with braid and ribbons was wrapped around on holidays.
Apron
Women's urban costume in folk style: jacket, apron. Russia, late 19th century
Women's costume of the Moscow province. Restoration, contemporary photography
The apron not only protected clothes from contamination, but also adorned the festive attire, giving it a finished and monumental look. The wardrobe apron was worn over a shirt, sundress and poneva. It was decorated with patterns, silk ribbons and trim inserts, the edge was decorated with lace and frills. There was a tradition to embroider an apron with certain symbols. According to which it was possible, as if from a book, to read the history of a woman's life: the creation of a family, the number and gender of children, deceased relatives.
Headdress
Headwear depended on age and marital status. He predetermined the entire composition of the costume. Girls' headdresses left part of their hair open and were quite simple: ribbons, bandages, hoops, openwork crowns, scarves folded in a bundle.
Married women were required to cover their hair completely with a headdress. After the wedding and the ceremony of “untwisting the braid”, the girl wore a “kitka of a young woman”. According to the ancient Russian custom, a scarf was worn over the kichka - ubrus. After the birth of the firstborn, they put on a horned kichka or a high spade-shaped headdress, a symbol of fertility and the ability to bear children.
The kokoshnik was the ceremonial headdress of a married woman. Married women put on kichka and kokoshnik when they left the house, and at home, as a rule, they wore a povoinik (cap) and a scarf.
It was possible to determine the age of its owner by the clothes. Young girls dressed most brightly before the birth of a child. The costumes of children and older people were distinguished by a modest palette.
Women's costume abounded in patterns. An image of people, animals, birds, plants and geometric figures. Solar signs, circles, crosses, rhombic figures, deer, birds prevailed.
Cabbage style
A distinctive feature of the Russian national costume is its layering. Everyday costume was as simple as possible, it consisted of the most necessary elements. For comparison: a festive women's costume of a married woman could include about 20 items, and everyday - only seven. According to popular beliefs, multi-layered spacious clothes protected the hostess from the evil eye. Wearing less than three layers of dresses was considered indecent. Among the nobility, complex dresses emphasized wealth.
Peasants sewed clothes mainly from homespun canvas and wool, and from the middle of the 19th century - from factory-made chintz, satin, and even silk and brocade. Traditional outfits were popular until the second half of the 19th century, when they began to be gradually replaced by urban fashion.
We thank the artists Tatyana, Margarita and Tais Karelin, winners of international and city national costume competitions and teachers, for the photos provided.
