A special feature of all ethnic groups are the traditional costumes of the peoples. Mordovian is the most striking example of this.
Erzya is one of the oldest Finno-Ugric tribes.
Creating his traditional costume, Mordovian people invested their souls, wanted to make it bright, original. All their efforts, invested in the created outfits, were successfully justified.
Brief description of the outfit
A Mordovian costume was formed over the years in the Central European part of Russia. In the creation of the national outfit, many borrowed elements taken from the Erzya and Moksha peoples are very closely intertwined.
Decor elements were put into the traditional Mordovian costume, which helped to reveal all the views on the beauty of man. The outfit brought together all the fullness of creativity represented in embroidery, making jewelry from beads and beads, weaving. The ability to put on and wear costumes of the Mordovian people was also a great talent. Sometimes, to dress such an outfit, a couple of hours and the help of several more people were needed.
Single description
Mordovian national costume is presented incredibly bright and colorful.
The daily women's and men's wardrobe was considered comfortable and best adapted for household chores, suited to all the requirements of natural and climatic conditions. It included underwear , summer, winter and demi-season.
All kinds of decorative ornaments were present.
But the festive Mordovian women's costume consisted of a large number of components. He was a true folk work of art.
Necessarily, according to ancient traditions, elements of respected and revered symbols - health, strength and endurance - were introduced into the Mordovian costume (photo is presented in the article). In most cases, they were standard.
Women's national outfit
Mordovian women's costume, photo provided below, was formed on the basis of a wide long shirt - panar. They sewed it from two large pieces of fabric. She counted four seams from the side of the chest and back. It was this part of the outfit that was borrowed from the Erzyans. So that it was convenient to walk and work in it, they did not sew in front to the very bottom. The sleeves on the shirt were straight and wide.
The collar was absent, and the cutout on the chest was in the shape of a triangle and was very deep. To hide a little such a large neckline, we used clasps - sulgamo. They were in two versions: oval with open movable ends and in the shape of a trapezoid.
They also hung beads and a special lace with coins and beads strung on it.
The main decoration was embroidery, which was very dense. It completely framed all the edges of the neck, sleeves, hem and passed in the middle in front and behind in large stripes.
On holidays, young women from above wore a shirt adorned with beautiful embroidery - pokay.
But the style of the moksha shirt had slight differences. It was sewn from three pieces of fabric, the length was much shorter, to the knees. Therefore, pants were worn underneath. The neckline was oval.
Sleeveless jackets were another part of the outfit. They put them on top of the shirt. The cut of the model was in the waist, it was made of black fabric. From the back, it was decorated with bright satin ribbons.
The most important element of the outfit
One of the most important components of this costume is a belt - a bullet. It existed in two varieties: with and without a roller. They made it from a rectangular piece of canvas and stitched cardboard or felt inside. Patterned embroidery and various decorative ornaments were applied on its outer side.
It was this component that the Mordovian folk costume borrowed from the Erzya. According to tradition, the girl wore it on the day of adulthood and after that she had to wear it constantly, without taking off.
Unlike everyday bullet, festive was decorated very richly. There was a multi-colored bead pattern, coins, chains, buttons. Woolen fringe descended almost to the knees from the bottom of the belt. For daily use, the bullet was black, and smart was considered green or red.
A variety of pendants hung on the edges. They consisted of an iron frame of several rows of wire or a narrow wicker row of links. Bells, small things, beadwork and chains were fastened there. Despite the fact that he retained a certain pattern and was decorated according to ancient traditions, but still it was sometimes allowed to show independence in his decoration.
It was this element in the suit that was an indicator of the territorial affiliation and financial viability of the owner.
Features of hats
One of the elements decorating the women's traditional costume is the Mordovian headdress. There were several types. The large ones — with a rigid base in the shape of a rectangle and cone-shaped — were called pangos, which were worn by the Erzi. Significant popularity was received by the magpie. He represented a cap from the canvas, embroidered with beads and a braid, under it put on a cover or hair.
An integral part was the temporal pendants, which were made from shells, feathers, coins. Headlamps in the form of fringe or feathers were still popular.
Moksha women gave their advantage to soft, bulky gowns such as towels with embroidered ends.
This detail of the outfit should definitely correspond to the years and marital status of its owner.
There were also their own rules and traditions, for example, a girl, unlike a woman, was allowed not to completely cover her head. And in the church it was customary to put on a scarf resembling a short towel with embroidered patterns at the ends. Young girls wore nakosniki.
Warm robe, shoes
Women's warm Mordovian costume practically did not differ from men's. In the demi-season, men wore cloths sewn from cloth. In winter, sheepskin coats.
Shoes they had bast shoes. Their distinguishing feature was oblique weaving, low sides, trapezoidal shape of the head. They were usually made from linden and elm bast. Legs were wrapped in footcloths, there were two types: lower for the feet, upper for the calves. With the onset of cold weather, white or black onuchi were put on top of them. But on holidays, shoes were sewn that were sewn from cow or calf leather. And in winter, preference was given to white boots.
Also did not forget about the decoration in the ears. These were earrings with a pendant - a coin or a bead.
Innovations
Already at the end of the 19th century, a female Mordovian folk costume was supplemented by an apron. According to the model, it was divided into three types: closed with sleeves, with a bib and without. Sewed it from a cloth of various colors. After such an innovation, he became an integral part of the outfit. They wore it constantly - on holidays, on working days. Like all clothes, decorated with embroidery, satin ribbons, lace frills.
The classic female Mordovian national costume preserved its primacy until the beginning of the 20th century. But without a doubt, there are still villages in which they honor, cherish and observe ancient rituals and customs.
Description of clothing for men
Mordovian men's costume also had its own characteristics, although it had something in common with the clothes of Russian heroes.
One of the important components was a shirt - panhair and pants - ponkst.
The daily work attire was made of heavy hemp fabric, and the festive attire was made of light linen. Panar wore worn and always tied with a belt.
From the beginning of the 20th century, factory-made fabrics were used.
Mordovian summer men's suit provided for a shirt - a white vest, which was worn on top of the pan.
Demi-season clothing was a dark-colored cloth coat - suman. And when they were going on a trip, they put on a chapan. In the cold season - sheepskin coats.
Important costume detail
Particular attention should be paid to the elements included in the traditional costumes of the peoples - the Mordovian belt, which was of particular importance. It was leather and decorated with a buckle made of expensive metals. In turn, it was simple, in the form of a ring, or complex - with a shield, for the purpose of fastening to a belt. An iron tip was attached to its other edge, and plaques of various shapes were attached to the outside. And all this was decorated with various patterns and stones. It was also used as a device for hanging weapons or other things. Since ancient times, the belt was considered a male distinguishing feature.
Their shoes were simple - bast shoes. But, like women, on holidays they were boots with a heel and ankle assembly.
One of the most popular hats is black and white felted hats with small brim. Canvas caps were the summer option. In the cold season they wore caps with earflaps and malachai.
About the manufacturing process
Embroidery is considered to be a colorful and original manifestation of talent, being one of the main decorations of national clothes. In the process of needlework, woolen, but sometimes silk, threads were used. It is also worth noting the fact that the main colors of the Mordovian people were dark red and black with a blue tint, and the additional ones were yellow and green. The most popular use of octagonal stars in the ornament. Basically, the patterns were located on an inclined grid.
Girls began to learn embroidery from an early age. This skill was considered one of the girl's merits. Between themselves, they always competed in craftsmanship, came up with new drawings and figures.
They took all their inspiration to create new elements from nature. Therefore, the corresponding names of the patterns were selected - stars, spruce branches, chicken legs.
Until a certain time, the basis from which the Mordovian costume was sewn was made by our own efforts. Light linen fabrics, coarse canvas, wool for sewing warm clothes. They themselves also dyed embroidery threads with natural dyes, and all this thanks to a well-developed national economy.
In addition to all this, women hunted with patterned weaving. Usually it was used to decorate items of clothing: hats, belts. Mordovian people used geometric ornament in decoration: rhombuses, cage, zigzag, Christmas trees.
Outfit decor
The application was also very popular. For its manufacture, silk and paper threads, cloth, braid, strips of gold embroidery were used. Thus, in many ways, she even replaced embroidery. Decorated with patch patterns was mainly warm clothes.
An essential role in Mordovian folk art is played by beading. Its color scheme was not diverse, mainly it was red, yellow, white and black. And the ornament is the same as that of embroidery. It has been widely used for various elements of decor and decoration of clothes.