Буклет "Innermost secrets of folk clothes"

Innermost secrets of folk clothes

Team: «Excellent boys and girls»

What can a folk costume tell you about?

When you study the Russian folk costume more closely as the work of art, you find more values in it, and it becomes a chronicle of our anciestor’s life. The language of colour, shape and ornament reveals to us many of the innermost secrets and laws of beauty of folk art. A colour is a special way of expressing feelings.  Red was the most favourite, important colour among Russian people and symbolized strength, power, fertility; it was the colour of fire, sun and helped to express mood and optimism. An ornament is a system of signs that was well known to people of ancient times. The traditional ornament of Russian embroidery and woven jewelry was a linear-geometric ornament.

Special features of traditional children clothing in Nizhny Novgorod province

The basis of the children’s Nizhny Novgorod province folk costume was a shirt. Moreover, it was believed that the first shirt for a boy should be the worn shirt of his father, for a girl – of her mother. Only in adolescence children had clothes that pointed to the gender. The boys wore a shirt and trousers, the girls – cheap jewelry: earrings, beads from dried berries, fruit seeds and colourful ribbons were used. Children and teenagers didn’t have outerwear and they wore adult clothing as needed.

Features  of the folk children costume of Arzamas county  

Girls wore a kosoklinny sundress of the «Chernukhinsky» style with a deeper neckline, a narrow back and a formed «frog», often with a pleated hem. «The suit of couple» of urban style is a set of skirts and sweatshirts. It gained popularity among the peasant girls of Arzamas county. Boy’s attire was more modest and only the belt attracted the most attention in their suits. It could be woven, silk, wool but belts of twisted silk with gold tassels were particularly beautiful.