Beautiful women
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Olha reconstructs old traditional Ukrainian wreaths based archived documents, old photos and personal stories.
Wreath (vinok)
Woven from fragrant herbs and delicate flowers, decorated with colorful ribbons, and endowed with a magical meaning, the Ukrainian wreath is one of the culture's oldest symbols.
In a long human history, a wreath had been mentioned in many songs and legends as a symbol of the sun and protection from the "evil forces". It also took an exceptional place in Ukrainian culture.
Because of its deep symbolism, weaving a wreath has some rules. They include allowing only certain flowers and herbs in the wreath, specific colors of ribbons, and even a certain number of flowers for a different age.
The wide variety of traditional wreaths came from different Ukraine regions and can be explained by the types of flowers growing in each be region. Some other wreaths have been made using wax, threads, wool, and feather as well.
Nowadays, with new techniques and materials available, wreaths and other floral hair decorations as a part of the cultural outfit getting more popularity among Ukrainian women.
Necklace (Namysto)
Numerous names - necklaces, beads, corals - are evidence of a long history and significant role of this part of the culture's outfit. The most common component of women's clothes was not just a piece of jewelry for Ukrainians. The meaning of the necklace was also profoundly symbolic.
The tradition of wearing a necklace was formed many centuries ago. The necklace has changed in color, shape, material, and even the way it is worn throughout its history. From vegetable stones (pits), grains, and shells (bivalve mollusks) to stones, metal, and glass beads. Later, the necklaces' material changed to more expensive stones such as coral, amber, pearls, glass, smalt, and coins.
The necklace would be treated as a family treasure and passed from generation to generation, from mother to daughter. The social status of a woman those days could be easily determined from a necklace. The bigger the beads and the more layers in jewelry, the richer the young lady was: the poorest had 2-3 laces of coral, and the rich - 10 or 15.
In modern time, the necklace is still a widespread attribute of the woman clothes.
In 2017, when Ukraine was hosting the biggest European song contest, "Eurovision-2017", a Ukrainian Necklace was chosen as a symbol-logo of the event along with the key slogan - "Celebrate Diversity".
Olha reconstructs old traditional Ukrainian necklaces based on archived documents, old photos and personal stories.
Embroidered shirt
(Vyshyvanka)
The first embroidered shirts on Ukrainian lands that archaeologists have found were from the Scythians and Sarmatians.
In Kievan Rus, in the XI century, Vladimir Monomakh's sister founded the first school of embroidery for girls. Ukrainians have carried their love for decorating shirts through the centuries.
The widest variety of Embroidered shirts was developed in the 19th century, when each region, and even the village, had its motifs and ornaments.
Creating each Ukrainian clothing element was a precise, detailed work and a ritual of self-expression of craftswomen. Some art critics say that women were doing embroidery only to decorate their homes, clothes, and household items, but Ukrainians believe that this process is more complicated. They assert that craftswomen's energy channels get cleansed through their fingers during the needling process, which lets women recharge and fill their creations with positive energy.
Thus, the constituent elements of the Ukrainian national clothes are functional and beautiful things and original carriers of our Ukrainian cultural spirit.
Olha reconstructs old traditional Ukrainian outfits based on archived documents, old photos and personal stories.
Olha reconstructs old traditional Ukrainian outfits based on archived documents, old photos and personal stories.
Olha reconstructs old traditional Ukrainian outfits based on archived documents, old photos and personal stories.