Belorussian national costume (photo)

The traditional national costume is called an established set of certain elements of the wardrobe, shoes and various jewelry. Such an outfit was compiled over several centuries and was directly dependent on the specifics of climatic conditions and folk customs.

History of Belarusian costume

The initial mention of the traditional clothes of Belarusians is found in the Statute of the Grand Duchy of Lithuania of 1588 . Information about clothing and its images can be seen in the travel records of travelers who have visited the Principality.

The traditions of the people underwent changes over time, along with this the appearance of the national Belarusian outfit was transformed.

Toward the end of the 19th - beginning of the 20th centuries, ethnic features clearly began to be traced in these clothes. Elements of ancient paganism were found in the patterned compositions used for decoration, and the influence of urban culture was also noticeable.

The traditional features of this costume are an old multi-species ornament and striped decor. In various regions of the country, national costumes had certain differences. In total, there were about 22 varieties.

Features

Despite the fact that the national Belarusian outfit has many similarities with Russian and Ukrainian traditional costumes, it nevertheless stands out for its originality and is considered an independent phenomenon . One of its characteristic features is the rational combination of practicality and decorativeness.

The national outfit of Belarusians was sewn from fabrics made on the basis of local materials of organic origin.

The main shades used in clothes of this kind were white, red, blue and green. White color was dominant. A characteristic distinguishing feature of the Belarusian national dress was rich embroidery, initially with a predominance of geometric elements, and some time later, of plant elements.

Reference! Elements of the ornamental pattern on various details of clothing in the aggregate constituted the completed composition.

When creating such a costume, besides direct weaving, weaving, leather processing and other varieties of decorative and applied art were also used.

Types of Costumes

Male

The male version of the national outfit of Belarusians consisted of a worn out shirt made of linen, pants (leggings), a belt, vests made of cloth (camiselka) and a headdress. The shirt had a turn-down collar and an incision on the chest, collar and lower part were decorated with embroidery. Men belted usually a bright belt.

Pants could be without a belt (sometimes they were pulled on a rope). There were also models with a belt fastened with a button.

Female

Shirts (coughs) for women were sewn from linen. They were long and always had embroidered patterns. Skirts (knockers) that were worn over shirts were sewn from different fabrics.

Summer versions (“summers”) were linen, homespun winter (“Andaraks”) were made of cloth, and some products for adult women (who had already managed to get married and only got engaged) were made of pony. An embroidered apron was put on the skirt, harmonizing in color and pattern with a shirt. A short vest (garset) was worn over the shirt.

Reference! The ponyova skirt was made of three pieces of material, gathered at the top to the lace and pulled together at the waist. There was a closed and hinged version of this type of clothing. In the closed one, all pieces of fabric were sewn together, and if there were open pieces in front and side - it was a swinging pony. In almost all cases, the ponyu was decorated with a beautiful ornament.

An important detail of such a suit was also a belt. There were fabric, knitted and woven versions of this product, with fringe, tassels and pompons. The belt has always been decorated with colored ornaments . For this, the combination of green, white and red was most often used.

Outerwear for women in cut practically had no differences with men's, but at the same time was distinguished by richer embroidery and application.

Reference! Both in female models of national clothes, and in male, there were no pockets. Instead, they managed a leather bag that was attached to a belt or thrown over his shoulder.

Children

Similar outfits for boys and girls had almost no differences with the costumes of adults. Children under the age of 6-7 years, regardless of their gender, wore an ordinary linen shirt, which reached the heels and pulled together at the waist with a belt.

Boys at the age of 7-8 put on their first pants, and girls at the same age began to put on their first skirts. The costume was supplemented with other components as the child grew up.

The girls had to sew and embroider their first apron on their own.

Hats

In summer, men used bryl (a straw headdress with voluminous fields) as a headdress, and in winter a hat made of fur (ablavuhu). For the manufacture of hats was still used domestic sheepskin gray, brown or black.

In the second half of the 19th century, a cap (a summer version of a hat with a hard lacquered visor) became widespread.

As shoes for every day in the summer, men used bast shoes (bast, hemp or from vines), in the spring and in the fall - pillows (raw leather sandals), and in winter - felt boots hemmed with leather or felt fabric.

Shoes & Accessories

Women used to wear bast shoes as shoes in summer, and felt boots in winter. On holidays, such shoes were replaced by charaviks (leather shoes) or boots . In all cases, a headdress was put on the head, according to which it was easy to recognize the marital status of its owner.

Before marriage, the girls used wreaths and narrow towels-towels for this purpose. Married ladies replaced these hats with a wedding dress. As decorations, they usually used ribbons, glass beads, temples, as well as other options.

Fabric selection

For the manufacture of the traditional outfit of Belarusians, exclusively materials of natural origin were used. The base fabric most often used for this purpose was linen.

Initially, in the manufacture of such clothing was also used wool and fabric made from hemp fibers. Outerwear was made mainly from sheepskin and dense cloth.

Modern looks

Modern belarusian wedding suits

Elements of the national Belarusian outfit can be successfully used to create stylish modern images of Belarus (formerly Belarus).

Here are some good examples (photo):

  • To create an image in the ethno-casual style, a shirt decorated with bright national embroidery can be used, which will look harmonious with a skirt or jeans.
  • Dressed with rich traditional embroidery in the Belarusian style, the dress will allow any woman to be in the spotlight.
  • A white T-shirt decorated with a national ornament is equally suitable for both a girl and a young man.
  • Clothing for children, decorated with bright traditional patterns, looks original and attractive.

The national costume is considered the embodiment of the concept of the ideal image of a representative of a certain nation. Over a long path of historical development, the traditional Belarusian along with managed to preserve the characteristic features of all Slavs manufacturing techniques and fabrics used, as well as cut, decoration methods and wearing options.