Bashkirs are a unique people who try to observe long-standing traditions and customs. Their beautiful clothes, decorated with various patterns, ornaments, and ethnic attributes, deserve special attention. Reflecting respect and love for ancestors, the Bashkir national costume appeared many years ago. It is not only a historical heritage, traditional clothing is still used today.
Options and features of outfits
Bashkortostan is a republic with a moderate climate, so the national costume is dominated by layers. Even in ancient times, several robes were worn over the undershirt. Depending on the season, weather and air temperature, these items are made of thick or thin material.
The main element of the national costume of the Bashkir people is called "kazakin". This is outerwear that looks like a fitted jacket with spacious sleeves, it has a soft lining. The kazakin is fastened with buttons.
Ornaments and patterns that have a certain symbolic meaning are used for the Bashkir national costume. For example, the presence of images of plants or animal figures on clothing protects against unkind people, damage, and also serves to attract luck and wealth to the owner.
Female
The basis of the women's costume is a dress called "kuldek". It is decorated with beautiful embroidery. Among the main features of this product are:
- Initially, the dress had a small collar that framed the top of the garment;
- a wide neckline was provided;
- Under the chest area, the dress of noble ladies was tied with a belt, while common people used twine for this purpose.
Previously, Bashkir breastplates were often worn over the dress. They served to protect against evil spirits, damage, and the evil eye. Rich girls and women wore a camisole over the dress, which was richly decorated with silver coins.
In addition to the dress, a women's suit consists of other additional elements:
- Depending on the situation, girls wore chekmeni, yelyany, kezeki, beshmets, fur coats, and sheepskin coats.
- Wide trousers – yshtan – were worn under the dress.
- For holidays, the girl always complemented her outfit with an apron - alyapkys. For special events, this attribute is sewn from expensive, beautiful fabrics.
In Bashkiria, girls and women try to complement their costume with various decorations that emphasize their oriental beauty. They wear long earrings with ornaments, various bracelets, beads, pendants.
The girl's outfit is practically no different from the women's suit, it is only smaller in size. Children's suits are characterized by the presence of beautiful, bright ornaments, and the kuldeq dress is also used as a base. It is complemented by outerwear, a bib, an apron and wide pants.
Girls who have not reached the age of ten do not have the right to wear a headdress with a veil - tykaya. This attribute is present in the attire of older representatives of the weaker sex.
Male
Bashkir men's folk costume is not as bright and varied as women's attire. This is due to the fact that men are not so picky in their choice of clothing. But their outfits are still striking in their beauty and decoration.
Usually the costume consists of a loose-fitting shirt, trousers, and a long robe. Chekmeni were popular in the past. Kezekis, caftans with a flared cut and high collar, are used as a warm option for outerwear.
Residents of the northern and southern regions of Bashkiria are recognized by the shape of the neckline of their shirts. The southerners had a slanted one, without a collar, the edges were fastened with lacing. But the northerners wore clothes more familiar to modern people - straight cut, with a collar. When the cold weather came, men complemented the suit with sheepskin coats or fur coats.
There are no restrictions in the outfit for boys, it fully replicates the appearance of the fathers' clothes. Children wore a traditional belt with a rich gold pattern, shirts with tight lacing, trousers.
Festive
Festive outfits for women and men are complemented by bright elements that emphasize beauty and attract attention. Women wear an apron over their dress - alyapkys, which is embroidered with colorful ornaments. Additionally, they wear long earrings, beads, pendants, bracelets made of gold and silver.
The wedding suit deserves special attention; Bashkirs approach its production with the utmost responsibility. A wedding is considered a special event that binds the newlyweds together for life. The clothes of the bride and groom should impress the guests; it is important for the newlyweds to look bright, dazzling and rich. For this reason, parents often give all their wealth for the celebration.
The wedding dress is decorated with ribbons and rich frills. They frame the hem of the dress, giving it a luxurious look. The color of the dress is of great importance. Most often, it is sewn in two versions:
- red – symbolizes home, a warm family hearth;
- white – represents the sun, harmony in family affairs.
The bride's head is covered with a light scarf. White boots are used as footwear; they were made of soft, thin goat leather.
The bride sews a red shirt for the groom with her own hands. She embroiders it with beautiful patterns and ornaments. Before the wedding, she hands it to her future husband.
Materials and finishing
For the Bashkir people, the material from which the national costume is made is of particular importance. It is not customary to skimp on fabric; they try to use high-quality, natural materials. People from wealthy families wear outfits made of white satin, expensive velvet, silk, and sateen.
Cotton fabric products were popular. Bashkirs, who lived poorly, used sheepskin, home felt and cloth to make clothes. Nettle and hemp canvases were often used.
For costume decoration, they use breastplates, backplates, various pendants, bracelets, earrings. These items are created from coins, embroidery, metal plates, beads, shells. In the last millennium, corals have been actively used.
Outerwear is often decorated with appliqués. Red or gold braid is sewn onto the edges of the garment.
Variety of shades
Residents of Bashkortostan love bright and elegant things, so when sewing they pay special attention to the shades of the product. The following colors predominate in everyday national costumes of the Bashkirs:
- red;
- brown;
- blue;
- black;
- green;
- yellow.
Contrast of shades is always observed, for example, you can often see combinations of such color combinations as red and white, yellow and blue, black and green, brown and yellow.
Headwear
The headdress of the Bashkirs has always been an obligatory element of the national costume. It reflects the financial position, status, age of the owner. Additionally, it is decorated with precious stones, which also serve as a talisman.
Men wear two types of headdresses - a skullcap and a fur hat. Bashkirs, who profess Islam, do not have the right to appear in public with their heads uncovered. Headdresses for young men are made in light colors, but hats for older men are more often in dark colors.
Headdresses for women come in a wide range. The wives of wealthy men can afford a rich headdress called a kamshau. This product looks like a cap with a hole on the top.
The headdress is embroidered with corals, beads, and pendants. Additionally, a long ribbon is sewn on, which goes down the back. It gives the headdress beauty and individuality - the ribbon is embroidered with beads, and fringe is attached.
There is another type of women's headdress for a married woman - kalepush. This is a high hat, a cape is attached to it, which covers the ears and falls on the shoulders. The product is decorated with beads and embroidery.
Traditional footwear of the Bashkirs
Bashkir women have a variety of shoe models in their wardrobe, which are traditionally decorated with tassels. In the summer, they wear sabats, under which they always wear white stockings. On holidays, they wear decorative hosiery and leather shoes with patterns.
The standard footwear for men is considered to be saryk and itek boots. On holidays, they wear beautiful igichi. In order not to get them dirty on the way to the celebration, they put on galoshes on top of the shoes, and upon arrival at the place, the men take them off at the threshold.
The Bashkir costume is a national treasure of the people, which is passed down from generation to generation. This is a value that preserves memory and unique history. A bright outfit with an ornament and the necessary traditional attributes reflects the elegance and character of the people of the last century.
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