Latvian folk costume - clothing of Balts and Livs

Stanisław Kozłowski | Customs

Folk costume has always played an important role in the lives of the people of Latvia. It helped preserve traditional cultural values and create a national identity. Nowadays, folk costumes can be found during private and national holidays. The costume not only shows the social status of its owner, but also a particular region of the country.

Two periods can be distinguished in the history of Latvian folk costume. The first period, from the seventh to the thirteenth century, is known as the "old clothing" period. The second - the 18th and 19th centuries. - is called the period of "ethnic clothing."

Old Latvian clothing (VII-XIII)

During this period, women and men wore clothes made of linen and wool of local origin. The materials for footwear and headgear were furs and skins of domestic and wild animals. Bronze products - rings, bracelets, brooches - were very popular. Fabrics were made with linen weave or twill. Most clothing came from the workshops of local craftsmen. On the other hand, luxury items were imported via trade routes from Scandinavia, Russia and the Middle East.

Interesting fact: Clothing of that period did not have pockets. Therefore, one of the most important accessories was a belt of various widths. The belt not only held the garment, but was also used to carry essentials such as money, keys, or even a knife and water container.

Ethnic Latvian clothing (18th-19th)

Until the beginning of the 20th century, Latvian folk costume was heavily influenced by Germany. During German rule, bronze ornaments disappeared from clothing. The technique of needle embroidery also gradually disappeared. However, the tradition of knitting developed: gloves and socks were made using ornaments and colors characteristic of each region.

Written sources from the 18th century (Johann Christoph Brotze) show that the most common colors of a Latvian peasant's outfit were natural white and gray (the colors of linen cloth and wool). For decoration, traditional colors were used: blue, red, yellow and green.

At the end of the 19th century, men wore home-woven kaftans of natural gray color, decorated with red, green and blue cord. In the summer they wore half-captains made of linen, and in the winter they wore long, woven wool overcoats or furs. In the second half of the 19th century, when factory-made fabrics began to be used for sewing festive clothes, men's clothes appeared in dark blue, brown and black. For special occasions, men also wore vests.

Women preferred linen shirts in the old way. The upper, visible part of them was sewn of thin linen cloth, while the hidden part under the skirt was made of thicker cloth. Long skirts, kaftans of various lengths, and woolen shawls were worn on top of the shirt. The most popular decoration for Latvian women was silver brooches, decorated with beads, or colored glass beads. With the help of a brooch, women would fasten a shawl to their chest.

Interesting fact: Gloves were often given as gifts, especially on the occasion of weddings, but also funerals. Even the summer festive clothes of men were sometimes additionally complemented with patterned gloves. Constituting an inseparable part of the image, they were usually worn behind the belt.

Regional variation of costumes

Five major regions can be distinguished in Latvia, each with distinctive traditions, dialect and clothing patterns. There have never been sharp borders between the regions, instead there have always been cultural ties and mutual exchange. Regional variations are most evident in women's costumes, for example, in terms of color range, cut, composition and ornamentation. Ornaments on scarves, gloves and socks also varied from region to region.

Livonia (Vidzeme)
The multicolored skirt was the brightest part of the costume of a female resident of Livonia. Stripes were a characteristic feature of the first half of the 19th century, while the checkered pattern became popular a little later. At the time when stripes were fashionable, men's pants and vests were also decorated with them. White woolen shawls were richly embroidered and reached women's calves in length. They were fastened with silver brooches. All married women in Livonia wore elongated headdresses usually made of white linen; sometimes a silk ribbon was tied over the top.
Courland (Kurzeme)
The costumes of the women of Courland bear not only the original features of the region, but also some borrowings from their neighbors - Lithuanians, Estonians and Poles.
It was in the second half of the 19th century that women's attire in Courland underwent fundamental changes. The reason was the appearance of chemical dyes. Initially, bright stripes on costumes appeared in the north and east of Courland, and bright red costumes appeared in the southeast. In some parts of the region there was a widespread tradition of men and women wearing bronze belts. In coastal areas, people decorated their outfits with small brooches with amber or strings with pieces of amber strung on them.
Semigalia (Zemgale)
Although Semigalia is a border region, it is impossible to find motifs from neighboring Lithuania in the costumes of local residents. Rather, the clothing of Semigalia's female residents shows features of the clothing of Ugro-Finnish peoples. Nevertheless, this region has developed its own unique style with the use of vertical stripes. Costumes often feature rose motifs combined with zigzags, triangles and rhombuses.
Selonia (Selija)
The costumes of this region closely resemble those of Lithuania. However, the distinguishing feature is a linen shirt in the form of a tunic with sewn-in epaulettes. This peculiarity is unknown in any Baltic country. The traditional skirt of a Selonian woman is decorated with vertical stripes with fine ornamentation. It is complemented by magnificent white scarves with rich embroidery along the edges.
Latgale (Latgale)
The folk costume of Latgale has the greatest number of motifs of different nations (Estonians, Russians, Belarusians, Lithuanians). Skirts were usually white with a bolster, decorated with a bright pattern at the bottom. In the south of the region, linen shirt-tunics had a more traditional cut. The skirt was in vertical stripes. The white wool shawl of Latgalia can be recognized by its size and richly embroidered patterns in yellow, blue, green and red.
A distinctive feature of the costumes of Latgale was the extensive use of linen, from which shawls and skirts were often sewn. Compared to other regions, shoes made of lime bast or hemp were very popular here.