People have lived on the territory of modern Buryatia since Paleolithic times, as evidenced by archaeological finds. That is, even 20-30 thousand years before our era, people knew how to maintain life in difficult natural conditions. The national costume also contributed to this to a large extent. From the beginning of the centuries, Buryats used for clothing what they had in everyday life: animal skins, their wool, and a little later - natural fabrics.
History of the costume
On both sides of Lake Baikal lived different tribes that had their own ethnographic characteristics. There were many Mongol-speaking clans, Yakuts, Tungus, Tofalars and other nationalities here. The Buryats as a people took shape only in the mid-17th century after joining the Russian Empire. Everything that has been preserved in museums and private collections dates back to this time. The Buryats were primarily engaged in cattle breeding and roamed a lot. Skills related to hunting and processing of hides were passed on from generation to generation.
All this is reflected in the costume: not only ancient wool robes and leather shoes were found, but also silver and gold women’s jewelry, the age of which is estimated to be centuries old.
Women's and men's clothing
By the appearance of the suit, you can immediately determine who the clothing is intended for - a man or a woman. In addition, each period of life had its own differences. Boys and girls, boys and girls, married women and old people wore clothes very differently. All types of suits combine maximum comfort and excellent protection from the cold.
Buryats are indigenous. Their costume was greatly influenced by the climate. The basis is tanned skins, fur, wool, horsehair. Later, with the emergence of trade relations with China and Asia, silk, brocade, comb, and velvet were added. In some areas, threads made of precious metals were used. The national costume will tell people living in these parts everything about the owner. Buryats know how to accurately and succinctly identify the main circumstances of a person’s life.
Men's suit
Buryat clothing for both men and women is intended primarily for nomadic life in the saddle. The cutting features have adapted the products so that you can spend many hours on a horse in them without fatigue and, if necessary, spend the night in the open air.
A shirt made of natural fabric (most often cotton) and tight trousers made of rough leather are put on the body directly. In such pants, any road is not scary. Shoes were made from the skin of foals - for winter, and for summer they were woven from horse hair, and the leather sole was simply sewn on.
A winter (degel) or summer (terlig) robe was worn on top. Degel was made from sheepskin, and could be decorated with velvet or other fabric. The summer robe was made from any natural fabric.
Features of the degel cut
The robe should fit close to the body so as not to leave room for cold air. The sizes of the robe are individual, but there are required parts:
- back;
- sides;
- before;
- upper floor;
- lower floor.
The body is completely covered with a robe, and the floors can be used as a bed: to lie on one and cover yourself with the other. This makes life easier with the national costume. Buryats are a very practical people, and every detail of the costume has passed centuries of testing. A belt must be worn. The belted robe formed a pocket in which a bowl was carried so that personal tableware was always at hand. The bowl was carried in a fabric case, and smoking accessories were hung on the belt.
What does the Buryat national costume look like for women?
The type of costume depends entirely on the age for which it is intended. Girls wear a long one-piece robe with a belt around it. This emphasizes the flexibility of a girl’s figure. With the onset of real girlhood - about 15 years - the cut of the robe changes. The robe is cut along the waistline, a beautiful sash is put on, and on top appears an obligatory piece of women's clothing - a sleeveless vest.
The sleeveless vest has a different look for married and unmarried women. All women were required to wear a short sleeveless vest in the presence of men. A covered back is one of the main signs of decency for women.
A girl's puberty was indicated by a silver heart in her forehead decoration. Girls wishing to get married wore two round silver plates on their belts. Self-care devices - knives, scissors, earwigs - were attached to these plates.
They always emphasize feminine dignity. Buryats are no exception here: a woman in a national costume looks great. So, a married woman dressed in a gathered skirt and jacket. This suit made it possible to look good during pregnancy and breastfeeding.
Clothes for the elderly
The main thing in these suits is comfort and practicality, as well as excellent protection from the cold. They wore everything the same, only the cut was looser, and the number of decorations was reduced. Buryat also included shoes made to individual measurements. Two types of shoes were used: stocking-like and shoe-like. Ugg boots, which came into fashion not so long ago, are stylized folk shoes, which were originally intended for old people whose feet were cold.
The shoes were complemented with knee-length stockings knitted from sheep's wool.
The hat was an obligatory part of the costume; it was sewn from natural fur, most often otter. The preferred shape is conical, although researchers have identified more than 50 varieties.
National jewelry of Buryat women
They are diverse and multi-layered. They were made of silver with numerous inserts of precious stones. The ancient Buryats believed that the souls of children, dead ancestors and animals reside in jewelry.
Jewelry was amulets of the family. They wore pendants attached to the temples and down to the chest and neck. Numerous rings were required on all fingers except the middle one.
There were “cases” for braids - various combinations of metal plates and fabric. It was believed that this way the magical power of women's hair was preserved.
30-09-2017Photo by Anna Ogorodnik
On September 29, at the main book fair of Buryatia, “Book Salon-2017,” the Ethnographic Museum of the Peoples of Transbaikalia held a presentation of a book about the traditional festive women’s Buryat costume. It was accompanied by a colorful fashion show, which illustrated the contents of the publication live. The girls demonstrating their outfits created a sensation and, due to numerous requests from the public, came out for an encore, reports IA Buryaad Ynen.
“It is important for us to show that the Buryats wore beautiful festive costumes and were worthy of wearing them. Indeed, the collection that we presented, on which we worked so hard, speaks of what beautiful, festive, comfortable, thoughtful and adapted clothing our ancestors wore,” says Svetlana Shobolova, director of the Ethnographic Museum.
Models presented festive costumes of different Buryat groups: Khori, Songols, Sartuls, Khongodors, Ekhirits and Bulagats. Participated in the creation of the collection Dashima Gonchikova, master of sewing Buryat national costumes from the Aginsky fashion house. Famous jewelers were hired to make jewelry - Alexandra Chinbata, Vladimir Suvorov, Nimou Budozhapov, Edward Kuklina. Each of them prepared traditional jewelry for representatives of certain clans. Thus, Eduard Kuklin worked on the Ekhirit and Bulagat ones.
A traditional women's costume reflected the age, marital status and social status of its owner, as well as territorial and local characteristics. But at the same time, it was ideally adapted to the living conditions of that time.
“It seems to me that seeing today how beautiful it is, every woman will want to just wear this costume that our ancestors wore on any special occasion, be it Sagaalgan, anniversaries, weddings of sons or daughters. This will be worthy of their memory and respect. Any Buryat woman will always look beautiful in her national costume,” Svetlana Shobolova is sure.
The cost of one suit is 150 thousand rubles. This amount includes the festive outfit itself, a headdress, shoes and a full set of jewelry.
“Next year we plan to supplement the present collection with men’s festive suits. Then it will be a large, complete collection. Of course, they are very expensive - these are festive costumes, not the ones worn in everyday life. They were worn on special occasions. It seems to me that our ancestors lived very beautifully and richly,” said the acting. Minister of Culture Timur Tsybikov.
Festive women's costume Hori Buryat.Photo by Anna Ogorodnik
In women's clothing, the chori bodice was straight to the waist, with deep armholes and wide sleeves at the base. The sleeves themselves were composite: the wide bases in the shoulder part were pulled together into a thick gathering, forming puffs; they narrowed towards the elbows, and here the lower part of the sleeves, called tokhonog - “elbow”, was sewn. It was sewn from fabric of a different color or patterned brocade. The sleeves ended with cuffs - turuu. For elegant clothes, they were made from plush and velvet. Old-timers associate the name “turuu” with the design of the cuffs, which repeated the shape of the horse’s hoof (turuu). 
Cuff (turuu)clothes of the Hori-Buryat women.Photo by Anna Ogorodnik
The decor of the Khori-Buryat clothes was on the sleeves and hem, and the bodice was trimmed with narrow trim along the edge. The collar was decorated with patterned decorative fabric, red brocade or silk, black velvet, otter fur or white lambskin.
The sleeveless vest was a mandatory part of the clothing of married women, both regular and festive. People believed that a woman should not show her hair and back to the sky in the same way. Therefore, a woman’s head should be covered with a cap and her back with a sleeveless vest.
There are two types of sleeveless vests - a short sleeveless vest (uuzha) with deep cut armholes, a narrow back, a straight slit in the front, with converging hems, and a long sleeveless vest (morin uuzha). Among the Khorin Buryats, the morin uuzha was the same short sleeveless vest with a gathered skirt sewn onto it. It was made from two panels, leaving slits in the front and back for convenience when riding. The material was silk or cotton fabric. The junction of the top and bottom of the sleeveless vest was also decorated.
Photo by Anna Ogorodnik
Festive women's Tsongol costume.Photo by Anna Ogorodnik
In Tsongol women's clothing, the bodice was also straight, but its bottom in front and on the back was cut out with a toe. The sleeves were also two-piece and puffed, but their upper part was slightly shorter and narrower than that of the hori.
Photo by Anna Ogorodnik
The hem (horma) was long and wide, and it was sewn from straight fabrics, the number of which depended on the width of the fabric. The upper edge was pulled together into a thick gather. Tsongols are characterized by uuzha.
Festive women's sartul costume.Photo by Anna Ogorodnik
The Sartuls had the same bodice as the Tsongols. The sleeves of the outerwear were again composite, but they were made without puffs, and were sewn on, folded into folds. The hem was folded. Sartul women also preferred uuzha.
Festive women's costume of Hongodors.Photo by Anna Ogorodnik
Photo by Anna Ogorodnik
The Hongodors wore their bodice sagging towards the bottom. The sleeves were sewn like those of the sartuls. The hem was the same as that of the Tsongols. And Hongodor women wore uuzha.
Festive women's costume of the Ekhirites.Photo by Anna Ogorodnik
The bodice was straight to the waist, like the Buryat Hori, but the armholes and bases of the sleeves were much narrower. The sleeves of the clothes of ehiritok and bulagatok were solid, i.e. non-composite, like those of the Transbaikal Buryats. In the Baikal region, the sleeves were pulled down and the hem was folded. The ends of the sleeves in front of the cuffs were pulled together into gathers and decorated with strips of colored fabrics and velvet.
Western Buryats used a wide decorative patch on the bodice. It occupied the entire upper part of the chest, was visible in the triangular cut of the degel and the diverging hems of the flared khubaisi - a continuous one-piece sleeveless vest with a slit in the front. The seam connecting the top and hem was not decorated.
Decoration onoo.Photo by Anna Ogorodnik
The sleeveless jacket along the edge of the armhole, along the neckline and chest was trimmed with strips of thin black cloth, with mother-of-pearl buttons sewn on them. Strips of black cloth were also sewn along the line connecting the bodice and hem, narrow in front and wide on the back. An onoo decoration was attached to the top of the back, consisting of a leather base, trimmed with thin red cloth and with rectangular metal plates attached to it. Diamond-shaped hanging plates were attached to them.
Festive women's costume bulagat.Photo by Anna Ogorodnik
Among the Bulagats, khubaisi were predominantly common. The hem, when straightened, forms a semicircle, into which triangular wedges were inserted, depending on the width. Hubaisi had side and shoulder seams. The back was sometimes made of two halves with a narrow fabric. The sides of the front part were trimmed with braid or strip made of cloth or satin, predominantly black. An elegant sleeveless vest was decorated along the front with silver coins or mother-of-pearl buttons.
Photo by Anna Ogorodnik
Let us note that these costumes were previously presented at the exhibition “Traditions Timeless,” held at the Ethnographic Museum in August-September. The exhibition aroused genuine interest among visitors at the Book Salon; people were very interested in the details and tailoring, the differences between the costumes.
“This collection is shown in relatively free access. It will be possible to study it in more detail up close. Unlike the collection of historical costumes that are kept in the National Museum. We limit access to them,” said Timur Tsybikov.
The Ethnographic Museum plans to hold lectures on traditional costume. Those interested will be able to come to them and learn all the nuances of sewing a traditional costume, as well as the meaning of all its elements.
The material was prepared by Anna Ogorodnik together with the Ethnographic Museum of the Peoples of Transbaikalia
Anna Ogorodnik
The national clothing of the Buryats consists of “dygil” - a kind of caftan made of dressed sheepskin, which has a triangular cutout on the top of the chest, trimmed, as well as the sleeves, tightly clasping the hand, with fur, sometimes very valuable; In the summer, some Buryats replace the “dygil” with a cloth caftan of a similar cut.
In the summer, dressing gowns are in great use, the poor have paper ones, and the rich have silk ones. The left floor was folded over the right side and fastened on the side. The robe was belted with a leather or fabric belt. In inclement times, in addition to the dygil in Transbaikalia, a “saba” is worn, a type of overcoat with a long kragen; and in the cold season, especially on the road, “dakha,” a type of wide robe made from tanned skins, with the wool facing out. The dygil (degil) is tied at the waist with a belt, on which hang a knife and smoking accessories: a flint, a hansa (a small pipe with a short chibouk) and a tobacco pouch. Buryats are big hunters of smoking, so everyone smokes, not excluding women and children.
Underwear - pants and shirt - Russian cut. Tight and long trousers are made of rough leather (rovduga); The shirt, usually made of blue wool, is not washed or removed by the majority of the population until it wears out. The shoes consist of "high boots", something like boots made from the skins of foals - or ordinary boots; In summer, in some areas, shoes are worn knitted from horsehair with leather soles. Men and women cover their heads with a round gray hat with small brims and a red tassel at the top. Men usually cut their hair short; some wear small braids, Lamaist clergy shave their heads.
Women's clothing differs from men's clothing in decoration and embroidery; Thus, for women, the dygil is wrapped around with colored cloth, on the back - at the top, embroidery in the form of a square is made with cloth, and, in addition, copper and silver decorations from buttons and coins are sewn onto the clothes. There are no such decorations in Transbaikalia; women's robes consist of a short jacket sewn to a skirt; Buddhist women who have taken a famous spiritual vow wear red cloth ribbons over their shoulders. The girl’s costume is distinguished by the absence of “uji” (a type of sleeveless vest that all women must wear over the dygil) and a headdress - a hoop decorated with coral and silver.
The Buryat women put a lot of effort into decorating their heads: in the absence of long natural hair, they are replaced by horsehair; married women braid their hair in two braids, often connecting them with a metal ring; the ends of the braids are placed in velvet covers, decorated with corals and silver, and descend to the chest; girls have 10 to 20 braids, decorated with many coins; Buryat women wear corals, silver and gold coins around their necks. Huge earrings hang in the ears, supported by a cord thrown over the head, and “poltas” (pendants) are visible behind the ears; on the hands are silver or copper “bugaki” (a type of bracelet in the form of hoops), etc. All jewelry, and especially head jewelry, vary greatly in the degree of wealth and place of residence
NATIONAL BURYAT COSTUME FEATURES OF BURYAT CLOTHING The Buryat national costume is part of the centuries-old culture of the Buryat people. It reflects its culture, aesthetics, pride and spirit. Both women and men were engaged in the production of Buryat clothing. The tailor had to have a lot of knowledge and skills, in particular, he was an artist and embroiderer, glued and quilted, was engaged in dressing skins, knew patterns and colors. Traditional Buryat men's clothing is presented in two types - degel (winter robe) and terlig (summer). Outerwear was straight-backed. The main material for winter clothing was sheepskin, which was edged with velvet and other fabrics. The everyday degel was covered with cotton fabric, and the festive one was covered with silk and velvet. In turn, degels have two floors - the top (gadar hormoi) and the bottom (dotor hormoi), the back (ara tala), the front, the bodice (seezhe), the sides (enger). A man's robe was usually made from blue, sometimes brown, dark green, or burgundy fabrics. The main decor of men's outerwear was on the chest part of the upper coat (enger). The design of the enger is stable, although there were elements of territorial and clan differences. A mandatory attribute of a man's robe were belts, varied in material, manufacturing technique and size. The upper part to the waist is like a large pocket. In the deep bosom of their clothes, people kept a bowl in a soft case - in this way they ensured personal hygiene. At any time and in any yurt you could use your own dishes for aromatic tea or rich broth. The national clothing of the Mongols and Buryats is well adapted to the nomadic lifestyle. The length of the degel covers the legs both when walking and when riding, which prevents the legs from freezing even in severe frost. The clothes are not only ideal for riding, but can also serve as an emergency bed - you can lie down on one floor and hide on the other. There are about 400 types of degels, 20 types of national shoes and 10 types of belts. Women's clothing (robe, sleeveless vest) has age-related characteristics; it strictly corresponds to the age of women, changes in accordance with the transition from one age to another and with changes in position in society and family. Girls wore long terligs or winter degels, girded with fabric sashes that emphasized their thin, flexible waist. Everyday sashes were made from dalemba, and elegant sashes were made from striped silk. At the age of 14-15 years, girls change their hairstyle and cut of the dress, which was cut off at the waist, and the decorative braid of the tuuz covered the seam line around the waist. The girl's suit was missing a sleeveless vest. When girls get married, they braid two braids, in accordance with the rite of uhe zahaha (“hair braiding”). Close relatives of the groom and bridesmaids gather to perform this ritual. The hair is combed with the comb of the groom's mother, in contrast to the Russian ritual, where, on the contrary, two girls' braids were braided into one woman's. The type of jewelry of Buryat women is designed for a pair of braids. Women's wedding attire - degeley - is worn over the dress, leaving the front open, with a slit at the back of the hem. Married women's outerwear is cut off at the waist. Women's summer robes are most often made of blue comb; the seam line is covered only in the front part with decorative braid. The clothing of older women is characterized by simplified forms and decorations. Everyday robes are made of cheaper fabrics and dark shades; the sleeves are lighter compared to other outfits. The sleeveless vest (Uuzha) that complements the outfit is a mandatory element of the costume of a married woman of all Buryat tribes and clans. There are two types of snakes - short and long-haired. A short sleeveless vest (esegyn uuzha) ends at the waist; this is due to the ancient Buryat custom, when a woman in the presence of men, especially her father-in-law, could only appear with her head and back covered, that is, in a cap and sleeveless jacket. Women used bright fabrics with deep armholes, a narrow back, and a straight slit in the front. Long-brimmed uzhas are worn by the Cis-Baikal Buryats in the Ekhirit-Bulagatsky, Kachugsky, Olkhonsky regions, and by the Tunkinsky, Barguzinsky and Aginsky Buryats of Transbaikalia. Basically, to make such a sleeveless vest, a short version was taken, to which a long skirt trimmed at the waist with a slit at the back was sewn. This kind of uuzha is used for riding and is called morin uuzha. There are many interesting facts associated with sleeveless vests. Thus, during the time of Genghis Khan, the state regulated clothing and its colors. When cutting, the Mongols used a special measuring technique: by the color and quality of the fabric from which the clothes were made, it was possible to determine what class a person belonged to. “Malgai” headdress for Buryats is an object endowed with special sacredness. The shape of the headdress is hemispherical, repeating the shape of the vault of heaven and the surface of the yurt. The cap at the top ends with a “denze” - a hemispherical silver pommel with a red bead symbolizing the sun. Red silk tassels flow down from the bottom of the “danze” - a symbol of the life-giving rays of the sun. materialized in objective embodiment. Full symbolism of the top of the headdress “May my family multiply like the rays of the golden sun, may my life energy not dry up and flutter over me.” Men's clothing consisted of underwear and outerwear, hats, and shoes. The costume was completed with a belt, knife, flint and other items. It differed by season: winter and summer; by purpose - production, everyday smart. Traditional men's outerwear was straight back, i.e. not cut at the waist, with long flaring hemlines. From one to three silver, coral, and gold buttons were sewn onto the collar. The next buttons were sewn on the shoulders, under the armpit and the lowest one - on the waist. The top buttons were considered to bring happiness and grace (khesheg buyan). During prayers and rituals, the buttons on the collar were unfastened so that grace could enter the body without obstacles. The middle buttons - yner bayanai - regulated the number of offspring, honor and dignity. The lower buttons were symbols of the fertility of livestock and the material wealth of the owner - hasheg buyanai. According to the views of the Buryats and Mongols, a person’s longevity depended even on how buttons were fastened. The canonical scheme of putting on and fastening - from bottom to top - starts from the shoes, then moves to the robe, while the buttons are fastened from bottom to top, and the hat is put on last. A must-have accessory for men's dressing gowns, varied in material, manufacturing technique and size. The utilitarian function of the belt is to gird a straight-cut men's robe. At the same time, the belt protected from the cold, which was impossible when riding a horse. Men's robes were made without pockets: with a belt, they carried a bowl, pouch, pipe and other accessories in their bosoms. The belt served as a kind of corset, because during long riding, the back and waist received additional support and were protected from colds. The belts could be knitted, woven from sheep's wool in dark colors, and were wide and long in size. The length of the belt was determined to be two lengths of outstretched arms, three times the width from the thumbnail to the tip of the middle finger. The knife itself had a magical effect, as the ancients believed. His magical function was that he protected people from evil influences. If a boy was born, then a knife or blade was necessarily placed at the head of his cradle.
Buryats are the traditional clothing of a people with a centuries-old history and culture. The clothing traditions of this people are associated with their way of life and the harsh Siberian climate. The national traditional clothing of the Buryats is adapted to the nomadic lifestyle and sudden temperature changes. Cattle breeding determined the range of materials from which costumes were made: wool, leather, fur, silk. What is the national dress of the Buryats? What kind of costumes do men and women wear? What do Buryats look like in national costumes now and what did they look like in the past? What colors and materials do Buryats choose to sew their clothes? All this and other interesting features of the national clothing of one of the peoples of Siberia will be discussed in the article.
History of the costume
Many Mongol-speaking peoples lived in the Baikal region: Yakuts, Buryats, Tungus and others. The ancient costume of the Buryats can be judged from written descriptions of diplomats and travelers of the 17th-18th centuries; earlier written references to the national clothing, life and way of life of the Siberian people have not been preserved.
Our ambassador to China, Spafariy N., was the first to describe the Buryat costume. He wrote that in Buryatia in the 17th century, cotton fabrics imported from China and Bukhara were popular.
Researchers and scientists began studying the costumes of Siberian peoples and nationalities from a scientific point of view only at the beginning of the 19th century.
Peculiarities
The harsh climate and nomadic lifestyle played a huge role in the choice of materials for tailoring and the formation of the style of the Buryat national costume. Spending the whole day in the saddle, the Buryats had to wear very comfortable and comfortable clothing; it should not interfere with them, but should shelter them from the wind and keep them warm in severe frosts. Since they were mainly engaged in animal husbandry, they sewed mainly from leather, fur, horsehair, and wool. Silk and cotton were bought from neighboring peoples.
The Buryats are a nomadic people; they lived at great distances from each other, so each clan had its own distinctive costumes. Sometimes they differed very significantly.
There are summer and winter versions of the Buryat national costume. But the main element of clothing is the robe. The winter suit (degel) was made from sheepskin, which was lined with velvet. The summer robe, or terling, was made from light cotton materials. Festive costumes were usually made of silk.
The robes were fastened on the side, which protected them from the wind and kept them warm in the cold of winter. Robes had to be of such length that they covered their legs when riding and walking. In addition, if necessary, the robe was used as a bed; they lay on one floor and covered with the other.
The Buryat costume has its own varieties, depending on age and gender. The Buryat national costume for children is the same for both girls and boys; children were dressed in straight robes, which were very similar to men's.
After the wedding, women put on a shirt, pants and a robe, which was already a jacket and a skirt sewn at the waist. The robe was fastened with special buttons. All married Buryat women wore sleeveless vests.
Traditional hairstyles as an attribute of the national costume
In childhood, both boys and girls had one braid on the top of their heads and the rest of their hair was shaved off. They stopped shaving the hair of girls who reached the age of 13-15 years. When their hair grew, it was braided into two braids at the temples, which served as the first obvious gender difference from boys. At the age of 16, girls were put on special jewelry - saazha - on their heads, which symbolized the girl’s readiness for married life and meant that she could already be wooed.
After the wedding, the woman had two braids braided.
Traditional costume colors
The traditional color of Buryat national clothing is blue. But there were exceptions. Sometimes robes were made from brown, green, and burgundy materials.
The men's robe was decorated with an enger (quadrangular border), which has a very symbolic meaning. It consisted of colored stripes, the top of which was always white (when Buddhism came to the Buryats, the color of Enger was allowed to be gold).
Each color among the Buryats has its own meaning, for example, black is earth, home; red - energy, fire, life; blue - sky, hope.
Hats and shoes
Both men and women wore caps, which were round, small-brimmed headdresses with a pointed top, which was decorated with a pommel, usually silver, and tassels. The hats were made from blue fabrics. Each element of the Buryat hat had its own symbolic meaning. Red tassels, for example, are a symbolic element of the headdress of Mongol-speaking peoples. In the mid-15th century, Esen-taisha ordered all peoples living in the Mongol state to wear red tassels on their headdresses. Since then, this decorative element has been present in the national headdresses of such peoples as the Buryats and Kalmyks.
The winter shoes of the Buryats were high boots, which were made from the skin of foals. In autumn and spring they wore boots with pointed toes; in summer they wore shoes made of horsehair, which were attached to leather soles.
What is the national costume of Buryat men?
Men's robes were usually made of blue material; the main and main attribute of the suit were belts, which differed in material, size and sewing technique.
Men's outer clothing was not cut off at the waist and widened towards the bottom. As a rule, several gold, coral or silver buttons were sewn onto the collar. They were also sewn on the shoulders, under the armpits and the lowest one - on the waist. Buttons also had a symbolic meaning. For example, the top ones were believed to bring happiness; during prayer, the buttons were specially unbuttoned so that divine grace would penetrate the body. The middle buttons meant dignity and honor, the lower buttons symbolized prosperity and wealth.
Typically, wealthy Buryats made suits from luxurious fabrics and decorated them with silver. By clothing one could judge a person's social status, origin and place of residence.
Women's suit
Women's clothing changed in accordance with age and changes in social status. The women's national costume consisted of a shirt, pants and a robe, over which a sleeveless vest was worn.
Children's costume for girls: a straight robe, belted with a cloth sash. At the age of 14-16, girls changed their clothes and hairstyle. The robe consisted of a jacket and a skirt, which were sewn along the waistline.
The left side of the robe was traditionally wrapped over the right side and fastened at the shoulder and side with special buttons. The robe, as a rule, was two-layer, the top was lined with expensive fabric, and there was a lining inside. The hem of the skirt was trimmed with colored material, sometimes with fur.
A mandatory attribute of clothing for a married Buryat woman was to be a sleeveless vest, which was worn over a robe. By the shape and style of the sleeveless vest, one could find out where the Buryat woman was from and what the financial status of her family was. For example, Eastern Buryat women wore short sleeveless vests (uuzha), while Western Buryat women wore uuzha with a ruffled skirt sewn onto it. The sleeveless vest was made from bright fabrics and decorated on the front with mother-of-pearl buttons or silver coins.
According to traditions and religious rules, a Buryat woman could not appear in front of men without wearing a sleeveless vest and covering her head with a hat.
Elderly women wore very simplified clothes, robes were made from fabrics of dark shades, but a sleeveless vest and a headdress remained a mandatory attribute.
Decorations
Jewelry is a mandatory attribute of the Buryat men's and women's national costumes. A photo of jewelry will help you understand the incredible number of types.
A man's suit is decorated with two elements - a flint, or khete, and a knife, or khatuga. The handle and sheath of the knife were decorated with chasing, silver pendants and semi-precious stones. The flint was a small handbag made of leather. It was decorated with a chased pattern. Men carry a knife and flint on their belts.
According to ancient Buryat custom, at the birth of a son in ancient times, the father always ordered a knife for him, then the ancestral knives were passed down from generation to generation. Knives could not be passed on to other people; losing your knife was a particularly bad sign.
Women's jewelry amazes with its variety and complexity. Rings were worn on each finger and in several rows, with the exception of the middle finger. Bracelets were worn on both hands, and bracelets and earrings were worn without removing.
Temple rings and decorations symbolized the sun, stars, snow, and moon. The breastplates consisted of various medallions, into which prayers were usually placed. Sometimes the temple-chest decorations were made in the form of a necklace with bells.
Neck jewelry has symbolism that signifies fertility.
Women's jewelry was mainly made of silver, with inserts of turquoise, coral, and amber.
Young girls wore side pendants, which were two round plates. They were fastened on both sides at waist level, tongs and a toothpick were attached to one plate, and a lock, a small knife and a flint to the other. Both pendants ended in tassels of silk threads in yellow, green or red.
Modern fashion and national costume
Modern fashion often uses elements of the national costume of the Buryat people, photos of which are very often found in fashion magazines. Famous designers and couturiers very often use national attributes of clothing of different nations to create their masterpieces. The Buryat national costume is no exception.
Many elements of the costume and most of the decorative elements, ornaments, original silver jewelry, headdresses, the original Buryat sleeve, and the trapezoidal shape of the model’s silhouette are often used by fashion designers in their collections.
