Each nation is famous for its special traditions. But, probably, nothing conveys the mentality of this or that region like national clothes.
No other outfit is so associated with Ukraine as a traditional embroidered shirt. The art of decorating clothes with various ornaments is owned by many peoples, but Ukrainian embroidery is not just beautiful patterns, but a whole system of symbols and signs that have special meaning for Ukrainians.
History of embroidered
Almost all peoples of the world have a tradition of decorating clothes with various embroidery. So, even in ancient Greece, it was customary for the Scythians to apply a special pattern to the shirts of both soldiers and ordinary residents.
On the territory of Ukraine, in the Cherkasy region, archaeologists discovered drawings dated to the 6th century BC. e., which depicts men in embroidered shirts. However, in ancient chronicles, centuries before this, it was indicated that even then people in the territory of modern Ukraine wore special clothes with embroidered patterns. But, alas, only samples of embroideries of recent centuries, which can now be seen in various museums, are well preserved.
The ability to embroider was very much appreciated, and the masters of embroidery were always held in high esteem. Embroidered girls, women and grandmothers who transmitted knowledge to their children and grandchildren.
They decorated with embroidery both casual and ritual clothes, shirts, dresses, scarves, towels. Moreover - the clothes decorated with an ornament were in each house. And the more magnificent and detailed the drawing was, the better the mistress was considered a craftswoman.
A special ornament, which differs depending on the region of the country, was to protect a person from evil spirits, bring health, happiness and good luck. So, children at birth must have been given an embroidered shirt to protect them from evil eyes.
Traditional ornaments
All traditional Ukrainian patterns are divided into 3 large groups: geometric, floral and animal. And despite the fact that each region had its own peculiarities of embroidery, some were equivalent for the whole people.
Geometric symbols originate from paganism and are common to all Slavic peoples. So, an embroidered cross in a circle is a symbol of the sun cleansing the world from evil, a rhombus is a female symbol that brings luck and prosperity, horizontal lines are signs of earth and fertility, and wavy ones are signs of water and vital energy.
Plant ornaments were embroidered for different purposes. Oak leaves - for strength, grapes - for well-being, viburnum was a symbol of beauty. Only nature can give all the best, therefore it was honored and depicted on fabrics so that the carrier could bring only the good into its life. Ukrainian women's embroidery was most often decorated with flowers, leaves and berries.
Images of animals often protected people from evil forces. And the birds basically reflected the good news and events that occur or will occur in people's lives.
Embroidered colors and seams
According to some reports, there were several dozen embroidery methods. However, over time, Ukrainian folk clothes began to be traditionally decorated with the help of several techniques: a cross, a half-cross, “forward with a needle” and smooth surface. Each of the seams was characteristic for different compositions and individual regions of the country.
Of great importance was the color of the threads that decorated the Ukrainian shirt embroidered. Red - love and protection, blue - soul and sky, green - life, black - death. Depending on the region, the canvas materials and seams also changed, and colors were added: yellow, gold, brown. But traditional red and black were almost always present on embroidered products.
Embroideries of the western regions
Ornaments differed not only in different areas, but also in neighboring villages. Often, the history of the region, its moods and experiences were invested in traditions.
So, the Carpathian region (Transcarpathia, Lviv, Ivano-Frankivsk and Chernivtsi) is characterized by both dense and “light” drawings.
In Lviv, it is customary to embroider small patterns with black threads so that the base is visible. Here they use both geometric and floral motifs.
Decorate national clothes in Chernivtsi region a little denser and brighter: large flowers are embroidered with a stitch or cross with black, burgundy and even gold threads
In Transcarpathia and the Ivano-Frankivsk region, it is customary to “overlap” the canvas with a geometric pattern and use the entire national gamut of colors.
In Polesie (Volyn, Rivne and Zhytomyr regions), embroidered shirts differ from others in clear geometry and repeating patterns.
Volyn and Rivne regions are characterized by white thread embroidery. Here, the patterns on the national clothes are rather small and detailed.
In the Zhytomyr region, Ukrainian embroidery is also decorated with floral motifs: flower buds and intricate leaves. In addition to black, red and green are used.
The regions of Podillia (Ternopil, Khmelnitsky and Vinnitsa) conveyed through their embroidery and the complex history of the territory. The towns and villages there often became a battlefield and were attacked by enemies.
So, the Ternopil and Khmelnitsky national clothes were decorated with heavy dark embroidery with thick threads. Black color and strict geometric lines prevailed.
The main colors of embroideries from the Vinnitsa region are black and red, but here the pattern is already a little more transparent and smaller.
Central and Northern Ukraine
The central region (Chernihiv, Kiev, Cherkasy and Kirovograd regions) are lush and detailed patterns, most often red and black. Here you can often find plant motifs that are intricately intertwined.
In the Kiev, Cherkasy and Kirovograd regions, floral motifs make up a thoughtful and detailed composition. Bunches of grapes with antennae, hops (a symbol of youth) - all with red and black threads.
But Chernihiv embroidered shirts can rightfully be considered the most “rich” in Ukraine. Traditionally, the whole pattern was very small and detailed. The craftswomen worked on such shirts for a very long time, trying to capture every symbol on them and put their whole soul into them.
Traditional for the Poltava and Sumy regions was considered a small pattern embroidered with a smooth surface with white and black threads. The boundaries of the compositions were distinguished by a thin black thread.
National clothes of the eastern region
Kharkov craftsmen used mainly the traditions of central Ukraine. There are also plant motifs made by a rather coarse thread, due to which the figure turned out to be voluminous. In addition to black and white, red was also used.
In the Lugansk and Donetsk regions, the patterns are also similar to the central regions: a rather small pattern with geometric and floral ornaments. However, here, unlike many other regions, the blue color also took root.
The main colors of the Dnipropetrovsk and Zaporizhzhya regions are red and black. Clear and simple patterns are common here, which are most often decorated with collars and sleeves.
Embroideries of the southern region
In Odessa, Nikolaev and Kherson regions, not only ornament was traditional, but also special forms of shirts.
So, in the Nikolaev area there were special collars and a quadrangular neckline, and a shirt was not collected at the wrists. Plant motifs, red, black and blue colors prevail.
In the Odessa region, Ukrainian embroidery gathered both at the sleeves and at the collar. Traditionally, geometric and floral patterns prevailed, which were applied to the lower part of the sleeves, and a thin strip was embroidered along their edge. Primary colors are red, blue, black and yellow.
Ukrainian shirts embroidered in the Kherson region decorated with images of various plants, embroidered in red and black.
Women's and men's embroidery
Girls embroidered clothes for themselves, for their chosen ones, and for their children. Since the mistress of the house is the guardian of the hearth, the obligation to protect all loved ones from evil forces, to convey all her love to them, fell on her shoulders. Therefore, they embroidered in any free minute, everywhere and always.
Ukrainian women's embroidery was most often decorated with floral motifs. The color of the picture was also different: blue or white, and the first - for older women. But embroidered in white over white is the shirt that all the girls should have had. Ukrainian embroidered dresses were decorated in the same way as shirts, but a separate line was made for the bottom of the skirt.
For men, white shirts with a detailed pattern were considered traditional. It is not surprising: firstly, the pattern was supposed to protect a man on the battlefield, and secondly, it is an indicator that his wife is a good mistress. In addition to black and red colors, blue-red patterns were also embroidered - the only option when there may be a blue color on a men's embroidery.
Girls embroidered both casual and holiday clothes, men's and children's embroideries, dresses, scarves, wedding towels, in some regions even belts.
The canvas was almost always taken white. Modern black embroideries are an absolutely absurd phenomenon, they were not embroidered even during wars. A real shirt should be white or gray, perfectly clean and whole.
Modern Ukrainian embroidery
Starting from the end of the 19th century, embroidered shirts begin to be worn with everyday European clothes. At that time, representatives of the Ukrainian intelligentsia began to dress in such a way as to emphasize their belonging to the people.
The attitude to embroidery in general as a craft has also changed. Increasingly, young people preferred to buy embroidered embroidered on special machines.
During the Second World War, many museums were destroyed, in which ancient Ukrainian folk clothes were kept. Therefore, today it is rather difficult to meet such a historical relic.
Due to the great demand in Ukraine for such clothes, “wrong” embroidered shirts are often found today. Often on shirts you can find a nonexistent or inappropriate pattern, for example, one that is traditionally embroidered on scarves or wedding towels. Also, colors that are not suitable by gender or age are often chosen, and children's shirts are decorated with fertility symbols. Only those craftsmen whose knowledge is passed down from generation to generation have preserved proper traditions.
Some facts about embroidered shirts
- Geometric patterns remained from pagan traditions, and plant and animal appeared much later.
- According to legend, Chumak trusted to wash his shirt only to his chosen one - as a sign of fidelity and endless love. Also, the girl had the right to wash the embroidery only her husband.
- The most unusual are embroidered shirts of the city of Borshev (Ternopil region). This is due to the fact that Tatars often attacked this area, robbed and killed residents. According to legend, during one of the raids, they killed almost all the men in the city, after which for many years women embroidered only black dense patterns - as a sign of grief and sorrow for the dead.
- Often, when a guy did not know which of the girls to choose for his wife, he got acquainted with her “wardrobe”: the more she has embroidered clothes, the better she is in everyday life, which means she is the perfect choice.
- We began to learn embroidery from the age of 6, and soon the girl was obliged to embroider herself with at least one shirt. Men's embroidery was prepared before the wedding and was used as a wedding towel.