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Bulgarian National Costumes
Throughout history national costumes have played a significant role in Bulgarian’s life. Bringing a fine bled of spiritual and material concepts, they have been an integral part of daily life and festive celebrations. Costumes present the idea of continuity of life – from the moment when a child is born and dressed in his or her first chemise to the moment of death when one is dressed in new or wedding clothes.
Like language and songs, national costumes are a cultural phenomenon that has undergone a long historical development and have become a distinguishing feature of Bulgarian folk culture. National costumes clearly present the ethnographic variety and specificity of the Bulgarian nation.
The costumes have been gathered from territories that, throughout history, were or are populated by ethnic Bulgarians. A variety of styles is presented: women’s costumes with two aprons, with one apron, soukmans (low-cut sleeveless dress) and sayas (long dress) and two types of men’s ware belodreshna (predominantly white clothes) and chernodreshna (black clothes prevailing). Bringing a distinctive ethnic style, these main types of Bulgarian national costumes date back to the times of developed feudalism and were later further perfected regardless of the historical misfortunes Bulgarians faced.
The patriarchal tradition of home-made clothes changed gradually as a variety of new clothing crafts evolved in the 18th and 19th century. Master tailors started manufacturing mostly men’s overcoats and tops. Flax, hemp, wool, silk and cotton were the traditional materials used in clothing textile. These materials were commonly produced by home weaving in the second half of the 19 century. Leather was not as commonly used – it was used for “tsurvuli”, a typical Bulgarian sandal-like footwear, and fur was used for “kalpatsi”, men’s caps typical of the mountain areas.
Bulgarian national costumes possess a complex structure and depend on the living and work conditions in the Bulgarian patriarchal village. The cut and the wearing patterns of women’s tops as well as the shape and color of men’s tops and overcoats are representative of the geographical location and are bound to its specific historical development.
A typical two-apron women’s costume consists of a shirt, two aprons fastened around the waist, one covering the stomach and the other covering the back and the seat, and a sash. The shirt, most commonly a “burchanka” type, has two yokes, one on the front side and another on the back, and is gathered at the neck. Large parts of the shirt are to be seen demonstrating exquisite dense embroidery, which covers to a large extent the sleeves, the front and the back. Attached to the sash there are two “curtains”, made of home-made decorative fabric. The back one falls in folds and frills while the front one is made of one or two pieces of cloth with horizontal or vertical embroidery. The back "curtain" exists in a number of variants (vulnenik, bruchnik, tukmenik, peshtemal, kurlyanka, zaveshka) that are all geographically specific. This costume is traditionally worn with a long sash wound around the waist several times. Although this costume was widely spread in the earlier times, later it became typical of the Danube Plain.
The most widely spread woman’s dress was the soukman, a low-cut sleeveless dress, traditionally worn in the mountain areas of the Central Balkan, some Black Sea costal regions and the maritime areas of southeastern Trace. Though differing from region to region and even according to locations, the souknam dress bears some common and typical Bulgarian features such as the type of textile, the tunic-like cut and low neck. Although the soukman is traditionally a sleeveless dress, in some areas it can be found with short and even long sleeves. Usually "tails", strips of the soukman fabric, are attached to the sleeve openings to serve as decoration and are interpreted as former sleeves. The most abundantly decorated parts of the soukman costume are the skirts, the area around the neck and the sleeve ends. The decoration consists of multi-color embroidery and decorative cloth and braid appliqués varied in size and style. There are three mail styles of suokman cuts that vary according to the geographical location. The west Bulgarian style of soukman is characterized by its gussets inserted at the sides and starting from the waistline. It is also called “kusoklinest” or “of shorter gussets”. In central Bulgaria the soukman is called “visokoklinest” or “of tall gussets” since its trapezium-shaped or rectangular inserts are sawn in much higher and start from the sleeve curve. A rare type of soukman consisting of two parts is typical in the eastern regions including the eastern Balkan slopes and the Danube riverbanks. It consists of a sleeveless jacket (chapak) and a skirt tightly gathered around the waist. The sash is broad and long and is wound around the waist several times. Soukmans are often black, but most often they come in different shades of red and sometimes they are decorated with stripes of various colors. The soukman costume is worn with a short woven belt, its ends buckled by “pafti”, a typical metal decoration molded or forged in round or oval shapes and decorated with floral motives or mother-of-pearl Jerusalem plates with religious scenes.
The apron is the most attractive element of the soukman dress. Richly ornamented in bright and vivid colors it contrasts the dark plane of the soukman, thus emphasizing the stylistic and artistic originality of the dress. According to ethnographers the soukman originated as a double of the first and principle dress- the shit. In the course of its development it began to vary in fabric, coloring and decoration.
The saya dress, as well, has the tunic-like shirt as a major component, but its overall appearance is characterized by the so-called "saya", a constantly worn top garment, open in the front, slightly flared, of various skirt lengths (knee or ankle length) and sleeve lengths (short or long). Sayas are made of different materials – both in color and in composition. Typically sayas are made of a solid color cotton or woolen fabric, and are mostly white, black, blue or dark blue. Another type, commonly spread along the middle course of the Maritsa River, is made of a striped fabric of various colors, the red one dominating. Sayas are abundantly decorated around the neck line and at the sleeve ends. In this costume Bulgarian women demonstrated their outstanding skills in ornamental linear embroidery supplemented by large variety of braiding. Goldthread appliqué decoration, varied and yet consistent, typical of the middle parts of west Bulgaria is another demonstration of Bulgarian women’s creativity.
The sash, made of black or red woolen fabric, is another important component of the Bulgarian women’s costumes. So is the apron, also woolen and typically in stripes, red ones dominating. In the southwestern regions the stripes are supplemented by woven-in ornaments. Another type of apron, the goldthread decorated one gained popularity later, but it was used only on festive occasions.
The saya dress is most commonly worn in the southern and southwestern regions of the territory populated by ethnic Bulgarians. In shades of red dominating, in the southwestern regions, the saya dress is densely embroidered, also in red, for the sake of protection from ill luck and misfortune. The saya costume survived in everyday existence till the middle of the 20th century, when it gave way to European type urban clothes.
Simpler in composition, the one-apron women's costume is typical of certain parts of the Danube Plane and the Rhodopes. It consists of a tunic-like shirt and apron tied at the waist. The apron is narrow, consisting of one piece of cloth or wider, consisting of two pieces of cloth, with scarce decoration of two or more colors coming as streaks on woof, or as a dark background with lightly marked squares. Sometimes the background is framed by a chain of geometrical ornaments, which continue on the hem as well. Because of its practicality and appropriateness for the population’s occupation, the one-apron costume was commonly worn by Bulgarian Moslems from the eastern and western parts of the Rhodopes until the first quarter of the 20th century. The strive to increase the components of the costume led to the introduction of a top garment called “anteriya”, “zaboun” or “kaftan” which differed in material, shape, cut and function from the original prototypes. The Rhodope woman’s preference of light-yellow, light-orange and grass green colors was presented in the apron’s decoration.
There are two types of Bulgarian men’s costumes: belodreshna (white) and chernodreshna (black) depending on the color of the outer clothes. In fact these are not geographically determined variants but are two consecutive stages in the development of the men's costume. The prototype of the costume consisted of a long shirt, with skirts falling above white woolen or cotton pants, tied at the waist with a waistband or a belt. Though conservative in style, this man’s costume remained in existence for along time due to its appropriateness for the people’s primary occupation - farming and cattle-breeding.
The men's belodreshna costume includes a tunic-like shirt, pants and overall clothes made of white fabric, usually a thick homespun woolen clothe. There are two types of pants: “benevretsi”, long and narrow, with tightly fitting lower parts of the legs (nogavitsi), and “dimii”, with broad and short legs. The silhouette of the belodreshna costume is distinguished by its top garment (kusak, klashnik, dolaktenik, goliama dreha), which is of a flared cut and considerable length. Embroidery motifs and color borders along the neck line, the sleeves and the gussets are a specific stylistic trait of its decoration. The waistband is an integral part of the costume. It is made of abundantly decorated red fabric and is tightly wound around the man’s waist. The belodreshna costume is proved to be of Slavic origin and was spread throughout the Bulgarian ethnic territory. Influenced by social changes, it kept its original look the longest in northwestern Bulgaria, till the first decades of the 20th century.
The appearance of a second type of men's costume, “chernodreshna”, was part of the trend of darkening men's clothes, a process common for the whole country and particularly observable in the period of Bulgarian Revival. This process resulted from the new social, economic and cultural conditions. Starting in the late 18th century and up to the middle of the 19th century, men’s clothes were no longer made of white aba (a kind of woolen cloth). Instead, they were sewn from black shayak (woolen textile). The pants and the other pieces of clothing acquired a new design. The pants, called “potouri” are broad and possess extensive black braiding decoration. An interesting belief was spread out: the more folded and pleated the potouri were, and their bottom in particular, the more well-to-do their owner was. The top clothes (elek, aba, anteriya) are of straight cut and of waist length. The waistband, made of woolen cloth and in red color, is remarkably wide and is tightly wound around the waist. The remaining components: the belt, the typical fur cap and tsurvouli, are part of the belodreshna costume as well.
The appearance of a second type of men's costume, “chernodreshna”, was part of the trend of darkening of men's clothes, a process common for the whole country and particularly observable in the period of Bulgarian Revival. This process resulted from the new social, economic and cultural conditions. From late 18th century till mid 19th century men's clothes were no longer made of white aba(a kind of woollen cloth). Instead , they were sewn of black shayak (woolen textile) with different cut of the pants and the outer garments. The pants, called potouri , are broad, with numerous black braiding decoration. It is curious to note what people used to belive: the more folded and pleated the potouri were, and their bottom in particular, the more well-to-do their owner was.
The outer clothes (elek, aba, anteriya) are with straight cut and of waist length. The waist-band , of woolen cloth , in red color and of remarkable width, is tightly wound around the waist. The remaining components-belt, typical fur cap and tsurvouli-are part of the belodreshna costume as well.
Men's costumes from west Bulgaria testify to the common origin of the two types of costumes because they present a mixed composition of white benevretsi (pants) worn with dark blue tops. The spread of homespun tailoring contributed to the introduction of the chernodreshna costume, but ever since the late 19th century a new trend appeared and outmoded the chernodreshna costume. That tendency started from the tons and was strongly influenced by the European fashion.
There are no strictly defined boundaries to the geographical distribution of the main types of costumes. The variety of national costumes results from a variety of geographical, historical, social, economic, cultural and religious specifics. What’s more, there are multiple variations of each costume, which result from the cultural interaction between various regions and ethnicities. External influence, personal preference and individual taste may also have contributed to such a variety.
A number of national Bulgarian costumes have retained the features and elements of the older time. Usually they symbolize age, marital status, participation in rituals and traditions, decoration being the most indicative of the latter in its content, composition and color of textile ornaments. Accessories and the way clothes are worn indicate other distinctive features as well. Single girls, for example, are allowed to show their hair, while married women conceal it. Young married women were obliged to ware white top clothes, whereas single women were not allowed to do so.
The artistic design of Bulgarian costumes is one of the most valuable and intransient national achievements, a proof of the rich spiritual life, high artistic potential and the insatiable craving for beauty of the Bulgarian people. The decoration of garments, exclusively a product of the Bulgarian woman, bears the mark of family traditions and moral. Decoration functions as a social regulator and brings ethnic specificity.
The types of fabrics used, embroidery, knitwear, appliqués and various ornaments contribute to the unthinkable artistic quality of national costumes. The textile decoration is integrally connected both to the individual parts of the costume and to its overall composition. Most often it is displayed on the outer parts of the costume: the neck, sleeve and skirt hems, waistbands, belts, gussets, aprons, kerchiefs and socks.
Children's folk costumes are an attractive part of national clothes. You can see some examples in page for products.
www.craftsbg.net/bulgarian-national-costumes/bulgarian-national-costumes.html