Wedding costume of the Voronezh province

Folk costume is a visiting card of Russian history. Each of them is filled with its own elements, vivid motifs, individual characteristics of a particular area. Moreover, even wedding dresses in different provinces were distinguished by colors, materials, and decoration items. Today we’ll talk about the features of the wedding suit of the bride and groom in the Voronezh province.

Features of an old wedding costume in the Voronezh province

The large and chaotic population of Voronezh province influenced the formation of the folk costume as follows. Firstly, due to the diversity of the visiting peoples — peasants from the Tambov, Orel, and Moscow provinces — outfits appeared in the counties, although they had common features, but they were still quite independent. Secondly, in the 17th century. many Ukrainians moved to the territory of Voronezh, who had their own distinctive influence on the new place of residence. It was reflected in the folk costume.

Men's and women's clothing was sewn from natural materials, which could be obtained either due to fertile chernozem soil, or in connection with the occupation of cattle breeding widespread here. Most often, fabrics were woven from wool, hemp and nettle.

Color was equally important . It reflected the aesthetic features, hobbies and lifestyle of the peasant. The costume was dominated by 3 primary colors:

• white;
• red.

Black is a symbol of the nurse-land, the famous Voronezh chernozem. For the inhabitants of the province, this color did not mean sorrow or mourning. On the contrary, black for them is a sign of peace and joy in the house, family, household.

What does the bride's outfit look like?

Women's wedding suit in the Voronezh region consists of a white or red long shirt embroidered with woolen ornaments. Festive white clothes were whitened with ash. For everyday wear, it was not whitened much, but it was decorated a lot with patterns. The wedding shirt was also complemented with braid or fringe. One of the favorite options for brides was a shirt with red floors framed by beautiful ornaments.

On holidays, the kundya was also worn on top - a black jacket, in a cut resembling a vest. She also embroidered generously, and the sleeves were decorated with lush ruffles and red piping.

One of the most memorable elements of the costume was poneva - clothes made of a woven woolen cloth similar to a modern skirt. It was usually sewn in black. Only thick threads called skeins were used. On the bottom of the ponyova it was decorated with prosument - for years and a braid of multi-colored threads.

Suit groom

Men's suit in the Voronezh province is no longer distinguished by such a variety of elements. It still consisted of a shirt, but already belted. The belt is a necessary element of the outfit, in the absence of which the man was considered deprived of honor . The shirt was sewn of blue or red fabric, decorated with contrasting ornaments. It was sewn according to the principle of a kosovorotka - with an oblique cut on the collar. The length of the shirt is up to the knee, so she partially covered the black pants that all men wore.

In addition to basic clothing, the peasant put on high boots and a hat.

Details of the wedding look - a hat, shoes, etc.

Before marriage, all the girls wore shawls, while the brides put on beautiful hats. In different counties, they differed, but the most common were:

• 
  bob - a red cap tightly pressing hair. Worn over the beam;
• kokoshnik embroidered with beads.

Chuniks, woven shoes, were worn as shoes. The sole was made of wood or genuine leather so that it was wiped more slowly. Women wore knitted socks made of colorful threads with their own hands.

One of the most impressive elements of women's wedding attire is the presence of breast ornaments in the form of beads . Usually weaved multi-tiered necklaces of small beads and fastened to a thin strip of fabric tied at the back of the neck. It was believed that such amulets protect the bride from evil forces and the evil eye.