Moldavian national costume

The national Moldavian costume is a vivid example of the unique creativity of folk craftsmen, a sample of ancient customs, evidence of the deep interaction of the Moldavian ethnic group with neighboring nations.

Not so long ago, every craftswoman was obliged to make their own outfit. Moreover, the copying of intricacies and patterns was not allowed. By the nature of the pattern, the color scheme, the characteristics of the cover, it was possible to judge the girl’s social status, the inclinations of her character. A prerequisite was the harmony of the costume with the general appearance - the color of eyes, hair, headgear.

Natural fabrics traditionally served as material for manufacturing: wool, flax, hemp, and cotton.

The material of the suit reflected the family's well-being. Moldovans of modest prosperity used hemp fabric, and more prosperous - linen or cotton, which was much more tender than hemp. And the canvases themselves were often made at home. Also used silk for the manufacture of towels that served women to cover the head.

Moldavian costume ornaments were directly related to the locality in which this nation lived. Soil fertility, mild climate, rich harvests - all reflected in embroidery and patterns on the fabric. The pattern in the form of leaves, flowers, bunches of grapes combined with the geometric pattern of embroidery created a unique flavor of the Moldovan national costume.

The composition of women's national costume traditionally includes the following components: a hat, outerwear, shoes, jewelry and accessories, which vary depending on conditions.

Various details of the costume: the nature of the decoration, the cut of the outer clothing, the ornament and the color scheme testify not only about the social status and type of occupation, but even about age.

So, married women preferred calmer colors, simple cut and modest materials. Girls, on the contrary, wore bright and attention-grabbing outfits. Their costume often did not mean wearing a headgear and an apron.

At the same time, it should be noted that some aspects of the people's material and spiritual culture, including in the field of costume, bear the imprint of the demographic structure of a particular ethnographic region.

A large number of Ukrainians live in the northern part of Moldova, and in the south, along with the Moldovans, the Gagauz and Bulgarians live. As a result of the mutual exchange of traditions, elements characteristic of other ethnic groups are included in the national costume of these geographic regions.

One of the main elements of the Moldavian costume is the shirt. Made from white fabric. She had a simple cut, resembled a tunic with a square or round slit for the head.

The shirt was often decorated with a simple geometric or floral pattern. The color scheme is usually represented by 2-3 colors, but monochrome patterns and ornaments were also frequent.

The shirt was cut out of three rectangular parts: the back, front and sleeves. For sewing the upper part, soft fabric was used, and the lower part was thick.

The complete set of national clothes of the woman without fail entered a skirt. In the first place in popularity was a kind of "katrina". It was especially characteristic of the north of Moldova.Cloth for this type of skirt is not sewn, and plow one floor after another. This canvas was attached to the belt. Girls additionally decorated such a skirt with a bright handkerchief. For it used only the highest quality wool peri-or de lîna.

Katrina was of two kinds. In the first case, the top and bottom of the skirt differed in color, while in the second, the sides and the central part differed. In general, everyday skirts were not distinguished by bright colors or patterns and were mostly black or brown. The festive version of the skirt was signed and embroidered with a floral pattern and colored threads.

In the south of the country, women only wore a “skirt” skirt. The basis for her were two apron made of wool. The fust skirt was sewn from several wedge-shaped canvases that were decorated with multi-colored ribbons. Moldovan women began to use canvas apron only at the end of the 19th century. By the appearance of the apron one could know the status of the woman Girls could only wear it after the wedding.

The vest was typical for summer, a fur vest in fur trimmed for winter. Also warm sleeveless were sewed from fur, from sheepskin from thick cloth fabric. Outerwear styles could be very diverse.

The length, color, location of the cuts, the number of buckles and fasteners varied greatly in different parts of Moldova. But common to outerwear in all regions was a rich painting and embroidery of clothing. Multi-colored laces, satin and silk ribbons, thin laces, appliques, cross-stitch and satin stitch - all this could be found in folk costume.

Headdresses were used only by married women. At the wedding, the bride's veil was removed and the first headdress was given to her.

Up to this point, the girls decorated the braids only with wreaths of flowers or even let their hair loose.

There were two types of dressing: for the solemn occasions "neframa" and everyday cîrpa:

• Sîrpa is a complex structure with a base of a wooden rim with ends in the form of horns wrapped with a scarf. The ends of the scarf covered the shoulders and chest.
• Neframa is a silk or cotton scarf tied in different ways, but in such a way that the embroidered and decorated ends are clearly visible.

In winter, women wore the same headgear, only weaved them from denser yarn or used men's-like hats with fringed animal fur.

Moldavian footwear was rawhide opinci. Just stretched along the edge of the cord piece of leather. They were worn everywhere.

In the winter only rich Moldovans wore boots or boots. Shoes for girls were very rare. Sewn only on a solemn occasion, they were carefully kept by several generations and passed along the female line.

Men wore less bright and colorful clothes. Cotton or linen shirts were worn at the front and girded with various belts.

The most ancient and most popular was a blouse, similar to a tunic with a round collar cut in the middle. Young guys mostly wore richly decorated shirts. Embroidered with a small bright pattern of the cuff, the edges of the collar and the bottom of the shirt.

The shirt on the coquette came into vogue in the early twentieth century and gradually gained popularity among the male population, displacing the shirt.

There were several types of pants. In different regional Moldavia used different fabrics and styles:

• Izmene - lightweight casual pants made from natural materials (linen, hemp or cotton). Over time, this model went into the category of underwear, worn under the more tight pants.
• Iari - woolen narrow trousers of white color had a very large length, because of what they gathered on the shins in numerous folds. They were popular among the shepherds in the northern regions of Moldova.
• Cioareci - winter version of woolen trousers, often decorated in the belt with a simple geometric pattern.
• Meini - the warmest winter pants, sewn from sheep hides.Usually only shepherds wore because of the very long stay in the cold.

Outerwear, like women's, was quite diverse. Waistcoats, woolen and fur sleeveless jackets, woolen long-haired coats also had a diverse cut and materials, depending on the season. Men's clothing differed more modest pattern, fewer jewelry and embroidery. Prosperous peasants could afford to sew a natural sheep sheepskin coat.

The men's hats were not so diverse and consisted of a cone-shaped sheep hat in winter and a straw or felt hat in summer. Guys additionally decorated hats with feathers or flowers.

In the Moldavian national costume, in both men and women, belts were of great importance. They spoke, gave to the wedding, believing that the correct belt will bring happiness, welfare or a good harvest. In women, they symbolized age, in men, wealth. The girls girdled their skirts with silk or satin belts, and the aged peasant women wore woolen ones.

Men from rich families made belts to order. They used leather with metal inserts, and the poor used ordinary rope.

Looking at the Moldavian costume, you never stop wondering how much joy and positive energy the ancient masters managed to invest in their products. Of course, in the modern world it has a place only on holidays, events devoted to folk art and in museums. A complex pattern, bright colors, various elements make the national costume of Moldovans a work of art.