Each nation is famous for its special traditions. But, probably, nothing conveys the peculiarities of the mentality of a particular region like national clothes.
No other outfit is more associated with Ukraine than the traditional embroidered shirt. Many peoples master the art of decorating clothes with various ornaments, but Ukrainian vyshyvanka is not just beautiful patterns, but a whole system of symbols and signs that have a special meaning for Ukrainians.
Vyshyvanka history
Tradition to decorate clothes with various embroidery is almost all peoples of the world. So, back in the days of Ancient Greece, it was customary for the Scythians to put a special pattern on the shirts of both warriors and ordinary residents.
On the territory of Ukraine, in the Cherkasy region, archaeologists have discovered drawings dated to the 6th century AD. e., which depict men in embroidered shirts. However, in ancient chronicles, centuries before, it is indicated that even then the people on the territory of modern Ukraine wore special clothes with an embroidered pattern. But, alas, wellonly samples of embroidery from the last centuries have survived, which can now be seen in various museums.
The ability to embroider was highly valued, and masters of embroidery have always been held in high esteem. Embroidered by girls, women and grandmothers, who passed on knowledge to their children and grandchildren.
Embroidered both everyday and ritual clothes, shirts, dresses, scarves, towels. Moreover, ornamented clothes were in every home. And the more “magnificent” and more detailed the drawing was, the better the mistress was considered to be a craftswoman.
A special ornament, which differs depending on the region of the country, was supposed to protect a person from evil spirits, bring he alth, happiness and good luck. So, at birth, children were always given an embroidered shirt to protect them from the evil eye.
Traditional patterns
All traditional Ukrainian patterns are divided into 3 large groups: geometric, vegetable and animal. And despite the fact that each region had its own embroidery features, some were equivalent for the whole nation.
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 that cleanses the world from evil, a rhombus is a female symbol that brings good luck and prosperity, horizontal lines are signs of earth and fertility, and wavy lines are water and vital energy.
Floral ornaments were embroidered for different purposes. Oak leaves - for strength, grapes - for well-being, viburnum was a symbol of beauty. Only nature can give the besttherefore, she was honored and depicted on fabrics so that the carrier could bring only good things into her life. Ukrainian women's vyshyvanka was most often decorated with flowers, leaves and berries.
Images of animals often protected people from evil forces. And the birds mainly displayed good news and events that are happening or will happen in people's lives.
Colors and seams of vyshyvanka
According to some reports, there were several dozen ways to embroider. However, over time, Ukrainian folk clothes began to be traditionally decorated using several techniques: cross, half-cross, “forward with a needle” and smooth surface. Each of the seams was characteristic of different compositions and individual regions of the country.
The color of the threads that decorated the Ukrainian vyshyvanka shirt was also of great importance. Red - love and protection, blue - soul and sky, green - life, black - death. Depending on the region, the fabric materials, seams, and colors were added: yellow, gold, brown. But traditional red and black were almost always present on embroidered items.
Vyshyvanka of Western regions
Ornaments differed not only in different regions, but also in neighboring villages. Often, the history of the region, its moods and experiences were invested in traditions.
Thus, 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 useboth geometric and floral motifs.
The national clothes in the Chernivtsi region are a little denser and brighter: large flowers are embroidered with satin stitch or cross stitch with black, burgundy and even gold threads
In Transcarpathia and Ivano-Frankivsk region, it is customary to "overlap" the canvas with a geometric pattern and use the entire national range of colors.
In Polissya (Volyn, Rivne and Zhytomyr regions) embroidered shirts differ from others in clear geometry and a repeating pattern.
Volyn and Rivne regions are characterized by white thread embroidery. Here the patterns on national clothes are quite small and detailed.
In the Zhytomyr region, Ukrainian vyshyvanka is also decorated with floral motifs: flower buds and intricate leaves. In addition to black, red and green colors are used.
The regions of Podolia (Ternopil, Khmelnitsky and Vinnytsia) were conveyed through their embroidery and the complex history of the territory. The towns and villages there often became battlefields and were attacked by enemies.
Thus, 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 embroidered shirts from the Vinnytsia region are black and red, but here the pattern is already a little more transparent and smaller.
Central and Northern Ukraine
Central region (Chernihiv, Kyiv, Cherkasy and Kirovograd regions) - these are lush and detailed patterns, most often in red and black colors. Here you can often find plant motifs,which are intricately intertwined.
In Kyiv, Cherkasy and Kirovograd regions, plant motifs make up a thoughtful and detailed composition. Clusters of grapes with tendrils, hops (symbol of youth) - all red and black threads.
But Chernihiv embroidered shirts can rightly be considered the "richest" in Ukraine. Traditionally, the whole pattern was very small and detailed. 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 white and black threads. The borders of the compositions were highlighted with a thin black thread.
National clothes of the Eastern region
Kharkov craftsmen mainly used the traditions of central Ukraine. There are also plant motifs made with a rather coarse thread, thanks to which the drawing turned out to be voluminous. Also, 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 has also taken root.
The main colors of the Dnepropetrovsk and Zaporozhye regions are red and black. Here, clear and simple patterns are common, which were most often decorated with collars and sleeves.
Vyshyvanka of the southern region
In the Odessa, Nikolaev and Kherson regions, not only the ornament was traditional, but also specialshirt shapes.
So, in the Nikolaev region there were special collars and a square neckline, and the shirt was not collected at the wrists. Plant motifs, red, black and blue colors predominate.
In the Odessa region, Ukrainian vyshyvanka was gathered both at the sleeves and at the collar. Traditionally, geometric and floral ornaments 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 vyshyvanka shirts in the Kherson region were decorated with images of various plants embroidered in red and black.
Women's and men's vyshyvanka
Girls embroidered clothes for themselves, their chosen ones, and children. Since the mistress of the house is the keeper of the hearth, the duty fell on her shoulders to protect all loved ones from evil forces, to convey to them all her love. Therefore, they embroidered in any free minute, everywhere and always.
Ukrainian women's vyshyvanka was most often decorated with floral motifs. The color of the pattern was also different: blue or white, and the first one was for older women. But embroidered in white on white is the shirt that all girls should have had. Ukrainian vyshyvanka dresses were decorated in the same way as shirts, but the line of the pattern was made separately from the bottom of the skirt.
For men, white shirts with detailed patterns were considered traditional. It is not surprising: firstly, the pattern was supposed to protect the man on the battlefield, and secondly, this is an indicator that his wife is a good housewife. In addition to black andred, embroidered and blue-red patterns - the only option when a man's embroidered shirt can be blue.
Girls embroidered both everyday and festive clothes, men's and children's vyshyvankas, dresses, scarves, wedding towels, in some regions even belts.
The canvas was almost always taken white. Modern black embroidered shirts are a completely absurd phenomenon; they were not embroidered even during wars. A real shirt should be white or grey, perfectly clean and intact.
Modern Ukrainian embroidery
Starting from the end of the 19th century, vyshyvankas began to be worn with everyday European clothes. At that time, representatives of the Ukrainian intelligentsia began to dress like this to emphasize their belonging to the people.
The attitude towards embroidery in general as a craft has also changed. Increasingly, young people preferred to buy embroidered shirts embroidered on special machines.
During the Second World War, many museums were destroyed, which kept old Ukrainian folk clothes. Therefore, today it is rather difficult to meet such a historical relic.
Due to the great demand in Ukraine for such clothes, today there are often “wrong” embroidered shirts. Often on shirts you can find a non-existent or inappropriate pattern, for example, one that is traditionally embroidered on scarves or wedding towels. They also often choose colors that are inappropriate for gender or age, decorate children's shirts with symbols of fertility. The correct traditions were preserved only by thosecraftsmen whose knowledge is passed down from generation to generation.
A few facts about embroidered shirts
- Geometric patterns left over from pagan traditions, while plant and animal patterns 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 only her husband's vyshyvanka.
- The most unusual are embroidered shirts from the city of Borshev (Ternopil region). This is due to the fact that the Tatars often attacked this area, robbed and killed the inhabitants. According to legend, during one of the raids they killed almost all the men in the city, after which for many years in a row women embroidered only black dense patterns - as a sign of grief and grief for the dead.
- Often, when a guy did not know which of the girls to choose as his wife, he got acquainted with her “wardrobe”: the more embroidered clothes she has, the better she is in everyday life, which means she is an ideal chosen one.
- They started learning to embroider at the age of 6, and soon the girl was obliged to embroider at least one shirt for herself. Men's vyshyvanka was prepared even before the wedding and was used as a wedding towel.
