Traditional Mari Costume (photo)

The main territory on which the Mari live, is the interfluve of the Volga and its left tributary of Vetluga. This Finno-Ugric people scattered throughout all neighboring regions and republics, many of its representatives in the Urals. The Mari costume is part of the group of national dresses of the peoples of the Volga region.

Ethnic structure

Like every ethnic group, the Mari are divided into specific groups. Usually this is due to the place of residence. There are three main divisions: meadow (most numerous), mountain and eastern Mari. The first occupy the Volga-Vyatka interfluve, the latter live in the west of the Republic of Mari El, the third represent the descendants of immigrants from the Volga region to the eastern regions - Bashkiria and the Urals. The Mari costume of each of the groups has distinctive features. But the basic details of the costume are the same for all Mari. Moreover, men's and women's costumes of this people differed from each other only in decorations.

Clothing suitable for any gender

The main components of the outfit are: a shirt and pants, a belt with pendants and a headpiece, bast shoes and canvas or woolen leggings. On holidays, they put on leather shoes. But the tailoring of the festive costume was completely repeating the everyday. And only decorations made him ornate. The Mari men engaged in the most part as a fishing industry, which facilitated contacts with neighbors, and therefore the male Mari costume resembles the Russian national dress. Later, in the attire of men began to appear and factory products. But right up to the 30s of the last century specific national features manifested themselves both in cut and finish, and in the way in which certain elements of clothing were worn.

Dictated by life conditions

The costume of any people was formed under the influence of several factors, such as socio-economic, historical and natural-climatic conditions. An important role was played by the means of labor that were available. Thus, the tunic cut of the shirt was explained by the fact that the cloth woven on the home machine simply bent over the shoulders, a cut was made for the head. Not cutting the armholes, on the sides sewn the cloth, bent along, so the sleeves were made. Initially, the canvas was woven by the length of the shirt and sleeves. The Mari costume was divided into everyday, festive and ceremonial clothes. Naturally, the most beautiful was the wedding attire of the bride. It was abundantly decorated with embroidery, braid, dowel, beads, mother of pearl shells, fur and everything that prompted the imagination of the masters, but with strict observance of the standards. The color of the Mari clothing is predominantly white. The Mari costume (photo attached) is comfortable and joyful.

Distinctive features

As noted above, the main elements of the national dress are dictated by natural and climatic conditions. Therefore, in addition to the above details of the kit, the composition included demi-season caftan (mouser), a fur coat (stripe), winter footwear and a hat. These things had different cuts - straight and cut at the waist. It should be noted that all the subgroups had their own distinctive details - somewhere the back was trapezoid, wedges were inserted, the shape of the collars was different. This was not just about outerwear. So, for example, a shirt (tuvyr) for meadow, mountain and eastern Mari differed in the location of the cut at the neck, the length of the shirt itself.

Men's suit

From time immemorial, the traditional Mari costume included a tuvira (shirt), the length of which fell below the knees, but by the end of the XIX century it reached only the middle of the thigh. The pants (jolash) also differed - they were meadow and mountainous with a narrow step, at the east - with a wide one, which was provided either with a cut or with a crotch. Everyday clothes were made from white home canvas (vyner), which was woven from hemp, less often from linen. For the manufacture of shoes used animal skins, bast, wool. Typical were the Mari bast shoes, woven from seven bast, the arms (ropes wrapped around the legs) they had from the same material.

Onuchi wore summer canvas, in winter from cloth. In more severe climatic conditions, boots were worn. Caps for men, too, were mostly felted, of different shapes. Later, the traditional Mari costume was harmoniously complemented with boots and industrial-use caps. It is worth adding that all the openings of the shirt (neckline, the end of sleeves, hem) must be decorated with ornament. He contained spells from evil spirits. It was embroidery or braid.

Features of a female suit

Separate words, as always, deserve a women's outfit, characterized by beauty and uniqueness. The costumes of the peoples of the Volga region, Mari in particular, except for a specific cut, also had other features characteristic of the middle of Russia - the material from which clothing was made (hemp and flax, bast, felted products). Use in decorations of river shells, closer to the north - river pearls. Characteristic for the entire Volga region, the shirt in the Mari variant in women's dress is distinguished by the cut of sleeves and hem. The overall white color of the outfit, as in any other suit, is richly decorated with characteristic Mari embroidery (tour), very dense and clearly delineated. In addition, it contained information about the hostess - her belonging to a particular ethnic group, social status. Sometimes the embroidery covered and the back of some details of the costume. And of course, each local group of Mari had differences in the patterns, shape and location of the embroidery.

Ornament - "letter from the past" and amulet

The colors of the wool or silk with which the canvas was expanded were mostly of all shades of red, brown. The costumes of the peoples of the Volga region, Mari including, are a bright and integral element of the national culture. It carries in itself the most valuable information about this people, as it goes back to prehistoric times, when the first drawings appeared, gradually turning into an ornament, capable of telling what the aborigines were afraid of, what they were doing, what surrounded them.

The most important detail

What else, apart from the length and cut of the lower part of the shirt, are the outfits of men and women of Mari? As noted above, the costume of the Mari male was complemented by a furred hat. A woman's head-dress deserves separate words, because this is the most important element of the outfit. It is divided into female and girlish, therefore, in addition to social status and ethnicity, it also indicates the age of the hostess.

About their diversity, you can write a separate article. In ancient times, Mari women used various scarves and bandages - this is indicated by archaeological finds. The girls had two types of dressings - on woolen basis and on leather. They are very richly decorated with beads and coins.

Intricate and unique

Women wore hemispherical taki, entering into many traditional costumes of peoples of the Volga region. The Mari female headdress was supplemented in old times with a handkerchief folded diagonally, put on the same and tied under the chin. The headdresses of married women are extremely diverse - skeleton, pointed, shovel-shaped, canvas. And they are all subdivided into several subspecies. So, known for crossword puzzles forty belongs to the class of shovel-shaped, and the oldest headdress of shark's marek is very tall (40 cm) and refers to skeleton hats. Traditional costumes of the peoples of the Volga region, Mari including, echo each other - hats on birch bark or leather frames were worn by Mordvinian, Udmurt, Kazakh women. Originally it was Scythian headdress.

Necessary and bright details

Obligatory attributes of a female suit are a belt, an apron and a breastplate. Do not say that all these details were diligently decorated. Belts can be told for a very long time. What only they were not hung: pockets or purses, narrow single-striped and two-lane towels, beautiful brushes and rings. The outer clothing was girded with intricate sashes. The aprons, like other details of the costume, were embroidered and embroidered with braid, lace, decorated with beads and coins. The breastpiece could have a different shape, it consisted usually of coins. Subtlety is better to consider on the attached photos. The Mari costume is very beautiful. Mari women were successfully supplemented by its ornaments - rings, earrings and so on.