People, no matter in what historical era they live, have always been characterized by a desire for beauty and harmony. Is it because our distant ancestors cared about external tidiness, did they try to make their homes comfortable, and decorate their clothes with various embroidery?
History tour
Artistic embroidery - the craft is quite ancient. This art is inherent in almost all the peoples inhabiting our planet. North American Indians and Chukchi reindeer herders, African tribes and ancient Celts, Slavs and Australian Aborigines - all large and small peoples applied various ornaments to their clothes: some with colored threads, some with beads or small shells, some with semiprecious stones, etc.
Patterns for embroideries - Ukrainian shirts and blouses, among others, perform another important function. The drawing on the fabric conveys essential information about the person wearing the item, about his gender, social status.
Color value
The colors that are used for embroidery designs are also symbolic. Previously, some tones and shades could be used only for men's clothing, others for women or children. Moreover, young people should decorate shirts or belts with patterns of such colors that were not used in the clothes of mature or elderly men. In general, patterns for embroideries hide many very interesting secrets that have a secret sacred meaning. They have always been the fruit of complex and very painstaking work. Unfortunately, over the past two centuries, the ritual application of patterns on fabrics has lost its relevance. And now, patterns for embroideries, as well as embroideries themselves, are increasingly perceived as an attribute of the national costume.
Aryan characters
Depending on the region of residence, local culture and customs, clan traditions, the same people put their special understanding into the same ornaments. And current craftswomen trying to revive ancient art, take this fact into account in their work. Therefore, patterns for Ukrainian embroidered shirts, if they are executed in accordance with all the rules, become not only a bright, memorable element, but also an effective amulet. Take, for example, rhombs and crosses. They form a strong energy protection, especially if the patterns for Ukrainian embroideries are on the chest, on the collar, where the material comes in contact with the skin, and on the wrists. It is very good if there will be welding or rotting in these places. Svargs have ancient Aryan sources and embody fortitude, the will to win. Kolovoroty is the ancient Slavic sign of the sun, solstice, eternity itself, the eternal movement of life and its victory over death. Typically, the pattern for embroidery with such symbols is used for men's shirts.
When patterns are treated
Among the southern Slavs, one of the popular motifs for embroidery was
vines with bunches, intertwined twigs with leaves. Grapes are a symbol of female fertility. The sleeve in the form of it decorated the sleeves of shirts and dresses, outerwear of married girls, so that they could bear and give birth to children more easily. For men, such a pattern did not fit. What is also interesting: if the pattern for embroidery required the use of blue, it was applied to children's clothing. It was believed
that such an ornament serves as protection against accidents, and if a child is injured or injured, the injuries heal faster, without causing the little tomboy extra troubles. There was the so-called Borschev embroidery, combining floral and animal motifs (roses, butterflies, birds). If the embroidery was added to the flower ornament, it turned out not just an elegant shirt or blouse, but a charm against vascular and heart diseases. Such Borschev patterns were used for embroidered women and men, especially recommended for elderly people.
Higher Power Protection
Peasant clothing of past centuries, which can be seen in ethnographic museums, as well as towels (rushnyks) that decorated family images, often contain images of butterflies and birds. Moreover, if such patterns for women's embroidered are perceived quite normally, then they are not very suitable for men's. However, this point of view is incorrect, and our ancestors knew what they were doing! It turns out that birds and butterflies symbolize guardian angels sent from above to protect us from troubles and evil influence. Therefore, similar motives were chosen for men's shirts and belts, especially if the
occupation of the stronger sex was associated with risk: hunting or army. And, of course, patterns for children's embroideries could not do without butterflies, moths and birds - after all, babies cannot be without God's protection!
On the threshold of a wedding
The sewing of Reshetilovsky was also the strongest amulet. Its main application is to decorate the wedding dresses of the bride and groom. It was performed with white silk threads or beads on a white background using various techniques (smooth surface, stalked seam , etc.). The sacred meaning of the picture, the symbolic subtext is the personification of the moral and physical purity of the newlyweds and their wish for a happy married life. Therefore, Reshetilov patterns for embroideries for men and women were called - wedding.
Geometric style
Slavic mythology laid the foundation for many secret symbols encrypted in geometric patterns. This is primarily circles, broken lines and parallel lines, rhombuses, zigzags, crosses. It was from here that the patterns for cross-stitch embroideries went - the most ancient, the origins of which lie even in Trypillian culture. The figure-eight also refers to the same type of figures - the infinity sign representing the element of water, and the octagonal flower - the Sun, which means the elements of light, fire, life. Both symbols were included in the embroidery pattern for the boy and girl, because they were considered a talisman combining maternal and paternal energies. And purely for boys and young people, mothers, and then wives, embroidered shirts with blue rhombuses with dots in the middle. There was a popular belief that such an ornament strengthens male power.
Elements of nature
A floral ornament in clothes was supposed to emphasize the original kinship of man and nature, their unity, and nourish the species with the human life-giving force of the mother earth. Most often in Ukrainian and Russian embroideries one could see hops, periwinkle, grapes, viburnum, oak leaves, and this is no accident. Kalina, for example, denoted the relationship of a person with their homeland, relatives, clan, roots, ancestors. And from them he received support and patronage, and the corresponding embroidered patterns were the connecting threads. In addition, viburnum had another secret meaning - according to the beliefs of the pre-Slavic tribes, it was from her that the birth of the celestial world began, for stars, a month and the sun appeared from the berries of the tree.
Another sacred tree is oak, connecting heaven and earth, the spiritual and material world. Oak is a firmness, fortress, inexhaustible vitality, patron of the masculine principle.
Vines, as we have said, is a feminine ornament, as well as a family one. They were decorated with festive tablecloths, towels, bed linen for matrimonial bedrooms.
Patterns with hop branches most often flaunted on the shirts of young guys and talked about fun, love of life, restless disposition.
Embroidered poppies were also often flaming poppies - protectors from evil eye, slanting eyes and speeches.
Zoomorphic motifs
Stylized images of butterflies, birds and even some animals are frequent guests in folk embroidery. Their appearance cannot be called an accident. Roosters, cuckoos, owls were embroidered from birds. Why them? The rooster, as an ornament and pride of a peasant farmstead, a chickens head, was loved for its sedate disposition and bright plumage. Peasant daily life was based on cock crowing: they notified both of approaching morning, warned of lunch time, and that it was time to rest, they said. This bird was instead of hours. So they showed her respect, they began to depict on embroideries.
The cuckoo keeps counting for human years. In order to circumvent the trouble, there were more life years, and cuckoos were embroidered.
The owl was revered among the people as a symbol of wisdom and secret forces. This amulet was supposed to protect from rash acts, hasty actions, fraught with unpleasant consequences, and protect from all evil spirits.
Often fish were embroidered on clothes - a symbol of longevity, and hares - a symbol of endurance and physical strength, cunning and dexterity. Butterflies among the various interweaving of branches and flowers indicated a carefree, easy life.
Tones and Shades
And a few more words about the colors of threads in embroideries. For example, black and red. These are the colors of soil and sun, native land and blood. They must protect a person from all kinds of external negativity and the evil influence of evil forces, and increase the natural protective energy. In addition, red color attracts good luck and health.
Purely black threads embroidered their widows' clothes - as a sign of inconsolable grief from the loss of loved ones. They were also used for magical ornaments on the ritual robes of sorcerers and magicians. The colors of life, youth, growth - all shades of green, especially bright, juicy, saturated. And yellow and orange symbolized warmth, joy, wealth, prosperity.