Polish national costumes are bright multi-color clothes. It reflects the originality and uniqueness of the cultural life of the people, talks about its historical development and serves as a real symbol of the nation. However, one should not lose sight of the fact that the costumes of the Poles have largely adopted elements of clothing of other nations. This happened as a result of the close interaction of Poland with Russia, Romania, Austria and Lithuania. Over the years, the culture of these countries had a strong influence on the culture of the inhabitants of Poland, and therefore new elements appeared in the national costumes of Poles and Poles. However, the costumes did not spoil this at all, on the contrary, the clothes turned out to be original, unique and very beautiful.
Description of the Polish national costume: history
According to historians, the national clothes of Poland as such began to form only in the 19th century. This is due to the poor financial situation of its main carrier - a person from the people. Before the abolition of serfdom, the people lived extremely poorly and wore the simplest things that served people for many years in a row. After the reform, the affairs of the workers and peasants improved slightly, money appeared for the purchase of fabric to create real national costumes. Then it became possible to wear such clothes much more often, and not just on holidays.
A characteristic feature was that the costumes differed not only according to the status of their master, but also the locality for which they were made. Thus, in different villages located in the neighborhood, clothes could vary in color, ornament, sleeve or skirt length.
Estate division
All Polish national costumes are divided into 2 categories:
- noble suit (it was worn by wealthy people, representatives of the nobility) - such clothes were made from expensive woolen fabric;
- peasant costume (inexpensive clothes, sewn mainly from linen).
Most often, it was the gentry costume that underwent changes. Noble people were in close contact with foreigners and often used their favorite items of clothing to change their own. As a result of such a mixture, an original costume was obtained that attracted attention.
Colors of national clothes
Despite the fact that each locality had its own version of the Polish national costume, some features can be distinguished as the main ones.
Women's clothing was distinguished by brightness, multicolor, among the colors used more often than others, white, yellow, red, blue and green were found. The most popular ornament was considered flowers. This is explained not only by the beauty of the picture, but also by the fact that many flowers had a symbolic meaning. Quite often, women's skirts were sewn from multi-colored striped fabric.
Men's clothing was also distinguished by bright, rich colors, but it was made of plain fabric.
Children's clothes almost did not differ from the adult in character and cut, only the size of things changed.
Women's national clothes
The basis of the female outfit was made up of several basic elements.
Skirts . Regardless of the type of fabric (linen or fine wool) and color, the Polish skirts were long and reached the ankles. Sewed them from 5 wedges. 4 of them were gathered on the belt and only the 5th was smooth and even - it was located in front.
Shirts. The women's shirt had a simple rectangular shape and was sewn from homespun bleached linen or cotton fabrics. Sleeves were made with gusset (a special insert for greater convenience during arm movements) and a cuff. Quite often there were shirts richly decorated with embroidery on the collar and cuffs.
Apron. This is an indispensable element of clothing worn by Polish women; it was found everywhere. It was sewn from fabric of green, yellow, black or white color and was always richly decorated. For decor, braid, lace, multi-colored ribbons, embroidery were used.
Vest. This garment had a more complex cut than skirts and shirts. A little later (after 1870) there was another variety of vest, called the corset. Most often it was made of velvet or velor in black, dark green or red.
Men's polish clothing
The suit for men consisted of:
- shirts;
- pants;
- jupan (upper long clothes);
- delia (cloak resembling a Turkish caftan);
- belt.
The men's shirt was made of linen or cotton fabric (as well as the female one), however, it was deprived of any embroideries and ornaments.
Zhupan was considered one of the essential elements - it was worn by representatives of absolutely all classes. He was a long fitted clothing, which certainly had a stand-up collar and a frequent row of buttons to the waist. The jupans in each locality were of different colors. It could be black, brown, dark green clothes. The difference in the class could be seen due to the quality of fabrics, the richness of jewelry and the appearance of buttons. Buttonholes on the zupan were made of a decorative cord, embroidery covered the sleeves and floors.
The men's belt is one of the indicators of the family’s wealth, so the Polish gentry paid special attention to it. The belts were sewn from fabric or leather, decorated with embroidery, beautiful fasteners made of metal (sometimes silver elements were used for this purpose).
Jewelry and hats
It is simply impossible to imagine Polish clothes without jewelry and hats, especially since the men's hat was regarded as an indicator of wealth along with the belt. For this reason, every man tried to decorate his headdress as abundantly and richer as possible.
As for women, by the headdress it was possible to find out the marital status of the beauty. The bright headscarves covering the head were intended for young unmarried girls. As soon as a Polish girl started a family, she put on a cap (it also changed depending on the territorial sign).
To complement their wonderful outfit, Polish women enjoyed using bright jewelry. Usually these were large beads (often red ones), massive earrings and bracelets. I must say that men did not skimp on the purchase of jewelry for their wives, because it was the number and size of women's accessories that showed the income level of a man.
Thus, the Polish national costume can be safely called a multifaceted concept, which reflected the life and characteristics of the culture of a particular area. At the same time, today the Poles themselves consider the costume of the inhabitants of Krakow to be national clothing.