The national costume is the cultural, historical, folklore heritage of a certain people, transmitted from generation to generation. The Armenian costume perfectly emphasizes the traditions and history of its people.
History of Armenian folk costume
The history of Armenians as a people begins in the 9th century BC. since the creation of the Urartian kingdom. Throughout its existence, this nation was constantly subjected to attacks by foreigners and persecution from the developed territories, and also survived many difficult years of the rule of foreign states. Conquering wars alternated with peaceful periods when culture and traditions flourished. Therefore, the costume of the Armenians is characterized by both elements for carrying weapons and parts borrowed from the clothes of the peoples with whom they interacted (Persians, Tatar-Mongols, Byzantines, Iranians, Arabs, Greeks, Chinese). Moreover, during the war with the Persians, the Armenians conditionally divided into Western and Eastern. This split further influenced the features of the national costume of both.
After a long historical journey, undergoing many metamorphoses, the Armenian folk costume, the description of which will be presented to your attention in the article, has retained its originality.
Women costume
The female Armenian folk costume “Taraz” traditionally consisted of a long shirt, bloomers, archaluk or dress and apron (not in all areas).
The shirt, or halava, was white (in the west) or red (in the east), long, with side wedges and straight sleeves. The “halava” neck was round, the chest was opened with a longitudinal neckline decorated with embroidery. Under the shirt were worn pants "red" with a red assembly with the bottom. The open part was decorated with embroidery "under the gold." An archaluk was put on top - a long caftan of bright (green, red, purple) color. The cut of the archaluka included a fastener only at the waist, a beautiful neckline on the chest and cuts from the hip on the sides, dividing its hem into three parts. The Gognots, or apron, was worn by Armenians in the western regions. In the eastern regions, he was not a mandatory attribute of the costume. The shirt and pants were sewn mainly from cotton. Archaluk could be silk, chintz or satin. The quality of the fabric depended on the financial security of the family.
On holidays, the Armenians put on an arkhaluk elegant dress "Mintana". The Mintana silhouette repeated the cut of the archaluk, but there were no side cuts on the dress. The sleeves of the dress with cuts from the elbow to the wrist were edged with beautiful thin braid with a button fastener or bracelet.
In the western regions, the clothes of women were very diverse. Instead of an archaluka, a dress was worn, the cut of which provided side cuts from the line of the hips, as well as flared sleeves. Such a dress was called "antari" or "zpun." Sewed it from cotton and silk.
On top of the “antari” they also wore a dress without side cuts, called “juppa”, “hrha”, “hafat” or “confused”. All these varieties of dresses were distinguished by cut and fabric. Their unique feature was that from under the sleeves of the dress the sleeves of the "antari" were to open.
“Gognots” - an apron with a thin belt containing embroidery elements from a bright braid. The words: “Good health” were embroidered on the belt.
A wide belt or a replacement scarf made of silk or wool was necessarily tied over the archaluk or dress. Wealthy Armenians wore gold and silver belts.
When leaving the house, the woman was to put on a veil covering her entire body. It was woven from fine woolen fabric. Young girls wore white bedspreads, and mature women chose blue shades.
In the cold, the Armenians warmed themselves with a long warm coat of red velvet trimmed with fox or marten fur.
Women's jewelry
Jewelry occupied not the last place in the image of an Armenian woman. Jewelry was collected throughout life and was inherited from generation to generation.
Jewelry was worn on various parts of the body: on the neck, on the chest, on the arms and legs, ears, on the temples and on the forehead. In some tribes, a turquoise ornament was inserted into the nose .
Armenian hats
The headgear of the Armenians of western and eastern Armenia varied greatly.
Eastern Armenians wore a short hat made of cotton fabric impregnated with paste. A ribbon with a floral or geometric ornament was placed on the cap in front. A ribbon with precious coins was tied under a hat on his forehead, and whiskey was decorated with balls or corals. A white scarf was tied from above, covering the back of the head, neck and part of the face. And on top was covered with a scarf of green or red.
Western Armenians preferred to wear tall wooden rims - “seals” and “wards”. The “cat” in the front was lined with velvet with pearl embroidery depicting the sky, stars and the sun. Silver velvet amulets were sewn onto velvet. Ward was distinguished only by embroidery, depicting a garden of paradise, birds and flowers. On the sides of the "ward" one large button was fastened, ribbons with two rows of gold coins were put on the forehead, the largest coin flaunted in the center. The temporal part was decorated with strings of pearls. Ward was worn on top of a red cap with a tassel.
Unmarried girls braided many braids mixed with woolen threads, which added volume to the hairstyle. Pigtails were decorated with balls and tassels. The head was covered in the eastern part with a scarf, and in the western - with a felt hat without a brush.
Men's folk costume
The set of the national men's costume of the Eastern Armenians included a shirt, harem pants, an archaluk, and "chuha".
“Shapik” is a shirt made of cotton or silk, with a low collar, and a fastener on the side. Then the Armenians put on wide trousers “shalvar” of blue or woolen fabric. At the waist in the seam "shalvar" was inserted braid with tassels at the ends. On top of the “hat” and “shalvar” wore “archaluk”. An archaluk of cotton or silk was fastened with hooks or small buttons, starting from the stand-up collar and ending with the hem to the knees. Then they put on the "archaluk" "Chuha" (Circassian). The Circassian woman was longer than the "archaluka", sewn from woolen fabric and always worn by a man when leaving the house. Cut Circassian assumed long folding sleeves and a hem, gathered at the waist. They girded the "chugh" with a leather or type-setting silver belt. In winter, men wore long sheepskin coats.
The wardrobe of the Armenians of the western regions was somewhat different from their eastern neighbors. The male Armenian folk costume here consisted of a shirt, bloomers, caftan and jacket.
In western areas, shirt fabric, along with cotton and silk, was woven from goat hair. Wartik trousers were narrowed below and wrapped in cloth. Instead of an archaluka, a fir-tree caftan was put on over the shirt, and a top one-piece jacket “bachkon” was put on it. The Bachkon was tied in several layers at the waist with a wide fabric scarf. Weapons, money, and tobacco were stored in layers of fabric. In the cold season, they were warmed by goatskin vests.
Armenian headdress
Men wore a variety of hats made of fur, wool or fabric. Astrakhan hats dominated eastern Armenia. Some representatives of the people wore hats in the form of a cone with a red silk tip. In the west, they wore hemisphere knitted hats of one-colored or multi-colored (with a predominance of red) wool. From above, a headscarf twisted with a plait was tied to such hats.
Footwear
The most common type of footwear among Armenians, both men and women, was made of “three” bast shoes made of cattle skin. Three were distinguished by pointed noses and long shoelaces encircling the lower leg to the knee. An important element of the costume was socks. They were knitted both plain and colored. Women's socks of “gulpa” were an integral part of the traditional costume of the Armenians. Their history began from the beginning of the existence of the Urartian kingdom and persisted until the middle of the 20th century. Socks were even part of the dowry of the bride. Men's “legs” or “windings” were also knitted from colored wool or sewn from fabric. They were worn over socks and laced up.
As a weekend shoe, women had pointed shoes without a back and a small heel. They were made of leather, the sole was solid. Shoes of this kind were represented by many models. In any case, the woman had to wear socks under her shoes in order to comply with the limits of decency.
The “Three” were more likely to be found in the countryside, while in the city men wore leather black boots, and women wore leather shoes.
Shoes in the western part were slightly different. Here, men and women wore pointed solera shoes, on whose heels they nailed a horseshoe. Women's shoes were yellow, green, red, men - red and black. Also popular were flat-bottomed boots, on top of which shoes with heels without a back were worn. Men, in addition to shoes, wore red leather boots.
Colors in Armenian national costume
The Armenian folk costume, the photo of which you see in the article, is distinguished by its brightness and color saturation. In men, the color palette is more restrained than in women, dark or white shades prevail. East Armenians have more varied colors in clothes than western ones.
Women's clothing is mainly represented by two colors: red and green. Each color is a specific symbol. From time immemorial, red has been considered the color of well-being, love, and fertility. Green color identified spring, flowering and youth. The Armenian wedding dress combined both of these colors. Red was a symbol of marriage, so a married woman wore a red apron.
Older women wore clothes in blue tones. Blue color meant old age, death. For Armenians, he was known as the color of mourning. And at the same time, it was famous for its healing power from evil eye and damage. The blue color was used by local magicians for conspiracies.
Black color was associated with evil spirits. Black clothes were worn during the days of mourning. Young women were allowed to wear black mourning clothes only after the death of her husband. In other cases, it was considered dangerous because of the fear of losing fertility.
White, on the contrary, was especially revered, considering it blessed. A white robe, for example, accompanied the baptism of a baby and the funeral of the deceased.
Armenians avoided the yellow color, considering it the color of aging, ailments, associated it with the yellow color of bile.
Ornaments in the national costume of Armenians
The ornamental coloring of Armenian clothing is not only the embodiment of cultural values, but also a peculiar story about the history of the people, about the beauty of the region in which this people lives, about what they live and do.
Historically, ornamental symbolism had, first of all, a magical orientation. Ornaments and patterns were located around open areas of the body (neck, arms, legs), as if protecting their master from evil spirits. Belts, aprons, bibs, and socks had the same meaning. Armenian craftswomen used various techniques for applying ornaments: embroidery, appliqués, knitting, heels. The materials also differed in variety: beads, buttons, beads, various quality threads (including gold and silver) and, surprisingly, fish scales.
The ornaments on the Armenian folk costume were applied on one of the following topics:
- Flora;
- fauna;
- geometric figures.
Also depicted drawings depicting buildings, in particular, the church.
Floral ornament
Most often, trees, twigs, leaves were embroidered from the vegetation. Trees were an object of worship among the Armenians, as they were considered a symbol of fertility, motherhood. Wavy lines representing the branches applied to the rim of the aprons, and this symbolized the immortality of the spirit.
Images of flowers were applied to clothes of innocent girls as a sign of integrity and youth.
Often almond-shaped patterns were included in the ornament, which, according to popular beliefs, protected from evil people.
Images of the animal world
From the world of fauna you can see images of snakes, roosters, artiodactyl horns. Horns signified fertility, wealth. Snakes were depicted not only on clothes, but also on weapons, household items, jewelry. The snake was a symbol of wealth, family happiness.
The rooster was especially revered by the Armenians and was, rather, the patron saint of the bride and groom at a wedding. Rooster feathers were present in the man’s wedding headdress.
Geometric ornaments
Of the geometric patterns, circles, squares, rhombuses, triangles and crosses prevailed. All figures carried a certain interpretation.
The circle, like an egg, an embryo, symbolized life, performed a protective function.
The square was also known as a talisman. His image carried a deep semantic load. Four sides can be compared with the fundamental concepts associated with the four - the cardinal points, seasons in a year, the number of elements. The intersection of horizontal (female lines) and vertical lines (male lines) carry the designation of fertilization. Therefore, the cross and square symbolize fertility.
Rhombuses and triangles were applied mainly to women's clothing. They symbolized the masculine (the top of the triangle pointing up) and the feminine (the top of the triangle pointing down) beginning. Rhombus denoted their merging into a single whole, which also denoted fertility.
How to draw an Armenian folk costume?
To draw any folk costume is quite difficult. The Armenian one, due to the presence of complex ornaments, many details, is one hundred times more difficult. But it’s worth a try, because the result will be a drawing that reveals all the splendor of the outfit. It is necessary to carefully and carefully go through several stages:
- Make a sketch indicating all the basic elements of the costume, observing the proportions.
- Draw all the details of the costume, not excluding the little things.
- It is necessary to show in the figure bends, waves, chiaroscuro.
- Draw patterns, ornaments and decorations.
- The coloring of the Armenian folk costume should be carried out after studying the combination of national colors.
The drawing is ready.
To learn the many-sided world of the great Armenian culture, it is enough to study all the smallest details of the national costume of this people. Each element will answer many questions. In the Armenian folk costume beauty, love for life, for the homeland, a sea of positive energy and, of course, the courage and unity of the people intertwined.