On the territory of modern Buryatia, people have lived since the Paleolithic, archaeological finds testify to this. That is, even 20-30 thousand years before our era, people knew how to save life in difficult natural conditions. The national costume also contributed to this to a large extent. From the beginning of the centuries, the Buryats used for clothing what they had in everyday life: animal skins, their wool, horse hair and a little later - natural fabrics.
Costume history
Different tribes lived on both sides of Lake Baikal, having their own ethnographic features. There were many Mongolian-speaking clans, Yakuts, Tungus, Tofalars and other nationalities. The Buryats as a people took shape only from the middle of the 17th century after joining the Russian Empire. Everything that has been preserved in museums and private collections belongs to this time. The national costume has retained its original appearance. The Buryats were mainly engaged in cattle breeding, they wandered a lot. Hunting and skinning skills have been passed down from generation to generation.
All this is reflected incostume: not only ancient wool robes and leather shoes were found, but also silver and gold women's jewelry dating back centuries.
Women's and men's clothing
By the type of costume, you can immediately determine who the clothes are intended for - a man or a woman. In addition, for each period of life there were differences. Boys and girls, boys and girls, married women and old people wore clothes in completely different ways. Unites all types of suits for maximum comfort and excellent protection from the cold.
Buryats are the indigenous people of Siberia. 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, flax, and velvet were added. In some areas, precious metal threads were used. People living in these parts will tell everything about the owner of the national costume. The Buryats are able to accurately and concisely describe the main circumstances of a person's life.
Men's suit
Buryat clothes for both men and women are designed primarily for nomadic life in the saddle. Features of the cut adapted the products so that they could spend many hours on horseback without fatigue and, if necessary, spend the night in the open air.
A shirt made of natural fabric (most often cotton) and tight pants made of rough leather are put on directly on the body. In these pants, any road is not terrible. Shoes were made from foal skin - for winter, and for summer they were woven from horsehair, and the leather sole was justsewn on.
Winter (degel) or summer (terlig) dressing gown was put on top. Degel was sewn from sheepskin, it was possible to decorate it with velvet or other fabric. A summer dressing gown was made from any natural fabric.
Degal cut features
The bathrobe should be close to the body so as not to leave room for cold air. Bathrobe sizes are individual, but there are mandatory parts:
- back;
- board;
- bodice;
- front;
- top floor;
- lower floor.
The body is completely covered with a bathrobe, and the floors can be used as a bed: lie down on one and hide on the other. This makes the life of the national costume easier. The Buryats are a very practical people, and every detail of the costume has been tested for centuries. Be sure to wear a belt. A belted robe formed a pocket in which they carried a bowl in order to always have personal tableware at hand. The bowl was worn in a fabric case, smoking accessories were hung on the belt.
What does the national costume of the Buryats look like for women
The type of costume depends entirely on the age for which it is intended. Girls wear a long one-piece dressing gown, gird it. This emphasizes the flexibility of the girl's figure. With the onset of a real girlish age - about 15 years - the cut of the dressing gown changes. The robe is cut along the waistline, a beautiful sash is put on, and a mandatory item of women's clothing - a sleeveless jacket - appears on top.
The sleeveless jacket has a different look for married and unmarried women. A short sleeveless jacket was required to be worn by all women 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 headpiece. Girls who wanted to get married wore two round silver plates on their belts. Self-care devices were attached to these plates - knives, scissors, earwigs.
The national costumes of the peoples of Russia always emphasize the feminine dignity. The Buryats are no exception here: a woman in a national costume looks great. So, a married woman dressed in a pleated skirt and jacket. Such a costume made it possible to look good during pregnancy and lactation.
Clothes for the elderly
The main thing in these suits is convenience 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 decreased. The Buryat folk costume also included custom-made shoes. Two types of shoes were used: stocking-like and shoe-like. Uggs, which have come into fashion not so long ago, are stylized folk shoes, which were originally intended for old people whose feet were cold.
Shoes were complemented with knee-length stockings knitted from sheep wool.
The hat was an obligatory part of the costume, it was sewn from natural fur, most often otters. 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 settled in jewelry.
Jewelry was a kind of amulets. They wore pendants fixed at the temples, descending to the chest and neck. Numerous rings were obligatory on all fingers except the middle one.
For braids there were "cases" - various combinations of metal plates and fabric. It was believed that the magical power of women's hair was preserved in this way.
