The Belarusian national costume is a complex of clothes, shoes and jewelry formed over many decades, which were used by Belarusians on holidays and in everyday life. Belarusian clothing has common roots with Russian national clothing and Ukrainian and was formed mainly on the basis of the traditions of the peoples.
General characteristics of the Belarusian costume
One of the most important characteristics of the Belarusian national costume is the sustainability of traditions. The traditional clothes of Belarusians have absorbed various trends and elements over the course of many centuries. Despite this, the basis and cut of some of the costumes remained unchanged.
Some elements of clothing date back to pagan roots, they are characterized by archaic features, for example: ornament or striped decor. The technology of making fabrics also dates back many centuries.
Any national dress, including Belarusian, is characterized by a reflection of the views and attitude of the nation. The main type of Belarusian clothing is white linen. And it is believed that the name "Belarus" originated precisely from the immense love of the Belarusian people for white.
Belarusian clothes are divided into festive and everyday clothes. And the brightest festive costumes were worn on days associated with the celebration of the land and with the first pasture of cattle.
Traditional men's costume
Traditional men's clothing was represented mainly by a shirt, sleeveless jacket and trousers. Summer pants (they were also called leggings) were sewn from linen or semi-woven fabric. And winter leggings were made of dark cloth.
The shirt was usually worn outside and belted with a bright embroidered belt. The cut of the shirt was simple, tunic-like, with long sleeves and a stand-up collar. The sleeves, hem and collar were usually decorated with lace, embroidery, or braid.
In the summer, men usually wore a sleeveless jacket called a kamiselka. It was sewn from homespun cloth. In winter, ordinary peasants wore sheepskin jackets, and the rich wore fur coats made from the fur of various animals.
Headdresses made of various materials acted as an addition to the costumes. For example: a magerka made of wool, a fur hat with earflaps or a straw wing.
Women's national Belarusian clothing
The character of the Belarusian people is more vividly expressed in women's peasant clothes. It was also based on a shirt called kashul. Its widespread feature was that special inserts of a thinner material were made on the shoulders of the shirt, which were decorated with woven ornaments.
Different skirts made of homespun were usually worn over the cough. They were different: linen, woolen, half-cloth. And sometimes they were sewn from factory fabric.
Peasant women used a white linen skirt adorned with a narrow strip of fabric ornament at the hem as everyday wear. And festive and winter skirts were usually made of semi-carved fabric made on a linen basis with a woolen duck. Or home-made woolen fabric.
