NATIONAL COSTUME

Samogitia (Žemaitija)

Nerijus Valčiukas 7aMantas Padroštis 8a

Content

Briefly about Žemaitija National costume of Žemaitija Žemaitija’s women Žemaitija’s men Clogs References

Briefly about Žemaitija

Žemaitija is one of the five Lithuanian ethnographic regions. The region is also known in English as Lower Lithuania. It is located in northwestern Lithuania. Nowadays the capital of Žemaitija is Telšiai.

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Žemaitija’s national costume

Traditional clothing from Žemaitija is often described by comparing it with the clothing of Aukštaitija and by seeing in it a certain stylistic opposition. The clothing's deep colors, dominated by the color red, and the outfit's massiveness lends credence to this idea.

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Žemaitija’s women

Shirts

Red decorations of the long linen shirts were sometimes woven into the lower sleeves, cuffs, narrow collars, shirt's fasteners, sometimes - into the shoulder tabs. Decorative patterns from Žemaitija were geometric. They were of a delicate, rather simple structure often covering a given area like a web or a small group of stripes.

Fancy skirts in Žemaitija were cut wide and densely gathered. The pleats made women's figures stouter which, in terms of the village aesthetic, was considered very desirable. Nineteenth century women in Žemaitija were not satisfied with only two skirts, they would often wear even more. Outer skirts were usually patterned with vertical stripes. The stripes were laid out in a distinctive pattern which was unique in Lithuania. Especially colorful skirts were worn in northern Žemaitija. They were woven with red, green, yellow, violet, dark red, white, and black stripes, although red was usually the dominant color.

Skirts

Aprons Aprons for special occasions

were wide, gathered at the waist and shorter than the skirt by only a handbreath. These aprons were made of white linen with lengthwise woven stripes of red linen or cotton threads. The stripes were either smooth or zigzag, symmetrical or asymmetrical. Beginning in the mid-nineteenth century, apron styles began to change. In southern Žemaitija, red pick-up ornaments (zigzags, clovers and such) replaced the striped red bands of white aprons. Bright colored wool decorations were woven into greenish or brownish cotton material.

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Žemaitija’s men

Caftans Men in Žemaitija wore

caftans (sermėga) sewn from homemade matted woolen cloth. They could be either the color of natural wool (gray or brown) or dyed dark green or black. Caftans were gathered at the waist. A later, and more elegant, version was a caftan gathered or pleated only at the back. Caftans were sometimes embellished with decorative threads and black edges. 

Belts

Men wore leather belts which, in accordance with ancient tradition, were still decorated with metal rivets and plates. In addition, sometimes men in Žemaitija tied caftans with red and white checkered linen or cotton scarves. Men in Žemaitija wore high boots. Less prosperous men sometimes wore simple shoes such as naginės or clogs both for special occasions as well as for work.

Hats A man's fancy dress was

topped with a hat. It was made of felt and usually dark in color. Its crown was cylindered or hemispheried and had a straight brim. Men in Žemaitija decorated their hats and valued peacock feathers most highly as decorations. Sometimes flowers were also pinned to the hats. Occasionally, red-checkered bands were tied over the hats' crowns, under which more feathers or flowers could be tucked.

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Clogs

Clogs were worn by Lithuanian peasants from the end of the 18 th until the beginning of the 20 th century. Both poor and well-to-do peasants wore them every day when working in the fields and doing their daily chores because clogs had a definite advantage – they were waterproof.

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References

www.tautiniaikostiumai.lt

www.facebook.com/notes/liaudies-kultura/zemaitijos-tautiniu-kostiumu-apibudinimas/389665597451