Black embroidered Borshchiv shirt or what is a Ukrainian brand, proven by history

This unique artifact of Ukrainian culture had been known to our ancestors since ancient times, and its origin is associated with interesting legends. According to one of them, in several villages of Borshchiv region men were killed by the Tatars. Since then, in order to honour their husbands, women and young girls had sworn for seven centuries to wear blouses with black threads. This tradition lasted until the XX century.

Borshchiv ornaments

Other retellings tell a bit different story of the appearing of such kind of shirt decoration. Once upon a time a beautiful girl lived with a friendly character. One day she fell in love with a blacksmith, but he was too arrogant and mean. They were going to get married but suddenly a gentleman went with his daughter to the village. And the young guy, without thinking a long time, began to court to that young lady.

The poor girl didn’t expect such betrayal and met her death in the Dniester River. The waters carried her away that nobody wasn’t able to say goodbye to her. As a sign of mourning, rural girls began to wear embroidered black tunics. This tradition exists till our days.

Another legend tells about the drought that prevailed on the Ukrainian lands. There was no rain, despite entreaties and prays. One night, an old woman had a dream about God's Mother embroidering the canvas with black threads, adding different patterns and saying: "If I finish embroidering, there will be rain and bloom on the ground with rye and flowers." Having woken up, the woman, together with other neighbours, decided to help the God’s Mother to summon the rain. The work was hard, even sometimes wasn’t anytime for rest. Then, the God sent heavy rain, and the peasants gathered a rich harvest.

Family in Borshchiv shirts

What do the patterns of Borshchiv blouses hide and what is the secret of their beauty

Their origin is from the warm Podillya, these clothing featured a special creativity and attention to detail. During the August harvest, they were extremely relevant, since they had replaced the heavy woolen stockings and awkward white goths (long pants).

It's vital to know that cut of men’s shirts was special. New ornaments could be added, but seams remained unchanged for centuries. You can find the following names: low-lying, plain, verho-plut, pads.

Men's Borshchiv shirt

Women's borschiv tunics made a name for themselves as nation’s treasure. Their beauty is fascinating, and the ornaments don’t leave anybody indifferent. Unfortunately, the technology of their embroidery was lost in the mid 60-70's of the XX century, and some samples were burnt or thrown away.

Women's Borschiv tunic

But there were a few people who managed to revive the tradition of creating such shirts, and now we can admire their creations at exhibitions or in the museums. In particular, such artists are Lyudmila and Alexey Pokusinski, who were engaged in researching the authenticity of clothes and collecting information about their origin. In 2012 their first book "Borshchiv's People's Shirt" was published.

Borshciv shirts

Interesting facts about Borshchiv Embroidery

Our ancestors always regarded them as guardians from curses, so they embroidered them both for the wedding and everyday life
The sleeves of festive embroideries were sewn entirely with black threads, but this didn’t make the shirt sad, but on the contrary showed charm and skill of masters
Ukrainian researchers were impressed when they discovered traces of Trypillian culture in the embroidery. The ornaments were found on ceramic products and they were identical to those used for skirts. Perhaps they inspired craftsmen to create a new kind of art
The most breathtaking is the interpretation of signs and patterns. For example, the circle symbolizes the sun or the beginning of something new. The infinity of human life and the impenetrability of spirit are painted the twisting lines

Woman in Borshchiv shirt

Borshchiv region can fairly be called the birthplace of a wonderful art, which has no analogues all over the world. It not only inspires artists to create masterpieces, but also raises interest in people who are fascinated by the creativity of Ukrainians.

Used materials:

https://uamodna.com/

http://www.megaoberig.com.ua/

https://www.pinterest.com

https://rukotvory.com.ua

March 21, 2018 | View: 3349 | Categories: Handmade Style , Culture