Mari national costume

National costume is not just clothes, it is the culture and history of a people, its traditions and way of life. A striking example of this is the Mari national costume, which reflected the ideas of the Mari people about harmony and beauty of life.

The Mari people belong to the Finno-Ugric language group and are the last pagan people in Europe. Despite Christianity adopted many centuries ago, the Mari people conduct magical and pagan rituals.

The people are divided into three territorial groups:

• Mountain Mari of the Republic of Mari El;
• meadow - Volgo-Vyatka region;
• eastern - Bashkir republic and Priuralsky district.

Each group of Mari in a suit has its own characteristics, differences in decoration and ornamentation, but in general, all the elements of folk clothes at Mari are the same.

An ordinary suit consists of a shirt, pants, a belt with pendants, a headdress and footwear: in everyday life it is woven sandals, and on holidays - shoes made from sheep or cow leather.

The model of festive clothing was no different from everyday clothes - the attire could be distinguished only by specific pendants and decorations.

The tunic, the main part of any Mari outfit, was created as follows: a linen machine of a certain length was made on the home machine, then the fabric was folded in half and a hole was cut for the head. Without cutting out the armholes, a part of the canvas was bent lengthwise and sewn together — this way the sleeves were obtained.

In the cold season, the national costume was complemented by the following elements: different types of kaftans, a sheepskin coat, winter shoes (felt boots, less often boots) and a warm hat.

Mari costume, as well as the outfit of any other nationality, has its own characteristics and features:

• The main color is white with splashes of black, burgundy and brown embroidery. In later periods, red began to dominate in national dress — it was obtained by boiling certain plants.
• Geometrical and floral ornaments, symbolizing the belonging of the wearer of the clothes to one or another social group, were more present in the embroidery. In addition, ritual symbols were encrypted in embroidery, bringing good luck and prosperity.

• The Mari costume fell under the influence of Russian culture and borrowed a lot from it: for example, in later periods the Mari began to make clothes of cotton rather than of flax, as it was before.

• Under any outfit, no matter whether he is male or female, pants were worn.

The men's suit consisted of a shirt slightly below the knees, a belt, a caftan, canvas pants and bast shoes. At the end of the 19th century, the length of the shirt decreased - by this time the tunic reached only mid-thigh.

As for the pants, they were sewed in different ways in different Mari groups. Meadow and mountain Mari sewed narrow pants, and east - wide.

Kaftans were an integral part of the wardrobe: in the summer they were made of linen fabrics, and in the winter - of cloth. As a rule, caftans were black and white.

It is noteworthy that the neckline on the undershirt was tied with a special ornament, which protected the man from evil forces and the evil eye.

An integral part of the costume was a headdress - in winter, this was a felted hat or a ushanka, in the summer - a white (festive) and black (everyday) hat, which was later supplanted by a cap.

In contrast to the male women's outfit differed a great variety and unique beauty of jewelry and ornaments.

The basis of women's apparel was also a tunic shirt, embroidered with an ornament on the chest, sleeves and hem. The meaning of the embroidery symbols spoke about the belonging of the bearer to the culture, its social status and marital status. In rare cases, the back of the shirt was covered with an ornament.

Women's tunic was decorated with beads, buttons and colorful ribbons - the more jewelry was on the shirt, the more a woman could be proud of her handmade skill.

Under the shirt, Mari women, like men, put on canvas pants. Their breed depended on the area of ​​residence - the Eastern Mari dressed in spacious pants, mountain and meadow - in narrow.

Women's caftans are divided into summer and winter models. The summer caftan length reached the waist of the wearer's waist, the winter caftan was intended for keeping warm and had a straight tunic shape.

Headgear in the composition of the women's Mari folk costume played an important role and was divided into two main types - girl and female. Decoration, model and a certain type of wearing a headdress indicated the status and position of the Mari in society and age.

In ancient times, married women wore ornamented headscarves and shawls, while girls wore leather and woolen headbands, richly decorated with beads and coins. Later, headscarves and bandages were supplemented with other pieces: a hemispherical tackia, on which a regular headscarf is worn, a frame cap, a spade-shaped, forty-pointed, and other headwear.

Compulsory elements of women's costume were the following elements: bib, apron and belt. These elements were decorated with variegated ribbons, coins, embroidery and beads. Wallets, handkerchiefs, special pockets, colorful towels, iron rings and earrings and much more were attached to the belt.

Aprons were embroidered with ribbons, ribbons and decorated with coins and beads. Bibs had different types and forms and almost completely consisted of coins.

As for shoes, then for women it was the same as for men - these are bast shoes in summer and felt boots in winter.

Women's Mari outfit was beautiful, richly decorated with embroidery, and ribbons, and coins. At their own request, a woman or a girl could additionally decorate her outfit with rings, beads, belt towels and other accessories.

Children's Mari costumes are in many ways reminiscent of adults, only for children less jewelry and embroidery had a protective character. In the girls' attire, bright flounces were often present - on the sleeves from the elbow to the end, and in the main part of the clothes from belt to hem.

The most beautiful among the Mari among all types of robes was a wedding suit. The main color of the robes is of course white.

The groom put on his holiday outfit, girded himself with a special belt decorated with coins, and put on a special hat with curved edges.

The bride's wedding dress consisted of several parts. A white dress was worn on the undershirt;

All elements of the attire were decorated with coins, ribbons, beads, lined with fur, decorated with bright embroidery and colorful braid. The decorations had no boundaries, except for the observance of traditions and fantasy of masters. A red scarf must be present on the bride - in the summer he is tied on top of taki, in winter - on top of a fur hat.

Some elements of the wedding dress are different for Mari of different groups, but all the costumes are the same beautiful and richly decorated.

Time does not stand still, and the Mari national costume undergoes changes, but even in the modern technological age it does not lose its relevance and popularity among representatives of the Mari people. More and more young people put on a national costume for weddings, holidays and solemn events, thereby showing their familiarity with the history and culture of the Mari people.

The modern Mari costume is slightly different from the traditional one and has several new items of clothing:

• a red vest decorated with coins and an ornament is worn over a white tunic with a short sleeve and embroidered with gold embroidery;
• The bride's wedding dress is a shortened (knee-deep) tunic and a white caftan with green embroidery at the hem, worn over the tunic. Also, the outfit is decorated with floral designs and a variety of ribbons;
• a festive female costume looks like this: a satin dress with sleeves-frills and a bib with a floral ornament.

No matter how the Mari national costume changes, he will always be praised and revered by grateful descendants who do not forget about the culture and traditions of his people.