Belarusian folk costume - beautiful clothing of our neighbors

Folk costume, like no other element of traditional culture, is an important ethnic and social indicator. Although Belarusian clothing shares common roots with Russian and Ukrainian, it is a fully independent phenomenon. It is not only a collection of clothing used by Belarusians over the centuries, but also one of the most important components of Belarus' national heritage.

In the small territory of our eastern neighbors, researchers distinguish more than 30 varieties of folk costume divided into 6 types corresponding to the main regions of Belarus.

History

The oldest documents on Belarusian national clothing date back to the 16th century. The Lithuanian Statute of 1588 enumerates some elements of outer garments and headgear.

Fabrics were made from wool, hemp, nettles and, of course, flax, which gave people everything from thick gray sacks to the thinnest snow-white shirts. Overseas fabrics from the West and East - patterned, silk fabrics - were also brought to Belarus for the bourgeoisie.

The peasants were content with fabrics of their own making, and it must be admitted that they were able to weave all sorts of linen with intricate weaves. They dyed them themselves using the bark and buds of trees, field flowers, plant roots, grasses and berries. Each region had its own ways of dyeing cloth. Belarusians learned to obtain blue, purple, raspberry, light yellow and various shades of these colors. From imported resources, dyes from sandalwood, rosewood, indigo were used.

One of the most important features of Belarusian folk costume is the remarkable durability of tradition. Taking on a variety of influences over the centuries, Belarusian costume has preserved the unchanged cut of certain elements, and some of its features date back to distant pagan times. Archaic features, such as ancient ornaments and striped decoration, have survived in it. Also, fabric-making technologies date back to the most ancient times.

Men's costume

A Belarusian man's clothing usually consisted of a shirt embroidered at the neck and bottom, pants, and a vest. Pants (leggings or breeches) were sewn from solid or mottled linen, and winter pants were made of dark cloth. The legs fell freely or were tied with onucs and thongs of pawpaws (footwear woven from bast). By the end of the 19th century, linen leggings became underwear.

White linen shirts of the tunic type with long sleeves were worn let loose and tied with a colored belt. Pockets were replaced by a leather purse hung around the neck or at the waist.

Sheep's sheepskins were used as outer garments, which the more affluent would trim the top with fabric and decorate with embroidery, while the wealthiest wore furs.

There were many varieties of men's headgear: a magierka made of felted wool, a bryl of straw (hat), and a fur cap. A Belarusian peasant wore an ablawucha in winter: an ear cap made of sheep's wool, hare or fox fur.

Men's footwear was made either at home or in craftsmen's workshops. Archeological findings prove that shoemaking craftsmanship was developed in Belarus as early as the 11th century. Until the 20th century, Belarusians wore pawpaws (made of bast), postols (made of rawhide), and in cities - leather laced shoes. Very rarely did peasants wear clogs.

Women's costume

Women's clothing was much more varied than men's. There are four basic "sets": with skirt and apron; with skirt, apron and vest (garset); with skirt to which a corset was sewn; with poniava, apron and vest. The first two are known throughout Belarus, while the others are known in eastern and northeastern regions.

Worn by adult women over a shirt (rubacha), a "poniava" (according to historians, this word originally meant "piece of cloth"), is three pieces of cloth sewn together at the top, drawn together with a cord, either tied at the waist or below. A poniawa could be open at the front or side, or closed. Colors varied, often with patterns.

The rubacha (women's ankle-length shirt) had several variations, decorated with embroidery, especially on the sleeves. Skirts of various kinds were red, blue-green, checkered, with longitudinal and transverse stripes.

Aprons, as well as sleeveless (garsets), were decorated with lace, frills, and embroidered patterns. A women's sleeveless gown sewn from percale, velvet or brocade on a lining, in a variety of colors, was the main item of festive clothing. In the front it was fastened with buttons, hooks or was laced. The whole garment was decorated with embroidery and patches of colorful ribbon.

On winter days, women put on woolen jackets, white and red sheepskins. The most popular winter garment was a sheepskin. In Belarusians it had a simple cut - back and halves straight, a large lined collar. The bottom and sleeves were trimmed with strips of sheepskin, hair to the top.

Women's headgear played an important social and ceremonial role. By their appearance it was possible to determine a woman's family position, age and material status. Headgear was used during ceremonies and rituals, for example, at a wedding the bride was ceremonially changed from a girl's headgear to a woman's. Girls usually wore garlands, narrow, colorful ribbons, on their heads, while married women hid their hair under a headpiece or wore cloth scarves.

In peasant homes, women usually wore slippers on their feet, and fasteners in cold weather. Shoes and boots were worn in the countryside only on holidays; on a daily basis only in wealthy families.

Ornaments

The rural ornaments of Belarusian women were not characterized by excessive wealth, but for all their simplicity and modesty they beautifully complemented the outfit and gave it a style characteristic only of one or another region of the country. There were necklaces made of cheap metals, bones, stones, beads (glass, amber, coral, and in wealthy women - pearls or rubies). Other ornaments included brooches, bracelets and rings, worn mainly in wealthy families.

Belarusian embroidery

A key element in the traditional attire of Belarusians was embroidery. An ancient, geometric ornament adorns shirts-sororities, aprons, headgear. All these old designs have pagan motifs. Over the centuries they have retained the original symbols, created by pagan cults. The symbols of Belarusian embroidery have preserved their archaic forms, although they have lost their original meaning over time.