The Kazakh national costume is not only a matter of pride for the local population, but also an object of increased attention from both Russians and guests from near and far abroad. What is so unusual about this outfit? And how does it differ from the usual sundress or kokoshnik for us?
This article is aimed at telling in all details about such an original cultural element as the Kazakh national costume, the photo of which can now be found in any reference book or guidebook devoted to this corner of the globe. In a simple and understandable form, we will try to answer all questions of interest to readers.
general information
According to experts studying the outfits of different nations, the Kazakh national costume is a real personification of the entire history of this semi-nomadic community.
Of course, over time, it has been modified and improved, and now we can say with confidence that it is fully adapted to the living conditions of modern Kazakhs and the difficult climate of the region. But that is not all. The fact is that the Kazakh national costume has its own very interesting aesthetics.
Modern materials for manufacturing
Many people know that the Kazakhs have long been very valued for the skins of a tiger, saiga and kulan, dark fur of a marten, raccoon, sable, muskrat and white - ferret and ermine.
Of course, to this day, the products from the marten and sable are considered the most popular here. By the way, from time immemorial this people has mastered many techniques for making fur coats.
The Kazakh national costume is not as simple as it might seem at first glance. Sometimes a newcomer is unaware of what is what. For example, warm sheepskin coats from the skins of large animals are called “tone”, but “ishiks” are made from the skins of small fur-bearing animals. Even now, the local, mostly rural, population often sews outfits of swans, herons and loons.
What did people do before?
In the old days, when making fur coats from goat skin, Kazakhs plucked long hairs from them, leaving only the undercoat. Such winter clothes were called “lilac jargon”. In addition, suede was made from goat skins, from which trousers, robes and even light raincoats were then sewn.
Fur coats from above were always covered with brocade, cloth, silk and so on.
All fur coats differed in the type of fabric and its color. For example, only noble people could wear a blue-cloaked fur coat trimmed with a beaver. And the most valuable in the dowry of the Kazakh bride was a fur cape called "bass tone", covered with high-quality silk.
What tools did the local craftswomen use?
The Kazakh national costume was decorated with special silk embroidery. When embroidering small patterns, needlewomen used special hoops, which, depending on the shape of the product and the outline of the embroidered ornament, could be round or rectangular.
Cossacks have always been great masters of tambour embroidery, a loop in a loop, which is carried out with an awl with a hook and needles.
Kazakh hats, chest decorations and frills of women's dresses were embroidered with tambour embroidery.
Decoration of Kazakh national costumes
The Kazakh national costume for girls, a photo of which has recently been quite often found in open sources, was decorated with embroidered satin. Incidentally, she also embroidered cloth pants for men called kimesheki.
When embroidering satin stitch and vestibule, vegetable and geometric patterns, contour images of animals and people were mainly used. And sometimes embroidery was a whole plot.
The value of felt and wool
What else can surprise the Kazakh national costume? Photos (female and male outfits in this case are almost identical) of ancient times prove that felt, sheep and camel hair were especially popular.
Outerwear was made from felt. Shekpen rolled down from camel hair - an old look of clothing. It was a wide long cloak for protection from any weather. The ceremonial shakpenes were rolled up of dyed camel hair with gallon seams.
Features of local outfits
In general, the national costume of any community at all times was a distinctive feature of these people.
Costumes of the upper layer of the population of this state were characterized by a stronger accent of elegance, using a large number of embroidery and fur rims.
The Kazakh national costume is very convenient not only for a feast or some kind of celebration, but is also great for work, and for spending the night in the steppe on a cold night, and for long riding. It mainly consists of men's harem pants or women's skirts, camisole and bathrobe or a fur coat on top. A headdress must be on the head, which also emphasizes the social status of the owner of the outfit.
Special Occasion Clothing
I would like to emphasize that in different zhuzes of Kazakhstan, national costumes do not have any cardinal regional differences, although in some places more archaic elements still remain.
Kazakhs never had special work clothes. There was also no distinction between a festive outfit and a casual one, but the ceremonial costume had to be cut more freely, and the decor and hats should be more voluminous. The festive outfit was made of silk, velvet, brocade and expensive furs, and everyday clothes - from simple and cheaper materials.
The Kazakh mourning women's outfit was ordinary everyday clothing, from which all jewelry was removed. At the funeral of a man, his wife had to loose her hair, and his sisters and daughters took off their girls' hats and put black shawls on their shoulders. Men at the funeral girded around with a 3-4-meter mourning sash of chintz dark fabric.
An obligatory element of the Kazakh national costume was the belt - beldyk. It was sewn of wool, silk, velvet and leather. Hanging wallets, cases for a knife and powder flocks clung to the belts of adult men. The youth belts did not have any pendants. The belt also had buckles and heart-shaped pads in the form of animals. Belts for women's clothing, nur beldyk, were usually made of silk, were wider and more elegant. In most cases, they were sewn with decorative viscous.
Men's suit of Kazakhs
One of the main elements of the men's Kazakh costume is a pointed headdress. It resembles a saki or a cap of ancient Scythians and is called murak, or ayrkalpak.
Do children wear a Kazakh national costume? A photo for boys in this case will look much more presentable than for girls. Why? The thing is that men, regardless of their age, dress not only more beautifully, but also more functionally. For example, the male harem pants of the Kazakhs have the so-called wedges, represented by special inserts from the sheepskin, and are called "shalbar-sym". These elements greatly help with long riding, as they protect the skin from abrasion in long migrations. By the way, when wearing trousers, they tuck into boots.
The camisole of Kazakh men is called beshmet. At the waist, he is pulled together by a sheklen belt. In ancient times, caftans were made of leather and painted in bright colors. In the cold season, a warmed version of camisole is worn - kokreshe.
Kaftan and harem pants are worn on underwear, which is made of silk or thin cotton fabric.
An invariable part of any Kazakh costume is a fur coat. And its substitute for the poor continues to be a long-field felt robe, which retains heat perfectly.
Kazakh shoes for men and women have never been anything special. All wore embroidered boots with a small heel or leather ichigi that resemble socks or Czechs.
Women's costume of Kazakhs
The female headdress of the Kazakhs is Zhaulyk. It is sewn from white silk fabric and went to the Kazakh people from the ancient Turkic tribes.
Once upon a time, women wore a special dress on their heads - saukele, which was richly decorated with gold and silver fringe. Sometimes its preparation took a whole year. Girls from good families also wore borik - a warm hat trimmed with fur.
Kazakh women's skirt, beldemsha, swings open on two sides. Over it, women put on a dressing gown or camisole. Sometimes Kazakh women wear a dress with a skirt flared to the bottom instead of a skirt - “kulish koylek”, or “Jacques-koylek” - a long outfit with a turn-down collar and pleated yoke.
A women's bathrobe is called a chalan. In winter, it is worn with a wool lining. By the way, even now, girls in Kazakhstan sometimes wear a red robe for the wedding.
The upper women's winter clothing is represented by a fur coat - a compartment. It is sewn of fox paws and covered with patterned satin on top.
All types of women's clothing should have been richly decorated with lurex, embroidery and various kinds of decorative elements.
Children's outfits
To date, the Kazakh national costume for the girl enjoys special popularity and some special folk love, the pattern of which is quite unpretentious, which means that it can be sewn at home. By the way, recently there has been a tradition of wearing such an outfit not only during stage performances, but also on public holidays, when the streets are filled with small Kazakh women in traditional decoration.
What does the Kazakh national costume look like? Photos for girls, as well as for boys (and from the side, unfortunately, we can only judge by the picture), do not differ much from adult decoration. In general, he repeats the form and type of clothing of parents, only represented by a smaller size.
The only exception is the outfit for newborns - it’s koylek. It is sewn slightly elongated, without fringing and shoulder seams, from whole cotton fabric (calico, calico or chumazey).
Kazakh shoes
From time immemorial, all Kazakh men wore leather boots - koksauyr, sewn from green shagreen leather. It was obtained as a result of spilling millet on softened skin and crushing it all with some heavy object.
Elderly Kazakh men wore igich - shoes on which, when leaving the house, they wore leather galoshes of kebe. By the way, not everyone knows that the old Kazakh boots never differed on the left and right and had pointed and bent to the top socks. The most primitive and poor shoes were shokai - rawhide sandals.
