School №49 specialized in certain subjects, Cheboksary

National Costume as a part of Cultural Heritage Teacher: Vasilyeva Svetlana Nikolaevna Guryeva Elena Nikolaevna English teachers of school №49 Essay Do you consider yourself to be a broad-minded person? We are sure, you do. Do you think that to be well-bred means only to keep some special rules of etiquette? Or may be you believe that if you go to the cinemas or theatres, museums or art galleries, you are for sure an educated person. You are mistaken! So, what culture is? Culture is not only wonderful masterpieces of Art, but it is also a spiritual life of the whole society, achievements of science, art, the way of behaviour, the level of development of something. Actually, it is a mixture of customs and traditions, ceremonies and rituals which people inherit from former generations.

There is no culture without traditions. No doubt, traditions define who people are and play an important role in their lives. We think, each country is unique in having its link with ancient traditions and some of these traditions do survive nowadays and it is very important for people to remember them. It is an open secret that there is much in common between them: in customs and traditions connected with national costumes as well. Since the ancient times people have paid attention to their dresses and ornaments believing in their magic and life power. Every nation has its traditional costumes which reflect its mode of life. We shall see a variety of summer national male costumes that come from , Russia and Chuvashia. If you follow us, you will see the beauty of national costumes, their common and quite different features. We hope you will enjoy your tour with us today. Let's start with Scotland. What is it that makes the Scots Scottish? And if you think of Scotland or its inhabitants what is the first thing that springs to mind? The history and the clans perhaps? For most outsiders Scotland is about clans, battles, , . The traditional garment of the Highland clansmen is the (belted plaid), which is suitable for climbing the rough hills. Each clan had its own colourful pattern for weaving cloth and these patterns are called a tartan. Tartan is a pattern consisting of criss-crossed horizontal and vertical bands in multiple colours. Originally it was made from woven cloth, but now additional materials are also used. Nowadays the kilt is no longer a historic dress but a national costume. The history of the kilt stretches back to at least the end of the 16th century. The word kilt comes from the Scots word kilt meaning to tuck up the clothes around the body. Whatever the case, kilts came to be a symbol of rebels and warriors and are still worn by Scottish Regiments of the British Army. Over the past 200 years, the kilt has become a potent symbol of Scottish pride taking hold in the traditions of the many cultures. Male Scottish dress includes a kilt or ‘trews’, sporrans and gillie brogues. The kilt is a knee-length ‘skirt’ with pleats at the rear. The Scottish kilt is usually warn with kilt hose (woolen socks), turned down at the knee, often with garter flashes, and a sporran (a type of pouch), which hangs around the waist from a chain or leather strap. This may be plain or embossed leather, or decorated with sealskin, fur, or polished metal plating. Other accessories which are often used are a belt with embossed buckle. Argyll , a kilt pin and a black knife are worn in the top of the right hose. As for the Russians, they depict nature in the ornament. Some elements contain wide stripes and embroidery. Like Scottish people, they respect and follow customs and traditions of their great-grandparents and are famous for their attractive dresses known all around the world.

Historians suppose that traditional Russian costume started taking its shape in the 12th-13th centuries. Up to the 18th century it fitted well all layers of Russian society: it was worn by tsars, boyars, merchants, craftsmen, and peasants. After Peter’s decrees (18th century) Russian nobility and the city costumes have undergone Europeanization. However, the national (folk) Russian costume was popular in the villages till the beginning of 20th century. Traditional Russian was designed to empathize Russian people's inner dignity and emotional restraint. Russian costumes are not only beautiful, they are also convenient in wearing because they were created for work without restricting freedom of movement. Festive clothes and everyday clothes differ only for details, decoration, color gamut. The variety of colors for traditional costume displays love for beauty and ethnic diversity. The Russian word "beautiful" comes from the word "krasny", the Russian for "red". Homemade canvas and wool clothes decorated with embroidery or woven pattern have been used most often for traditional peasant costumes. Embroidery came in different ornaments (rhombuses, crosses, herring-bones, stylized patterns of people and animals) performed in naturally painted threads. Red, blue, green, white, yellow - the color gamut was rich and various.

Despite the social and territorial differences traditional Russian clothes had one thing in common, they had to be put as a cape, from the head. Dress and sleeves were getting wider to the lap; the fabric was decorated with symmetric pattern, or with other golden or silvery-like fabrics and embroidery. In the Northern districts of the region the means of decoration were modest and laconic in keeping with the architecture of those places. In the Southern districts the ornaments were brighter and more colourful. Every tiny detail made its contribution to the whole ensemble. A waist-belt was an indispensable part of it. Russian traditional costume manifests folk art and conveys the spirit of the past and old bright culture of Russia. Men’s costume was composed of a long shirt (rubakha- kosovorotka - a shirt with a stand-up collar fastening on the side), (porty), a belt (poyas- kushak), and bast shoes (later boots). A peasant shirt, kosovorotka, is a very popular item of clothing that could be worn every day and on special occasions, at home and at work. Men wore shirts to their knees. The woven shoes commonly made from fibres of the birch tree. No longer worn in modern times, today they are a decorative piece hanging in people’s homes. The cap (kartuz) came into being in the late 19th century, and it was decorated with a flower. And what about Chuvash people? They say, “There is no place like home” and we fully agree with this proverb and love our Motherland. The Chuvash Republic is slightly unique in having such a link with quite ancient traditions. The Chuvash ornament reproduces the ideas and life of our ancestors. The Chuvash live in the mid-Volga region. Their culture and folk art makes it clear that they have been in close contact with the Finnic Peoples of the Volga for a long time as well. There are three ethnographic groups in Chuvashia: Anatri, Viryal, Vatam. The costume we will address today is that of the lowland, or Anatri Chuvash, who live in the southeastern part of the Chuvash Republic.

We are going to cover the of the Anatri Chuvash. The Men’s costume, as for the other peoples in the mid Volga region, consists of a shirt, linen or woolen pants, a woven sash, and footwear, as shown in the photos above and here. You will notice that the shirt opens on the right side, opposite that of the Russians. Here is a schematic drawn shirt, closeup view of the embroidery, as well as part of a keske. In comparison with Russian and Scottish costumes the Chuvash one is quite different in colour. It is always white. Unfortunately, such costumes are not worn in our everyday life. Rich heritage was left by our ancestors. We consider it to be important to encourage the use of the wearing of an identifiable Chuvash national costume. We feel that our national identity is under the threat and the wearing of a national costume is one of the ways to declare that identity. The situation is the same with almost all the nations and their traditional costumes. But on the other hand, a great variety of national dresses still exist in the theatres, museums and art galleries and it gives us the opportunity to observe them. More over, it prolongs the life of any national costume. As a matter of fact, every person is an individual and living in a certain country he does an effort to keep its customs and traditions in order not to be forgotten by future generations. To sum it up, it is very important for people to remember customs and traditions which have taken place not only in their own country for a long time, but also in other countries because it helps to develop friendship, mutual understanding and respect between nations, which is topical nowadays.