Buryat national costume

As you know, Siberia is not the most densely populated part of Russia. Despite this, a great number of peoples lived here for centuries who spoke many different languages. Among the Mongol-speaking peoples of Siberia, the Buryats are considered the most numerous. According to one of the versions, their name comes from the words “boo”, which translates as “gray” or “ancient”, and “oirot” - forest people. So it turns out that the Buryats are an ancient forest people with a special culture, traditions and spirit, which are most clearly reflected in the Buryat national costume. It is not only practical, but also filled with symbols and signs that serve as the key to understanding the whole culture of this amazing people.

As the Buryat costume looked in ancient times, we can only judge from the descriptions of travelers and diplomats who lived in the XVII - XVIII centuries. No earlier written sources exist.

Some information can be obtained from ancient legends. For example, in the epic "Geser" it is mentioned that the sable skin spoke about the nobility and wealth of its owner, and the ornament and ornaments on the belt could be told about the position in the society of its owner.

At the end of the seventeenth century, Evert was elected as the head of the Russian embassy to Beijing. Eledent Ides, a Dutch merchant who was nicknamed Elizariy Elizariev’s son, the Elect. Returning from a trip, he wrote a book about his journey, in which he described in detail the winter and summer national clothes of the Buryats, as well as their headgear. Other travelers also wrote about the Buryats. And in the XIX century, scientists and researchers began to study them.

The Buryats are a nomadic people living in a harsh climate. It is these two factors that determined what their national costume has become. So, the average Buryat in those days spent the whole day in the saddle, and therefore the clothing should not have disturbed him. She protected from the winds and warmed in the cold. The Buryats were mainly engaged in cattle breeding, and therefore they sewed from what was at hand - leather, wool, and fur. Silk and cotton fabrics were bought from neighboring nations.

Bathrobes - the main element of Buryat clothing in the old days, were sewn from blue fabrics. But there could be exceptions. Sometimes they were made from brown, burgundy or dark green material.

Men's robe adorned a special quad sided side "Enger", which had not so much utilitarian as symbolic meaning. Enger consisted of colored stripes, the top of which was supposed to be white. Later, when Buddhism began to spread among the Buryats, they began to make it golden-yellow.

As we mentioned earlier, the Buryats were nomadic and engaged in cattle breeding. Therefore, they sewed their clothes from hides, wool and fur. Cotton fabrics and cloth were bought at fairs that took place in Irkutsk, Kirensk, Nerchinsk, Kyakhta and other cities.

Dressing gowns tailored without shoulder seams. They buttoned at the side. It protected from strong winds and warmed better. The length of the dressing gown was supposed to cover the legs when walking and riding. In addition, such a long robe could easily become a camp bed if necessary: ​​they lay down on one floor, and hid the other.

The Buryat national costume, like any other, had its own varieties depending on the gender and age of its owner. In childhood, boys and girls were dressed the same. They wore straight robes, similar to men. The peculiarity of the men's robe was that it was not cut off at the waist, i.e. was straight. Sleeves sewed raglan. This robe is always girdled.

With age, changing hairstyle. In childhood, girls and boys were braided with one braid on their crown, and the rest of their hair was shaved. At 13-15 years old girls' hair stopped shaving and, after they grew back, they braided in two braids on their temples. This was the first distinct difference between a girl and a boy. At the age of 15-16, girls were dressed on their heads with a special “saazh” ornament. This meant that one could be married to her.

The men's suit was complemented by two elements - a knife (“hutag”) and flint (“hete”). Initially, these things had a utilitarian value, but over time they became elements of costume decoration. The scabbard and handle of the knife were decorated with chasing, gems and silver pendants. Flint looked like a small bag of leather, to the bottom of which was attached a steel chair. He was also decorated with stamps with chased patterns. Wearing flint and a knife at the waist.

Women's jewelry was more complicated. This and the rings that were worn on each finger, happened even in several rows, and bracelets on both hands, and earrings, and temporal rings, and lapel jewelry. The latter consisted of a set of silver medallions, which could be square, triangular and round. They put in prayers that served as a talisman.

As shoes in winter, the Buryats wore high fur boots, which made foals out of leather, and in the offseason, boots, whose nose was pointed upwards. In the summer they wore horsehair-bound shoes that were attached to leather soles.

Many elements of the Buryat national costume remained in hoary antiquity. You no longer need to spend the whole day in the saddle and hide yourself with a long warm bathrobe, if you had to stay overnight in the steppe. But many decorative elements, sophisticated ornaments and silver jewelry systems were so perfect that to forget about them would be a crime. Modern designers began to use them with pleasure in their collections. Most often, the patterns “Altan-hee” (meander), decorative weaving “Uls”, as well as the trapezoidal shape of the silhouette, the original cut of the sleeves and hats go into motion.