Traditional wedding costumes in different parts of Siberia
Yakuts
The Yakuts are recognized as one of the most numerous Siberian peoples and are among ethnic groups with a complex ethnic formation. According to archaeological data, the Yakut people are the result of a mixture of local tribes living near the middle reaches of the Lena River with southern Turkic-speaking immigrants. After some time, the nationality thus formed broke up into several different groups (reindeer herders of the northwest, etc.).
Representatives of this nationality live in small families in the Krasnoyarsk, Khabarovsk and Irkutsk regions, but mainly in the Republic of Sakha. Their main occupations include hunting, fishing, breeding horses, as well as cattle. An important place in the belief of the Yakuts is given to the veneration of nature. Many of the ancient rites and traditions of this nation are observed by the Yakuts in our days.
Yakut wedding dresses were previously sewn exclusively from natural materials. This condition is currently not required.
Important! The bride’s outfit was white, symbolizing purity and purity.
The classic version of the female Yakut wedding dress consists of the following parts:
- annah - cash cover (a special piece of cloth covering the face);
- Patchwork shirt made of coarse rovdug;
- tight belt;
- leather drawers (knee-highs);
- the legs are special leggings made from the skin of a wild animal (their appearance is a bit like boots, but they do not have a foot part and end at the ankles);
- wedding coat - richly decorated with brocade, silver jewelry and a gait, a furry foot length up to the heels with a hem sable with sable fur, widening downward;
- national fur hat with a high top of red or black decorated cloth, reminiscent of the appearance and cut of a military helmet;
- a variety of decorations.
Reference! Wedding coats at the Yakuts are inherited.
Men's suits compared to women's ones look much more modest . Their main feature is the fur trim on the collar and sleeves. Hats are also made in the form of a helmet.
Modern Yakut wedding
Buryats
The most ancient people of the Baikal region (Eastern Siberia), currently living mainly in the Republic of Buryatia, Trans-Baikal Territory, and Irkutsk Region. Initially, cattle breeding was considered the predominant branch of the traditional economy of the Buryats, but later the Buryats began to devote more time to arable farming.
Reference! The main factor in the formation of the lifestyle, morality and national psychology of this people was the Tibetan form of Buddhism - Lamaism.
Initially, improvised materials were used for tailoring suits:
- wool;
- leather;
- sheepskin;
- fur-fur (sable, arctic fox, fox and others).
Later, with the advent of trade ties, outfits began to be made of velvet, cotton and silk, and jewelry was made of gold, silver and stones.
Women's wedding attire - Delaigay wore over a dress. At the same time, the front part remained open, and there was a cut in the hem at the back. Often, the bride put on a festive attire for a wedding akin to those worn by married women.
The bride’s wedding attire was sewn from brocade (azaa brazier), half-brocade (brazier), fine silk (bargain a bargain) or chesuchi (shershuu). Winter options were made on a fur lining, and summer - on a cotton lining.
Obligatory elements of the wedding attire were also a headdress with a high tulle and chest, shoulder, temporal-breast and side decorations.
The groom’s wedding outfit consisted of oversized long-sex clothes with a sash and a pointed headdress with a dense finial. The costume and headdress were made from fabrics of blue and blue colors . Belted clothes with a colored sash or a belt with silver plates.
Nowadays, modern models of wedding dresses in national style are very popular.
Khakasy
Legends and legends connect the origin of the Khakass ethnic group with the Yenisei Kyrgyz. From ancient times, these people inhabited the taiga territories of Southern Siberia in the valley of the Middle Yenisei. Khakassians are distinguished by endurance, unpretentiousness and perseverance in achieving their goals. For many centuries, the life of this people has been closely associated with religious cults based on interaction with nature.
The Khakasses sewed wedding clothes for the bride from expensive imported Russian and Chinese fabrics. The bride’s wedding attire consisted of a women's festive shirt, black cloth upper embroidered with colored silk (sikpen), and a wedding hat, under which a scarf was worn.
An obligatory element of the wedding dress of Khakass women was a bib (pogo), which was considered a strong amulet that protected from evil spirits. The basis of such a bib was a velvet-covered piece of tanned hemispherical leather with rounded horns. Pearly round plates were sewn onto the front of the bib. The space between them was filled with coral, beadwork and cowrie shells. The lower edge was decorated with a fringe of beaded drops of a silberge with small silver coins at the ends. Pogo was considered one of the most expensive jewelry (the cost of such a bib was higher than the cost of a luxurious fur coat).
The wedding coat had a straight cut with deep armholes of the sleeves. At knee height, she climbed into the assemblies on the sides and back. The hem of the coat was at the level of the knees on the sides, and in the back was quilted with nine, eleven or thirteen rows of threads. The lower part of this product resembled a skirt. The wedding coat kept warm well, but walking in it was rather inconvenient. Over a fur coat they put on a short sleeveless jacket (sidedek) on a lining embroidered with silk threads.
Wedding dresses of the peoples of Siberia are quite practical, and maximally adapted to the peculiarities of local climatic conditions. But at the same time they are very distinctive, and differ in rich finishes. To decorate the costumes, the peoples of Siberia use fur mosaics, beads, colored cloth, deer cervical hair, long white dog hair, colored tassels, straps, metal pendants and bells.
