Ornament of Udmurt: a secret sign of the people (photo)

For historians, the Udmurt ornament is an inexhaustible source of study of this extraordinary and distinctive people. After all, the skilled workers put their soul into their patterns, they reflected everything that surrounded them: traditions, culture, everyday objects. The ornament is closely intertwined with the peculiarities of the Udmurts as a nation, their closed forest life and creativity.

Features

The Udmurt ornament arose long before the emergence of a separate nation. But to study it began only from the late 18th - early 19th centuries. The copies of the earlier period were practically not preserved. The first researchers of the peculiarities of the Udmurt culture were unaccustomed to seeing on the tissues bright juicy colors. Virtually all Udmurt patterns and ornaments are made in red or black thread, brown or gold.

The predominance of variegated shades is very simple. Udmurts lived a closed life in the woods. Lack of light, they embodied in their drawings. The rhythm of color gives movement to patterns, fills them with life and joy.

Motifs of ornaments

On embroidered towels most often there are simple geometric figures: rhombuses, triangles, squares. Later Udmurt ornament already has flowers. The appearance of red poppies, roses and other plants is explained by the increasing influence of Ukrainian culture.

The most common in embroidery is the silhouette of a waterfowl. This element is present in many peoples of the Urals. An ancient myth is associated with it. It says that a bird can dive to the bottom of the ocean and bring a piece of land from which many centuries ago there was a land.

The motif of the waterfowl was necessarily present on the sleeve of the girl's wedding shirt. Later he began to look like the wings of a duck.

Flower Symbolism

Like many peoples, the Udmurts imagined the world as three-part. According to their belief, the creator of the world Inmar divided the universe into three components: heaven, earth and the underworld. The sky symbolized white, the earth red, which represented blood, life and sun. And the underground world is black. Later, this combination became the symbol of the flag of the Udmurt Republic.

Udmurt ornament perfectly reflects the way people perceived the world. For example, the female breastplate was most often embroidered like this: in the middle was a large red triangle, beneath it was black or dark blue. Above embroidered various ornaments with light colors.

World Tree

The image of the world tree is characterized by the Udmurt national ornament. Since the inhabitants mainly inhabited the forest area, it is not surprising that much is connected with the trees. So, the Udmurts believed that after death a person could turn to a tree. Each trunk with the crown had its own soul, with him it was possible to talk or pray to him. Most of all Udmurts worshiped pine, fir, rowan and birch.

Later, the world tree became reincarnated as the goddess of fertility, which was depicted with her hands up. On each side branches with leaves were necessarily represented. Mother Sun was called by the Udmurts of Shunda-Mum and not only was the patroness of the heavenly body, but also responsible for the fertility of the lands.

Animal ornaments

Udmurt folk ornament contains many images of animals. Traditionally, wild boars, sheep, lynx, eagles and falcons were embroidered. Starting from the earliest stages of the development of culture, the Udmurts portrayed the horse. If he was embroidered on a towel, then this item must be taken with him on a trip, and on the bride's headdress embroidered a horse, wanting a happy family way.

Another popular way is a bear. He was most often depicted without a single finger. This tradition begins with rituals of burial shamans. When a respected person was dying, a thumb was cut off from him, which was stored in the family for the blessing of the gods.

Solar motifs and swastikas

Udmurts closely assimilated with Perm. Starting from this period, the Udmurt ornament begins to acquire solar motives. First, various images of the sun are used in carving wood, making ornaments, and later go into embroidery.

The most important solar motif is the swastika. This element is found in different peoples, including among the Udmurts. The swastika was embroidered on towels, clothes. She performed a protective role - drove away evil spirits - and meant rebirth, the birth of a new life, a family.

Researchers distinguish the motifs of "pityri" (a circle with a hole in the middle) and "pityres" (a circle with ornament). The first was an obligatory element of the bridal veil of the bride, and the second was always present on the headdresses of women.

Some more patterns

The Udmurt ornament is very poetic. It reflects the basic beliefs associated with myths and legends. Some other characteristic motifs sound no less poetic. For example, a rainbow, a heavenly dew. Ornaments related to animals - a hawk, a cat's track, a frog's head.

The diamond was most often depicted for ordering the house. Several rhombuses in a row carried information about the number of sons in the family. The diamonds in the motifs of later embroidery denoted the carrot as a symbol of prosperity and well-being.

Another rectangle could be embroidered with rays, then it was already becoming a symbol of the sun. It was an indispensable element in talismanics from evil spirits, diseases and evil eyes.

From the 15th century one can trace one more trend. On the breastplates of women more often appears another cosmic symbol - the moon. It was depicted in the form of an eight-pointed star, around which were diamond-shaped rays. Without such a symbol it was impossible to celebrate a wedding. It was believed that the moon - the patron of the night, and the young will not have children, if the sign will not be on clothes.