The appearance of the ancient Slavs has always evoked rave reviews from European and Asian travelers. They noted the high stature and proud bearing of the Slavs, their white skin with a bright blush and beautiful thick blond hair. The clothes of the Slavs made it possible to emphasize their natural beauty and become.
The main elements of the Slavic costume
The main element of both male and female Slavic costume was a shirt, which was made mainly of linen. The men's shirt was about knee-length and was always belted. The length of a woman's shirt, as a rule, reached the ankle. Often she served as a modern women's light dress. The collar, sleeves and hem of the shirt were always decorated with embroidery. Moreover, embroidery was not so much a decorative as a protective function, protecting a person from harmful forces.
Since ancient times, men have worn belt belts, which were considered one of the main symbols of male prestige. Especially valued were belts made of wild tur skin, which could be obtained during the hunt, putting their lives in mortal danger.
The tradition of wearing trousers was borrowed by the Slavs from the representatives of the most ancient nomadic tribes. Slavic trousers were about ankle-length and tucked into onuchi.
Slavic women's costume is usually subdivided into northern and southern complexes. Moreover, the southern costume has more ancient roots. In addition to the shirt, its obligatory element is a poneva - a kind of swing skirt made of half-woolen fabric, as a rule, of a checkered pattern.
The sundress was first mentioned in the Russian chronicles of the 14th century. At the same time, not only women's, but also men's clothing was originally called a sundress. The sundress was first mentioned as women's clothing in the 17th century.
Shoes and headwear
The most common shoes in the Slavic costume were bast shoes. However, there were also leather shoes, which were subdivided into pistons (soft shoes made of one piece of leather, which was pulled together at the edges with a cord), shoes and boots.
Particular attention was paid to the headdress in the Slavic women's costume. At the same time, the headdresses of girls and married women had significant differences. The main feature of a girl's headdress was an open crown; a married woman's headdress covered her hair completely. Headdresses were a symbol of the celestial sphere, and therefore were often decorated with images of the sun, stars or birds. The names of the headdresses also, most often, were "bird": kokoshnik from the word "kokosh" - rooster, kika or kichka - duck, magpie. And the strings of pearls and temple rings that adorned them symbolized drops of rain or dew.
The ancient Slavic costume still surprises and pleases the eye with its beauty and harmony. Some of its elements can still be found in modern clothing.
