Kazakh national costume (photo)

The Kazakh national costume is a source of pride and identity. It reflects the features of the historical development and formation of the Kazakh nation. The outfit is both simple and eye-catching, but attracts attention and attracts interest all over the world due to its incredible patterns, paintings and fabric materials.

Where did it come from?

National Kazakh clothing began to take shape approximately 5–6 centuries ago. Since then, it has been changed and improved many times, but has retained the traditions and characteristics of the culture of Kazakhstan. Peoples and nationalities close in geographical location made their contribution to the development of costumes: Russians, Tatars and other representatives from Central Asia.

Features of the Kazakh national costume

At all times, Kazakh clothing was distinguished by an abundance of decorative elements, embroidery, and hems. All this is not without reason, because they believed that patterns protect the body and mind from evil spirits.

What materials is it made from?

In ancient times, Kazakhs mainly used the skin and fur of fox, camel, raccoon or beaver to sew clothes. When people began to develop nomadic cattle breeding, felt and cloth were used - fabrics made from sheep or camel wool. The people made them themselves on home machines, and they were available to all people.

The famous “Silk Road” passed through the territory of modern Kazakhstan, so residents began to be supplied with silks, velvets, brocade and satin fabrics. However, only large feudal lords had the opportunity to buy such materials from foreign traders. That's why It was fashionable to judge the financial situation of the owner of the suit by the type of fabric.

In the 12th – 13th centuries, costumes were made from:

• thin cotton fabrics such as chintz, calico or calico;
• Central Asian fabrics: bekasab, mata, adras;
• velvet;
• silk or brocade;
• atlas.

Traditional colors in a suit

One of the main features of the Kazakh costume is the richness and brightness of colors. The wealth of the family is indicated by clothing in the following colors:

• red;
• green;
• blue;
• gold.

Moreover, the shades of these colors may differ and are used to make suits for both women and men.

Characteristic features of the Kazakh costume

Men's and women's suits have both similarities and differences. As for the general things:

• the clothes have a fitted cut;
• outerwear, on the contrary, is quite wide and open, and it is always wrapped only on the left side;
• Both men and women wear tall hats. For everyone, if possible, they are decorated with jewelry, patterned embroidery and even feathers;
• embroidery on a suit is a national element made using the woven embroidery technique.

About the men's suit

If we look at a set of traditional men's clothing, it usually consists of a light shirt, harem pants, a robe with a belt, boots and, of course, a headdress. A robe is usually the clothing of the poorer sections of the population. Wealthy people preferred camisoles made from rich fabrics.

About women's suit

At first, women's traditional costume differed only in the bottom - a swinging wide skirt. The fact is that before, women, just like men, rode horses. Over time, the costume changed, and its basis became a fitted dress with a flared skirt. In the cold season, a robe with a warm wool lining or a fur coat was added to the look. From the Turks, Kazakh women received headdresses with or without fur trim.

Children's suits for boys

The boys' clothing consisted of narrow trousers, a light shirt and a vest or frock coat with a belt. The headdress was also a mandatory element and could be similar to a skullcap, or an adult cap.

Wedding national costume

The wedding image of a Kazakh girl is an example of the use of the best fabrics and materials, the richest decorations and accessories. The dress has a fitted silhouette, but a particularly full skirt and is made of satin, organza or silk. As for the color of the dress, it was chosen for a reason:

• the red dress was chosen by girls who believed in weddings as a symbol of youth and the flourishing of life;
• blue outfits are a symbol of purity, purity and endless family warmth.

Over the robe was worn a camisole or robe embroidered with magnificent patterns to match the main dress. Later, this tradition exhausted itself, but some girls still wear it to weddings.

The heart of the bride’s entire wedding costume is her headdress - saukele.It is a cone-shaped cap, which is decorated with precious stones, fur, patterns, and possibly a veil.

This splendor began to be made long before the wedding ceremony, because it was part of the dowry and an indicator of wealth and wealth.

Jewelry, belts, hats and shoes

Ornament is the main decoration of the Kazakh costume. Embroidery can be completely different: animalistic patterns of nature and fauna, geometric lines, solid subjects. The ornaments were embroidered with golden lurex threads, beads, pearl beads, and colored glass were used.

There are a great variety of decorative or precious elements in a costume.. These can be earrings, rings, bracelets and necklaces, belts with plaques or buckles of various shapes. They were made from various materials depending on the financial situation of the owner: copper, silver or gold, ordinary metal.

The headdress is a unique element of the Kazakh costume. They were very different:

• for girls - a low embroidered skullcap or a winter fur hat;
• for men - a skullcap, a high felt hat with a curved brim, or a fur hat made of sheep or fox.

The shoes are high, wide boots, which are convenient for tucking into trousers. They were practically the same for males and females. The only thing is that the boots for girls were much more richly embroidered. They could also be decorated with leather appliqués. Summer shoes were distinguished by a beautiful curved toe and heel.

Modern Kazakh girl costume

Nowadays, traditional clothes are worn on a daily basis only by elderly residents of certain Kazakh villages. Modern girls wear traditional costume only for weddings or other festive events.. However, for many Kazakh designers, traditional style and patterns are still a source of inspiration, so they use them in their shows and fashion collections.