Chechen national costume (photo)

Chechens are one of the peoples of the North Caucasus, who live not only in Chechnya, but also in Ingushetia, Georgia and Dagestan. Living and developing in close interaction with its neighbors, Chechen culture acquired a certain universality - features characteristic of all Caucasian peoples. One of these features is respect for ancestors, which is why many elements of the national costume, as a reflection of centuries-old traditions, have been preserved to this day.

Local fabrics were used to make clothing, since Chechens have long been engaged in the production of cloth, dyeing, flax, canvas, and in the 16th century they learned to make silk.

Details of the Chechen outfit

In the traditional clothing of Chechens, both men and women, there was a minimum set of items sufficient for going out: an undershirt and pants; for women, a scarf was added to this set. Dark colors predominated in the men's suit, but the undershirt (beshmet), as a rule, contrasted in color with the rest of the clothing.

Women's outfits had a more varied range of colors, but only girls and women could afford bright dresses; older Chechen women considered such an outfit indecent for themselves and preferred calm colors.

Characteristic features of men's and women's suits

The national costume of a Chechen man consisted of 2 main items:

• beshmet - a semi-caftan slightly above the knees, widening at the bottom, precisely fitting the figure and fastened to the waist with knotted buttons;
• The pants had to be easily tucked into boots, so they were cut tapered at the bottom and made of light fabric so as not to restrict movement.

Features of a men's suit

The following items could complement the main costume:

Circassian - outerwear slightly knee-length; its cut resembled a beshmet and was fastened only at the belt. The Circassian coat, as a rule, was made from the best cloth. A distinctive detail of the dress were pockets for storing special tubes with charges for a gun - a gas cylinder. Gradually, gazyrs lost their practical purpose, but gazyrs were preserved in the national costume as a decorative element.

A burka is a sleeveless felt cape that flares downward and has narrow, hard shoulders, which served men as both clothing and a blanket.

Only women, recognized masters of their craft, were given the right to make a burqa.

Papakha is a cone-shaped hat made of sheepskin, long-haired or astrakhan fur. Hats made from Bukhara lamb skin were considered especially valuable, but only rich people could afford them.

It was forbidden to touch someone else's hat; it was considered an insult to the owner.

A leather belt was a mandatory element of clothing; its festive version was decorated with metal inserts and pendants.The necessary items for a hike were attached to the belt: flint, a stone for sharpening a dagger or knife, a box of weapon lubricant. But The main purpose of the belt is to mount a dagger or saber.

On their feet they wore boots made of soft leather, just below the knees; Rich people had chuvyaki - leather shoes without heels - and wore morocco leggings on their shins.

Woman suit

The basis of a woman’s costume consisted of 4 items:

• a long tunic dress made of light fabric with a small slit on the chest, with sleeves covering the hands, and a bib decorated with embroidery and stones; the stand-up collar must be fastened with a small button;
• wide-cut trousers, the bottom of which was gathered into a frill (in a suit for special occasions the bottom was trimmed with lace);
• a scarf, simple or decorated with embroidery; married women wore scarves over the chukta (or chokhta) - a cap that tightly clasped the forehead and completely hid the hair;
• girls and young women added a cloth or leather belt to their costume.

This outfit was complemented by an outer dress, which was made of velvet, brocade or satin. In cut it was similar to a Circassian jacket with elongated sleeves, which was fastened only at the waist. Great importance was attached to the decoration of the dress, especially embroidery: not only the ornament was important, but also the color of the thread. Traditionally, a range of colors was used: green, red, yellow and black.

Women's shoes were varied:

• leather slippers, which were worn both at home and when going out;
• shoes with heels on hard soles (without backs);
• morocco boots with heels;
• boots that were sewn from several pieces of leather exactly to fit the foot.

Wedding clothes

The groom's wedding dress differed from his everyday dress only in more expensive fabrics, but the bride's outer dress had a fundamental difference: a slit in the front, thanks to which it looked like two petals. The color of the fabric could be any, but such a dress was decorated with special luxury. The girl's head was covered with a traditional scarf or lace shawl.

A mandatory element of a woman's wedding dress was a richly decorated belt with a silver buckle, which was presented to the bride as a wedding gift by the groom.

Modern Chechen costume

Over time, the Chechen national costume has hardly changed. Shirts with a stand-up collar are still common in men's youth fashion. The papakha has also stood the test of time - it is worn by all generations of Chechen men. Folk traditions have been preserved to an even greater extent in women's dress.

Girls try to follow modern fashion, but the maxi skirt, long sleeves and scarf in the clothes of young Chechen women are unchanged.