Ukrainian folk costume: an excursion into the history

Not so long ago, on the wave of "orange" moods, as well as the subsequent sense of unity of the nation and euphoria, fashion was styled in the style of "Ukrainian folk costume". Linen shirts, a combination of white and red, embroidery, braids, ribbons ...

Although almost everyone understands what the Ukrainian folk costume actually looks like. An excursion into history will help you make a full impression of this area of the rich cultural traditions of the great people.

The stereotype image of Ukrainians as a nation of lazy and good-natured lovers of reality does not quite match. Ukrainians loved to have a rest and eat always, but besides it were diligent, industrious and talented, in particular the women, who had long cope with numerous daily household chores, and also with tailoring. And this was not an easy task.

You can look at the ancient Ukrainian folk costume that has survived until today, and it becomes clear: in order to create this, you need extraordinary abilities. Men's and women's shirts were decorated with various and elaborate ornaments, their embroidery took a huge amount of time and energy. Unimaginable shirts then were not worn, while the wealth of patterns directly depended on the age and position of the owner of a sleeveless shirt or shirt.

On holidays, it was customary to wear a kerset on the shirt. Their style can be compared with strict waistcoats, which were part of the English folk costume. They were sewed from the most elegant and expensive fabrics. In winter, festive clothing was "plakhta" - woolen, patterned, sewn from two cloths to the middle of the fabric, bent exactly in half. On ordinary days in the winter they put on sheepskin coats made of sheepskin, while in wealthy peasants they were covered with cloth. Actually, the same can be said, considering the Adyghe national costume.

Embroidery was mostly decorated with shoulder inserts, a hem, as well as a breast cut of a woman's dress, cuffs and a man's neck. Women did not wear skirts. More precisely, skirts in our understanding appeared only towards the end of the 19th century, and up to this point women used a piece of cloth instead of a skirt, fixing it with a knitted, woven or woven belt at the waist.

The most common shoes were "pots" made of rawhide, or bast shoes. But the boots could afford only the rich. Headdresses were in both women and men. But if for the strong half it was a way to hide from the sun ("straw hat") and a cold wind (a cylinder-like winter hat - "smushkovyu"), then the women demanded the rules of decency. Young girls wore a wreath of bright flowers with various ribbons or a head bandage, while women married put on a cap, covered with a shawl or a cotton scarf.

Studying the Ukrainian folk costume, you can distinguish a variety of ornaments. They were skillfully embroidered on "kersetkas" and shirts. You can divide them into 3 different groups: vegetable (hops, grapes, oak leaves), abstract (crosses, circles, asterisks), and zoomorphic (pictures of all kinds of insects and animals). Different images in themselves always carry a hidden meaning. For example, the periwinkle was a symbol of unfading life, grapes were a sign of prosperity, and apples denoted a long and unfading love.