MUSEUM OF PEOPLE'S FRIENDSHIP

KAZAKH NATIONAL COSTUME

The Kazakh national costume is a natural product of the history of the people, their semi-nomadic life. It is fully adapted to the working conditions of Kazakhs and the climatic characteristics of the region, but at the same time it has its own interesting aesthetics.

A brief history of the Kazakh costume

For a long time, the costume shaped the ethnic self-consciousness of the people, served as a marker that distinguishes between friends and foes. The general forms of costume elements are characteristic of all social strata; for the upper strata, the characteristic difference was only a stronger emphasis on elegance, the use of more embroidery and fur trimmings. The suit is equally comfortable for work and a feast, long horseback riding and spending the night in the steppe on cold nights.

The general pattern of the Kazakh national costume is as follows - harem pants for men or a skirt for women, a camisole, a fur coat or a robe on top. A headdress is required, emphasizing the social status of its owner.

There are practically no regional differences in costumes in different zhuzes of Kazakhstan, only in some places some more archaic elements have been preserved. The main features of the Kazakh national dress are the swing-open form of outerwear and a strong fit. The women's suit has a closure on the left side.

Kazakh men's suit

One of its elements is a pointed headdress that resembles the hats of the ancient Scythians and Sakas. It has different names - murak, ay-yrkalpak.

Kazakh men's harem pants shalbar-sym have sheepskin wedges. This simplified riding, protecting the skin from abrasion during long journeys. When wearing, shalbar-sym is tucked into boots.

The male camisole is called beshmet. It is usually tied with a sheckle belt at the waist. In the old days, caftans could be made of leather and painted in different colors. The insulated version of the camisole, very comfortable in the cold season, was called kokreshe.

Wide trousers and a caftan are worn on underwear, usually made of thin cotton or silk fabric, jade.

An obligatory element of both men's and women's suits is a fur coat. A fur coat made of sheepskin or smooth fur was called tone, and, sewn from fur with long hair, shash. So, zargak tone is a fur coat that was sewn from the skin of a young foal. A frequent substitute for a fur coat, especially among not the richest strata of the population, was long-length felt robes, which also helped to keep warm well. A fur coat over fur could be covered with a cloth.

Shoes both men and women wore the same - either boots with small heels, or leather ichigi, reminiscent of socks or gym shoes and often decorated with embroidery.

Kazakh female costume

Women's headdress, zhaulyk, is made of white silk fabric. He obviously came in Kazakh clothing from the ancient Turkic tribes. The wedding version, saukele, was richly decorated with gold or silver fringes. Sometimes such a headdress was prepared a year before the wedding. A warm hat worn with fur was called borik. She was preferred by girls from good families.

The skirt that is swinging on both sides is called beldemshe. A camisole or a robe was worn over it. Sometimes, instead of a skirt, a dress is worn - a kulish koylek (dress with a flared skirt) or a zhakh koylek - with a pleated yoke and a turn-down collar. In the latter, the influence of the Russian costume of the 19th century is already noticeable.

Over the dress they wore a robe - shapan, in winter with a woolen lining. By the way, the girl also came to the wedding in a dressing gown, usually a red one.

Women's winter clothing, a type of fur coat, was called a compartment. The compartment was sewn most often from the fur of fox paws, and the top was covered with patterned satin. All types of women's clothing are characterized by rich embroidery, lurex and other decorative elements.

Thus, the main features of the Kazakh costume include:

• The swinging character of outerwear and plowing it on the left side, regardless of gender.

• Fitting.

• The presence of tall hats, often decorated with feathers, embroidery and precious stones.

• Enriching a woman's dress with a border, fringe or ruffles.

• A small number of colors in the overall ensemble of the costume.

• Usually the clothes were decorated with national ornaments. Most often it is embroidery, lurex patches, patterned weaving, as well as various jewelry.

The traditional materials for clothing were usually leather, fur, thin felt, and cloth made of lamb or camel hair.