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Traditional Bulgarian Costumes
Around 60 years ago, Traditional Bulgarian costume was like type of identification document. From their signs you could understand from which area comes a person and even if he/she is family man/woman. The embroideries on the clothes were not just patterns, they were ancient motifs which were passed from generation to generation.
The main purpose of the Traditional Bulgarian costume is to protect the body from climatic influences and to make easier the works. • Women costumes are divided into: one-apron, tunics, sayan and two-apron. The men costumes are divided into: white-cloth and black-cloth costumes.
Women costumes The two-apron costume includes a shirt, a belt and two aprons. The shirt is with frills around the opening of the neck and at the sleeve ends. This costume is popular in Bulgaria and it’s related with the agriculture. The one-apron costume includes a long shirt and stock apron on it. This costume is used mainly for chores or for works in the field but for celebrations it passes in Sayan.
Sayan is popular in North Bulgaria. The main part is a shirt like tunic and outerwear – the Saya (long clothing with short or long sleeves or rarely sleeveless. Also, it basic composition includes a wide colorful belt and apron.)The main part of the tunic (“sukman’”) costume is the shirt like tunic on which it dresses sukman, a stoke belt and apron. This costume is popular in the mountain areas and Central Bulgaria.
Men costumes The white-cloth costume includes a long shirt, pants, the outerwear is short below the waist or knee-length. The belt has got red broad stripes and rich ornamentation. The black-cloth costume are dark woolen outerwear. The main part is the long shirt. The full-bottomed breeches are with broad, freely top and gradually tapering trouser legs. Outerwear are short to the waist, and the belts are red or black.
Bulgarian clothes are often woolen, so they absorb the sweat in summer and retain the body temperature in winter. These clothes are very suitable for country with that kind of weather, which is our country. Advantages of Bulgarian costume
Clothes are tight at the waist with a belt, which confers resistance to the body at work and the wide sleeves, the free breast and the extended skirts help for movement. With these qualities, Bulgarian folk costumes bear the symbols of agricultural labor clothing. The costumes show a relationship with the two main livelihood of the Bulgarian village - agriculture and livestock.
Livestock, also puts a specific symbol on some parts of clothing that are very important for the composition of the men suit, because the man in the Bulgarian village is the one who deals with this livelihoods. Such parts are hooded cloak, Rhodope maud, shepherd hood and silyahat (wide leather belt). All are meant to keep the shepherds of cold and rain and to create certain household comfort. The relationship between livestock and Bulgarian costume
Interesting fact is that when a newborn baby is not wearing a shirt, it was not perceived as a full member of the social group. The factual inclusion of the child to the local collective as a whole and to the age and family group in particular is implemented through specific ritual, as was the baptism. So, a mandatory element of the baptismal ritual becomes clothing. Then it dresses the first shirt and it gives away baby clothes. Baptism
Maiden and bachelor clothes - a symbol of maturity Boys also often dress their first bachelor clothes on first entry into Koledarian company or other celebration, in which the bachelors take part. By then they can't encircle belt, they don't wear bottomed trousers, shirt with embroidery and so on.. With the first maiden and bachelor clothes girls and boys now legally can play in maiden and bachelor dance. Usually girls wear their first maiden clothes on spring festivals like Lazarus, St. George's Day or Easter.
Particularities in clothing in certain age groups The time from the engagement to the wedding gives effect in the clothing by some characteristic for the bridegrooms symbols. After the engagement, the fiance starts wearing fiance nosegay and in front in the belt – a betrothal cloth. On his neck is tied red Caesarea (cotton cloth) and he wears colorful woolen socks, which are gift from his fiancee. The fiancee wears her engagement gifts which are mainly metal jewels.
The period from the wedding to the birth of the first or the second child. After this period the clothing is exempt from the bright decoration and jewelry. Men and women clothing became much more simple like composition and form that distinguishes them as a group of adults. Thereby, each period of human life is established on their age and family characteristics clothing.
Andzhela Naku 8th grade
