Traditional dress of Russia: A symbol of ethnic diversity in the Russian Federation Traditional dress of Russia: A symbol of ethnic diversity in the Russian Federation Arts , Culture , Handicrafts , People Traditional dress of Russia is a truly a symbol of ethnic diversity in the Russian Federation and it is particularly known in the world for its natural conformity and luminous style. Image by Stas Porter The Russian Federation, commonly known as Russia is the largest country of the lovely planet in terms of territorial expansion. According to the historians, Russia was firstly inhabited by the East Slavs and other nomadic pastoralists. After this, there is a long history of the arrivals of different groups, nations and invaders. Today’s Russia is home to more than 150 million people and its half of the population is considered ethnically pure Russians. The ethnical diversity is much reflected in the colors and kinds of the traditional dress of Russia. Image by burovvv The ethnical diversity is much reflected in the colors and kinds of the traditional dress of Russia. Russian traditional outfits are enriched with splendid arrangements and decorative motifs. Red color is the most popular in the clothing heritage of Russia.

From Omsk – A kosovorotka is a traditional Russian shirt for a man which is actually a long sleeved garment which reaches down to the mid-thigh. – Image by kosovorotka Image copyright by Majorshots A kosovorotka is a traditional Russian shirt for a man which is actually a long sleeved garment which reaches down to the mid-thigh. Kosovorotka is normally having no buttons downwards but having several buttons at the collar (unfastened when the garment is pulled over the wearer’s head), though these are positioned off to one side (regional styles vary between left and right), instead of centrally, as is customary with a typical Western 20th and 21st century man’s shirt. If left unbuttoned the collar appears skewed, which accounts for the garment’s name. The collar and sleeves of kosovorotka were often decorated with a traditional Slavic ornament. Rubashka is long attire originally made with home-spun linen. Image by burovvv 2 Rubashka is long attire originally made with home-spun linen which is in the use of both the Russian men and Russian women for hundreds of years.

Now the same is worn in various styles and decorations. Although we don’t find a perfect example for the traditional dress for peasant in Russia, yet Rubashka somehow represents the rural population of Russia. Men also wore a rubashka either with a belt outside of their pants or tucked into their pants. The traditional Russian kaftan is little bit different from usual Mesopotamian kaftans The traditional Russian kaftan is little bit different from usual Mesopotamian kaftans and it was usually worn by the most conservative sect of religious believers. It is a long suit with tight sleeves which by the 19th century, became the most widely spread type of outer clothing among peasants and merchants. Russian women love to wear bright colored and delicately designed traditional outfits. Image by archer10 (Dennis) Russian women love to wear bright colored and delicately designed outfits to prepare themselves for traditional appearances in ceremonies, weddings and folk events. Many Russian women have skillful crafting art of sewing such dresses and the art is normally transferred to them via inheritance. Traditional dresses for women in Russia are not so complicated and over-whelmed in their patterns and designs as they are useful for the casual wearing also. Girls in traditional costume in St.

Petersburg, Russia – Image by radzfoto Russian women make their blouses very charming and embellished. Usually their blouses are adorned with embroidery work and beads. They normally select cotton fabric and decorate them with symmetric stylized pattern or embroidery. This is their centuries old tradition and such ancient folk motifs are still in fashion today. A sarafan is a long, trapeze-shaped traditional Russian jumper dress for ladies . Image: Franco Folini A sarafan is a long, trapeze-shaped traditional Russian jumper dress for ladies which is usually worn by the Russian women in the cultural festivities as worn as the Russian folk costume. Sarafans could be of single piece construction with thin shoulder straps over which a sleeveless vest, called a “dushegreya” is sometimes worn, giving the shape of the body of a smaller triangle over a larger one. For the last 2 or 3 centuries, another thing in the traditional dress for women in Russia has become common and i-e the women’s headdress. Image by dream2life For the last 2 or 3 centuries, another thing in the traditional dress for women in Russia has become common and i-e the women’s headdress.

It was a strict regulation in the gone days Russia for women of every age to cover their heads. Maiden girls were also bound to at least cover the top of their hair. This was the reason that headdresses became integral part of the traditional outfits in Russia. National costume with traditional Kokoshnik. Image by Igor Klisov Kokoshnik is the best example which normally has a high front shaped like a crescent with rounded edges and it is usually decorated with gold and ornamental embroidery. Russian fur hats are particularly known in the world – Image by xjyxjy As you all know that Russia is a cold country having harsh weather conditions in winter. Russian fur hats are particularly known in the world and that are in the use of the Russians for unknown period. These fur hats usefully protect the Russians even in the coldest environment. Russian fur hats are normally made with soft sheepskin and fluffy rabbit fur and come in different varieties, shapes, colors and sizes. Russian Valenki are made of wool felt – Image by Victor Radziun One thing is perhaps the most significant in the Russian clothing culture; the traditional valenki shoes that are usually made with felt (100 % sheep wool).

These boots are still so popular in Russia and now the shoe-makers have brought numerous changes in the styles and designs of valenki shoes. Each valenok is cut out of a single, seamless strip of lamb’s wool. It is dipped in acid and then in boiling water, then before being oven-dried, it is beaten to form a heel and a point at the toe. Valenki felt boots have healing effect – for flu, rheumatic disease, feet massage. Pavlovsky Posad is a town in Russia which is still famous for its production of traditional shawls and kerchiefs. Image by archer10 (Dennis) 2 If we don’t mention the traditional shawls of Russia over here, it will be entirely unfair. Pavlovsky Posad is a town in Russia which is still famous for its production of traditional shawls and kerchiefs. These traditional Russian shawls, are prepared with pure and 100 percent soft wool fiber. Now these shawls are made in magnificent patterns with elaborative styles and bright colors. These traditional Russian shawls, are prepared with pure and 100 percent soft wool fiber.

Image by steveleenow The shawl-makers engrave and preserve the original designs in wooden blocks, each pattern at a time, and then they print each color separately and make shawls absolutely fancy. Traditional dress of Russia is a truly a symbol of ethnic diversity in the Russian Federation and it is particularly known in the world for its natural conformity and luminous style. Image by Stas Porter Russian traditional jewelry is also famous in the world, particularly in the northern Europe for its tremendous art-work, phenomenal designs and spectacular patterns. It is elaborated in brilliant manners and comes in different exotic varieties. Russian traditional jewelry is also famous in the world, particularly in the northern Europe – Image by Grozz Rostov Finift is a traditional Russian handcrafted ornament dating back to 1175 which was at that time made with a type of enamel. It is considered that it was originated in the ancient Byzantium era but after that it became popular in Russia. Rostov Finift is a traditional Russian handcrafted ornament dating back to 1175 . Image copyright by russarcher Traditional dress of Russia is a truly a symbol of ethnic diversity in the Russian Federation and it is particularly known in the world for its natural conformity and luminous style.

Although there are countless regions in the country and each of them has its own clothing identity, yet symmetrical composition of the dress prepared with the graceful fabric is the most common feature among them all. Russian Belly Dancer – Image copyright by Ehsan Hoque For more interesting posts with the same subject on the Lovely Planet Website , please click the following links; Russian (ethnicity) | Article about Russian (ethnicity) by The Free Dictionary Russian (ethnicity) | Article about Russian (ethnicity) by The Free Dictionary Russians a nation (natsiia; “nation” in the historical sense) in the USSR. The total number of Russians in the country exceeds 129 million (1970 census). In the RSFSR, Russians constitute 82.8 percent of the population; in the other Union republics, the figure ranges from 2.7 percent in the Armenian SSR to 42.4 percent in the Kazakh SSR. Some 68 percent of the Russians live in cities, and 32 percent live in rural areas (according to the 1959 census, 57.7 percent and 42.3 percent, respectively).

The spoken language is Russian, which with Ukrainian and Byelorussian forms the East Slavic group of Slavic languages. Abroad, Russians live chiefly in the United States, Canada, and Europe. The Russians, like the Ukrainians and Byelorussians, are descended from the old Russian nationality (ninth to 13th centuries) that had formed from the East Slavic tribes upon the dissolution of clan and tribal relations and the creation of the ancient Russian state around Kiev. In the opinion of many researchers, the name of the Russians derives from that of the Slavic tribes of Rodii, Rossy, or Rusy. Along with the ancient name “Russians,” the name “Great Russians” (velikorusy) was used in the 19th and early 20th centuries. The formation of the Russian, or Great Russian, nationality took place against the background of both the fierce struggle to throw off the Mongol-Tatar yoke and the creation of the centralized Russian state around Moscow in the 14th and 15th centuries. This state included the northern and northeastern lands of ancient Rus’. In the 16th and 17th centuries, the boundaries of the Russian state expanded considerably.

Russians began settling the Lower Volga Region, the Urals, the Northern Caucasus, and Siberia. In the 18th and 19th centuries, the further expansion of the state’s boundaries was accompanied by the settlement of Russians in the Baltic region, the Black Sea region, Transcaucasia, Middle Asia, Kazakhstan, and the Far East. Russians came into close contact with the peoples of these regions, exerting an economic and cultural influence. They also assimilated the achievements in culture and the practical skills of the indigenous populations. Russians aided in the transition of the nomadic tribes and peoples to a settled way of life and in the development of crop cultivation. They contributed to the improvement of tools, the development of handicraft production and trade, and the rise of permanent settlements—villages and cities. In the second half of the 19th century, the Russian Empire entered the capitalist socioeconomic stage. This period also saw the formation of the Russian bourgeois nation. Progressive segments of the Russian people led the national liberation struggle of the peoples of the Russian Empire against tsarism. The Russian working class was in the front ranks of the proletariat in the struggle against capitalism.

The Russian people developed science and created a very rich culture. Russia was the homeland of the most advanced doctrine of the 20th century—Leninism. In 1917 the Russian proletariat, led by the Communist Party and supported by the impoverished peasantry and the workers of other nationalities in Russia, carried out the Great October Socialist Revolution, overthrowing capitalism in the world’s first victorious socialist revolution. In all stages of socialist construction, the Russian people provided fraternal aid to the other peoples of the USSR in carrying out revolutionary changes and in overcoming economic and cultural backwardness. They played a leading role in the creation of a new, socialist society. With the victory of socialism, the working class and the kolkhoz peasantry became the main classes of the new society, the people’s intelligentsia forming its important layer. The Russian people were leaders in the defeat of fascism in World War II, in the postwar reconstruction and further development of the national economy, and in the creation of a developed socialist society. In the course of the socialist transformations, the Russians have become a socialist nation and together with other socialist nations and nationalities of the USSR have formed a new historical community—the Soviet people.

In the period of Soviet power, such social and economic changes as industrialization, the collectivization of agriculture, and the cultural revolution have brought about fundamental transformations in the material conditions of the life of the people. These transformations have in turn led to an unprecedented flowering of science and culture and to great advances in education. Ethnographic groups. Owing to differences in the conditions of development in the various regions of the country, a number of Russian ethnographic groups had formed by the mid-19th century. The largest of these groups, distinguished by dialect (pronunciation of the unstressed “o”) and particular features in architecture, clothing, and certain rituals, are the Northern and Southern Great Russians. Between these groups is the Central Great Russians, who occupy the central region formed by part of the Volga-Oka interfluve (with Moscow) and the Volga Region. The Central Great Russians share certain linguistic and cultural features with both the Northern and Southern Great Russians.

Smaller ethnographic groups of Russians include the Pomory, who live along the White Sea; the Meshchera group of Russians, who inhabit the northern part of Riazan’ Oblast; and various groups of Cossacks and their descendants, who live along the Don, Kuban’, Ural, and Terek rivers, as well as in Siberia. Groups of Old Believers include the Poliaki (in the Altai), the Semeiskie (in Transbaikalia), and the Kamenshchiki (along the Bukhtarma River in Kazakhstan). Russians constitute distinct groups in the Far North along the Anadyr’, Indigirka, and Kolyma rivers, although they have assumed many traits of the surrounding peoples. The material and spiritual culture of the Russians is unique and rich. Its best aspects have become traditional and have survived to the present, particularly among the rural population. Settlements and dwellings. The rural settlements of Russians in the northern part of the country usually consist of only a few households; in the south, the settlements are larger. The layouts of streets and houses vary. In socialist society, there has been a marked change in the aspect of rural settlements.

Housing, public buildings, and production complexes are being built at a rapid pace. The difference between rural and urban housing, particularly with respect to furnishings, is becoming less marked. However, certain traditional features have been preserved, features related both to geographic and ethnographic factors. The specific features of folk architecture are manifested mainly in decorations (nalichnik [decorative window frame], carving, patterned trim, and brightly colored exteriors, sometimes in various hues), in the height of the buildings, and in the construction materials. Typical for the northern regions is the tall (sometimes two-storied) log izba (see IZBA ) having a substructure, a gable roof, and a fenced-in backyard. In the southern regions, the dominant types of dwellings are the relatively low, log or frame izba, having walls of timber filled with clay or, sometimes, adobe or brick walls, and the khata, a dwelling having a pyramidal roof and an open yard. There is at present a gradual convergence of these types of dwellings. Pyramidal roofs are becoming more common in the north, and the izba in the south now often has a substructure. A farmstead usually consists of a house and yard.

The house includes the living quarters and an adjoining seni (covered entranceway) or hallway having a klet’ (shed) or chulan (pantry); the yard has outbuildings, the number of which has declined significantly with the collectivization of agriculture. In the north and in the Volga Region, as a rule, the farmstead also includes a bathhouse (bania), which is often built on the shore of a body of water. The layout of modern houses is diverse, and there is usually more than one room. The izba proper or a kitchen with a Russian stove or stoves of other types still forms the basis of the dwelling. The front part of the dwelling is called the gornitsa, zalo, or chistaia polovina and is separated from the bedrooms by partitions. The former handmade furniture has been replaced by the factory-produced furniture common to urban dwellings. Electricity, radio, and television have become part of rural life. Cities and industrial settlements have experienced both growth and reconstruction during the postwar decades.

The central parts of old Russian cities retain traces of the old layout, sometimes with the remains of a feudal fortified center (usually preserved as monuments of history and culture) and often with a main square situated in front of the fortress walls, from which the streets fan out toward the periphery of the city. New cities have a modern regular layout. A new type of settlement, referred to as urban-type, has become common. This classification is applied to settlements that are becoming urbanized. Clothing. At present there are no pronounced differences in the clothing of residents of rural and urban areas. The traditional costume even before the revolution survived mainly in the countryside. Among members of the dvorianstvo (nobility or gentry), traditional Russian clothing was worn only until the 18th century; among members of the merchant class and certain strata of the urban population, it was worn until the mid-19th century. Peasant women in the northern and central Great Russian regions wore a sarafan (sleeveless dress) over a linen shirt; in the southern regions, they wore a poneva (skirt) made of a woolen, usually checked, fabric.

Young girls wore a headband in the form of a ribbon or crown and braided ribbons into their hair; married women were obliged to wear headgear that covered their hair, for example, a kichka, a kind of headdress with a length of embroidered fabric. On holidays, chiefly in the north, married women wore a kokoshnik (headdress with a crest). Traditional headgear in the north was decorated with freshwater pearl; in the south, beads of different colors were used. In the late 19th century and early 20th, all types of traditional headgear were replaced by the kerchief. The male costume almost everywhere consisted of a rubakha-kosovorotka (shirt fastened on the side), which was worn over narrow trousers and was gathered at the waist with a belt. The outer garments of men and women were the cloth caftan, the zipun (made of homespun cloth), and the ponitok (summer caftan). In winter, a shuba, polushubok (short shuba made from sheepskin), or tulup (floor-length coat) was worn.

For footwear, the peasants usually wore lapti (footwear woven with bast or birch), with cloth wrapped around the feet. Gradually, leather sapogi (high boots) for men and, for women, koty (warm footwear) became more common. In winter, valenki (felt boots) were worn. The traditional costume has survived only in some places among women, chiefly in the southern regions and more rarely in the north and in Siberia, for example, among the old residents of Transbaikalia. Certain methods of finishing folk clothing, methods that included the use of embroidery and lace, survive in the manufacture of modern urban dress. In an altered form, the Russians have adopted such elements of clothing of other Soviet peoples as the tiubeteika (embroidered skullcap) from Middle Asia, the ukrainka and gutsulka shirts from the Ukraine, and patterned knitted articles. Food. Although Russian food has changed a great deal with an increase in the standard of living and the development of trade and the food-processing industry, many traditional features have survived.

In the cities and, to a significant degree, in the countryside (particularly through the establishments set up by the food service industry), Caucasian, Middle Asian, European, and other dishes have become more common. But the most typical foods remain those prepared from flour and bread. Typical examples of traditional Russian cuisine are shchi (cabbage soup), borscht, pokhlebka (soup made with flour, groats, or potatoes), tiuria (onions and crumbled bread in water or kvas), various types of porridges, kisel’ (a kind of gelatin prepared from milk, fruit syrup, and starch), and various types of meat, dairy, and fish dishes. Beverages include kvas, beer, and, in the distant past, mead.

Examples of the foods prepared for festive occasions or holidays are pirogi, bliny, kut’ia (a food made from rice or wheat and mixed with honey or raisins, prepared at Christmas and also for funerals), paskha (a mixture of sweetened milk curds, butter, and raisins, prepared at Easter), Easter eggs, various types of karavai (bread in round loaves), prianiki (sweet cookies with spices, prepared for weddings), and kulich (a sweet cake, prepared at Easter). Religious Russians abstained from certain foods during Lent and on other fast days. Religion. In the past, Orthodoxy, introduced into Russia in the tenth century, was the official religion of the Russians. Belief in spirits, however, survived to a certain extent until the October Revolution of 1917. These spirits were connected with the home (domovoi [house spirit], gumennik [barn spirit]) and with nature (leshii [forest spirit], vodianoi [water spirit], rusalka [river or tree nymph]). There was also belief in witches.

The official church was forced to adapt its teachings to the ancient beliefs and to allow the Christian saints to assume the functions of ancient Slavic deities. For example, the prophet Elijah was associated with the god Perun, and St. Blasius with the god Veles. The church also combined its holy days (Christmas, Easter) with pre-Christian observances. Thus in winter Christmas merged with Maslenitsa (Shrovetide), and in spring and summer Semik (summer equinox rites) merged with Troitsa (Pentecost) and with the holiday Ivan-Kupala. In modern times, with the elimination of illiteracy and the growth of culture and material prosperity, the overwhelming majority of Russians have become atheists. Folk arts. The folk arts of the Russian people are striking and original. The applied decorative arts are represented by wood carving and painting on wood, by the artistic working of metal, bone, and stone, the production of ceramics, embroidery, patterned fabrics, and the making of lace. Traditional ornamentation includes diverse geometric (mainly in the southern regions) and plant motifs, as well as images of birds, animals, and people. These images are used to form complex compositions, particularly in the northern regions.

The finest traditions of folk art have been developed in modern skilled crafts. Included here are the production of ceramics (Gzhel’, Skopin), silver engraving (Velikii Ustiug, Sol’vychegodsk), painting on wood (Khokhloma), painting of miniatures on lacquered papier-mâche articles (Palekh, Kholui, Mstera, Fedoskino), the making of toys (Moscow and Kirov oblasts), embroidering (Zaonezh’e, Mstera), sewing with gold thread (Torzhok), and lace-making (Vologda, Kirov, and Lipetsk oblasts). The Russian people have created a rich folklore. The byliny (epic folk songs) extol the feats of bogatyri (warriors) from the times of Kievan and Novgorod Rus’. Historical songs tell of the struggle against the Tatars and of the peasant wars fought under the leadership of Stepan Razin and Emel’ian Pugachev.

In addition to fairy tales, fables, narrative accounts of past events, maxims, and proverbs, there are also diverse songs (peasant, worker, and soldier), including songs of everyday life, dance songs, and lyric songs. A particular type of short song, the chastushka (folk ditty, often humorous) arose in the villages in the 19th century. In the second half of the 19th century, revolutionary songs were first heard; in the period of Soviet power, songs have been written extolling the October Revolution of 1917 and the heroism displayed during the Great Patriotic War of 1941–45. Even in the Middle Ages, folk theatrical performances, based on folk poetry, were common. They had a lyrical and dramatic as well as a sharply satirical character (anticlerical, antifeudal). Such were the performances of the skomorokhi (itinerant performers) involving the puppet character Petrushka, performances that have had a great influence on the modern puppet theater.

The folk music, unique in its harmony (predominantly diatonic), is marked by a richness of rhythms and a diversity of genres; in choral singing, polyphony is developed. After the October Revolution of 1917, various types of amateur artistic activity were widely developed. The influence of folk art can be clearly felt in many masterpieces of Russian and Soviet literature, music, and painting. Prerevolutionary Russian and Soviet science, literature, music, theater, and fine arts have made enormous contributions to world science and culture. They have also had a great influence on the cultural and scientific development of other peoples of the USSR, as well as on peoples in other countries. For more detail on the history, economy, science, and culture of the Russians, see RUSSIAN SOVIET FEDERATED SOCIALIST REPUBLIC . Russians | Article about Russians by The Free Dictionary Russians | Article about Russians by The Free Dictionary Related to Russians: Russian culture Russians a nation (natsiia; “nation” in the historical sense) in the USSR. The total number of Russians in the country exceeds 129 million (1970 census).

In the RSFSR, Russians constitute 82.8 percent of the population; in the other Union republics, the figure ranges from 2.7 percent in the Armenian SSR to 42.4 percent in the Kazakh SSR. Some 68 percent of the Russians live in cities, and 32 percent live in rural areas (according to the 1959 census, 57.7 percent and 42.3 percent, respectively). The spoken language is Russian, which with Ukrainian and Byelorussian forms the East Slavic group of Slavic languages. Abroad, Russians live chiefly in the United States, Canada, and Europe. The Russians, like the Ukrainians and Byelorussians, are descended from the old Russian nationality (ninth to 13th centuries) that had formed from the East Slavic tribes upon the dissolution of clan and tribal relations and the creation of the ancient Russian state around Kiev. In the opinion of many researchers, the name of the Russians derives from that of the Slavic tribes of Rodii, Rossy, or Rusy.

Along with the ancient name “Russians,” the name “Great Russians” (velikorusy) was used in the 19th and early 20th centuries. The formation of the Russian, or Great Russian, nationality took place against the background of both the fierce struggle to throw off the Mongol-Tatar yoke and the creation of the centralized Russian state around Moscow in the 14th and 15th centuries. This state included the northern and northeastern lands of ancient Rus’. In the 16th and 17th centuries, the boundaries of the Russian state expanded considerably. Russians began settling the Lower Volga Region, the Urals, the Northern Caucasus, and Siberia. In the 18th and 19th centuries, the further expansion of the state’s boundaries was accompanied by the settlement of Russians in the Baltic region, the Black Sea region, Transcaucasia, Middle Asia, Kazakhstan, and the Far East. Russians came into close contact with the peoples of these regions, exerting an economic and cultural influence. They also assimilated the achievements in culture and the practical skills of the indigenous populations.

Russians aided in the transition of the nomadic tribes and peoples to a settled way of life and in the development of crop cultivation. They contributed to the improvement of tools, the development of handicraft production and trade, and the rise of permanent settlements—villages and cities. In the second half of the 19th century, the Russian Empire entered the capitalist socioeconomic stage. This period also saw the formation of the Russian bourgeois nation. Progressive segments of the Russian people led the national liberation struggle of the peoples of the Russian Empire against tsarism. The Russian working class was in the front ranks of the proletariat in the struggle against capitalism. The Russian people developed science and created a very rich culture. Russia was the homeland of the most advanced doctrine of the 20th century—Leninism. In 1917 the Russian proletariat, led by the Communist Party and supported by the impoverished peasantry and the workers of other nationalities in Russia, carried out the Great October Socialist Revolution, overthrowing capitalism in the world’s first victorious socialist revolution. In all stages of socialist construction, the Russian people provided fraternal aid to the other peoples of the USSR in carrying out revolutionary changes and in overcoming economic and cultural backwardness.

They played a leading role in the creation of a new, socialist society. With the victory of socialism, the working class and the kolkhoz peasantry became the main classes of the new society, the people’s intelligentsia forming its important layer. The Russian people were leaders in the defeat of fascism in World War II, in the postwar reconstruction and further development of the national economy, and in the creation of a developed socialist society. In the course of the socialist transformations, the Russians have become a socialist nation and together with other socialist nations and nationalities of the USSR have formed a new historical community—the Soviet people. In the period of Soviet power, such social and economic changes as industrialization, the collectivization of agriculture, and the cultural revolution have brought about fundamental transformations in the material conditions of the life of the people. These transformations have in turn led to an unprecedented flowering of science and culture and to great advances in education. Ethnographic groups. Owing to differences in the conditions of development in the various regions of the country, a number of Russian ethnographic groups had formed by the mid-19th century.

The largest of these groups, distinguished by dialect (pronunciation of the unstressed “o”) and particular features in architecture, clothing, and certain rituals, are the Northern and Southern Great Russians. Between these groups is the Central Great Russians, who occupy the central region formed by part of the Volga-Oka interfluve (with Moscow) and the Volga Region. The Central Great Russians share certain linguistic and cultural features with both the Northern and Southern Great Russians. Smaller ethnographic groups of Russians include the Pomory, who live along the White Sea; the Meshchera group of Russians, who inhabit the northern part of Riazan’ Oblast; and various groups of Cossacks and their descendants, who live along the Don, Kuban’, Ural, and Terek rivers, as well as in Siberia. Groups of Old Believers include the Poliaki (in the Altai), the Semeiskie (in Transbaikalia), and the Kamenshchiki (along the Bukhtarma River in Kazakhstan). Russians constitute distinct groups in the Far North along the Anadyr’, Indigirka, and Kolyma rivers, although they have assumed many traits of the surrounding peoples.

The material and spiritual culture of the Russians is unique and rich. Its best aspects have become traditional and have survived to the present, particularly among the rural population. Settlements and dwellings. The rural settlements of Russians in the northern part of the country usually consist of only a few households; in the south, the settlements are larger. The layouts of streets and houses vary. In socialist society, there has been a marked change in the aspect of rural settlements. Housing, public buildings, and production complexes are being built at a rapid pace. The difference between rural and urban housing, particularly with respect to furnishings, is becoming less marked. However, certain traditional features have been preserved, features related both to geographic and ethnographic factors. The specific features of folk architecture are manifested mainly in decorations (nalichnik [decorative window frame], carving, patterned trim, and brightly colored exteriors, sometimes in various hues), in the height of the buildings, and in the construction materials. Typical for the northern regions is the tall (sometimes two-storied) log izba (see IZBA ) having a substructure, a gable roof, and a fenced-in backyard.

In the southern regions, the dominant types of dwellings are the relatively low, log or frame izba, having walls of timber filled with clay or, sometimes, adobe or brick walls, and the khata, a dwelling having a pyramidal roof and an open yard. There is at present a gradual convergence of these types of dwellings. Pyramidal roofs are becoming more common in the north, and the izba in the south now often has a substructure. A farmstead usually consists of a house and yard. The house includes the living quarters and an adjoining seni (covered entranceway) or hallway having a klet’ (shed) or chulan (pantry); the yard has outbuildings, the number of which has declined significantly with the collectivization of agriculture. In the north and in the Volga Region, as a rule, the farmstead also includes a bathhouse (bania), which is often built on the shore of a body of water. The layout of modern houses is diverse, and there is usually more than one room. The izba proper or a kitchen with a Russian stove or stoves of other types still forms the basis of the dwelling.

The front part of the dwelling is called the gornitsa, zalo, or chistaia polovina and is separated from the bedrooms by partitions. The former handmade furniture has been replaced by the factory-produced furniture common to urban dwellings. Electricity, radio, and television have become part of rural life. Cities and industrial settlements have experienced both growth and reconstruction during the postwar decades. The central parts of old Russian cities retain traces of the old layout, sometimes with the remains of a feudal fortified center (usually preserved as monuments of history and culture) and often with a main square situated in front of the fortress walls, from which the streets fan out toward the periphery of the city. New cities have a modern regular layout. A new type of settlement, referred to as urban-type, has become common. This classification is applied to settlements that are becoming urbanized. Clothing. At present there are no pronounced differences in the clothing of residents of rural and urban areas. The traditional costume even before the revolution survived mainly in the countryside.

Among members of the dvorianstvo (nobility or gentry), traditional Russian clothing was worn only until the 18th century; among members of the merchant class and certain strata of the urban population, it was worn until the mid-19th century. Peasant women in the northern and central Great Russian regions wore a sarafan (sleeveless dress) over a linen shirt; in the southern regions, they wore a poneva (skirt) made of a woolen, usually checked, fabric. Young girls wore a headband in the form of a ribbon or crown and braided ribbons into their hair; married women were obliged to wear headgear that covered their hair, for example, a kichka, a kind of headdress with a length of embroidered fabric. On holidays, chiefly in the north, married women wore a kokoshnik (headdress with a crest). Traditional headgear in the north was decorated with freshwater pearl; in the south, beads of different colors were used. In the late 19th century and early 20th, all types of traditional headgear were replaced by the kerchief.

The male costume almost everywhere consisted of a rubakha-kosovorotka (shirt fastened on the side), which was worn over narrow trousers and was gathered at the waist with a belt. The outer garments of men and women were the cloth caftan, the zipun (made of homespun cloth), and the ponitok (summer caftan). In winter, a shuba, polushubok (short shuba made from sheepskin), or tulup (floor-length coat) was worn. For footwear, the peasants usually wore lapti (footwear woven with bast or birch), with cloth wrapped around the feet. Gradually, leather sapogi (high boots) for men and, for women, koty (warm footwear) became more common. In winter, valenki (felt boots) were worn. The traditional costume has survived only in some places among women, chiefly in the southern regions and more rarely in the north and in Siberia, for example, among the old residents of Transbaikalia. Certain methods of finishing folk clothing, methods that included the use of embroidery and lace, survive in the manufacture of modern urban dress.

In an altered form, the Russians have adopted such elements of clothing of other Soviet peoples as the tiubeteika (embroidered skullcap) from Middle Asia, the ukrainka and gutsulka shirts from the Ukraine, and patterned knitted articles. Food. Although Russian food has changed a great deal with an increase in the standard of living and the development of trade and the food-processing industry, many traditional features have survived. In the cities and, to a significant degree, in the countryside (particularly through the establishments set up by the food service industry), Caucasian, Middle Asian, European, and other dishes have become more common. But the most typical foods remain those prepared from flour and bread. Typical examples of traditional Russian cuisine are shchi (cabbage soup), borscht, pokhlebka (soup made with flour, groats, or potatoes), tiuria (onions and crumbled bread in water or kvas), various types of porridges, kisel’ (a kind of gelatin prepared from milk, fruit syrup, and starch), and various types of meat, dairy, and fish dishes. Beverages include kvas, beer, and, in the distant past, mead.

Examples of the foods prepared for festive occasions or holidays are pirogi, bliny, kut’ia (a food made from rice or wheat and mixed with honey or raisins, prepared at Christmas and also for funerals), paskha (a mixture of sweetened milk curds, butter, and raisins, prepared at Easter), Easter eggs, various types of karavai (bread in round loaves), prianiki (sweet cookies with spices, prepared for weddings), and kulich (a sweet cake, prepared at Easter). Religious Russians abstained from certain foods during Lent and on other fast days. Religion. In the past, Orthodoxy, introduced into Russia in the tenth century, was the official religion of the Russians. Belief in spirits, however, survived to a certain extent until the October Revolution of 1917. These spirits were connected with the home (domovoi [house spirit], gumennik [barn spirit]) and with nature (leshii [forest spirit], vodianoi [water spirit], rusalka [river or tree nymph]). There was also belief in witches.

The official church was forced to adapt its teachings to the ancient beliefs and to allow the Christian saints to assume the functions of ancient Slavic deities. For example, the prophet Elijah was associated with the god Perun, and St. Blasius with the god Veles. The church also combined its holy days (Christmas, Easter) with pre-Christian observances. Thus in winter Christmas merged with Maslenitsa (Shrovetide), and in spring and summer Semik (summer equinox rites) merged with Troitsa (Pentecost) and with the holiday Ivan-Kupala. In modern times, with the elimination of illiteracy and the growth of culture and material prosperity, the overwhelming majority of Russians have become atheists. Folk arts. The folk arts of the Russian people are striking and original. The applied decorative arts are represented by wood carving and painting on wood, by the artistic working of metal, bone, and stone, the production of ceramics, embroidery, patterned fabrics, and the making of lace. Traditional ornamentation includes diverse geometric (mainly in the southern regions) and plant motifs, as well as images of birds, animals, and people. These images are used to form complex compositions, particularly in the northern regions.

The finest traditions of folk art have been developed in modern skilled crafts. Included here are the production of ceramics (Gzhel’, Skopin), silver engraving (Velikii Ustiug, Sol’vychegodsk), painting on wood (Khokhloma), painting of miniatures on lacquered papier-mâche articles (Palekh, Kholui, Mstera, Fedoskino), the making of toys (Moscow and Kirov oblasts), embroidering (Zaonezh’e, Mstera), sewing with gold thread (Torzhok), and lace-making (Vologda, Kirov, and Lipetsk oblasts). The Russian people have created a rich folklore. The byliny (epic folk songs) extol the feats of bogatyri (warriors) from the times of Kievan and Novgorod Rus’. Historical songs tell of the struggle against the Tatars and of the peasant wars fought under the leadership of Stepan Razin and Emel’ian Pugachev.

In addition to fairy tales, fables, narrative accounts of past events, maxims, and proverbs, there are also diverse songs (peasant, worker, and soldier), including songs of everyday life, dance songs, and lyric songs. A particular type of short song, the chastushka (folk ditty, often humorous) arose in the villages in the 19th century. In the second half of the 19th century, revolutionary songs were first heard; in the period of Soviet power, songs have been written extolling the October Revolution of 1917 and the heroism displayed during the Great Patriotic War of 1941–45. Even in the Middle Ages, folk theatrical performances, based on folk poetry, were common. They had a lyrical and dramatic as well as a sharply satirical character (anticlerical, antifeudal). Such were the performances of the skomorokhi (itinerant performers) involving the puppet character Petrushka, performances that have had a great influence on the modern puppet theater.

The folk music, unique in its harmony (predominantly diatonic), is marked by a richness of rhythms and a diversity of genres; in choral singing, polyphony is developed. After the October Revolution of 1917, various types of amateur artistic activity were widely developed. The influence of folk art can be clearly felt in many masterpieces of Russian and Soviet literature, music, and painting. Prerevolutionary Russian and Soviet science, literature, music, theater, and fine arts have made enormous contributions to world science and culture. They have also had a great influence on the cultural and scientific development of other peoples of the USSR, as well as on peoples in other countries. For more detail on the history, economy, science, and culture of the Russians, see RUSSIAN SOVIET FEDERATED SOCIALIST REPUBLIC . Russian Fashion - TV Tropes Russian Fashion You need to login to do this. Get Known if you don't have an account Share Even in the days of the czar , Russian court dress was distinctive . Gdye mozhna koopit blue jeans? — Flight of the Old Dog, by Dale Brown .

During the Cold War , the Soviet Union didn't really have much access to Western fashion, unless you were one of the nomenklatura or otherwise well connected. This is why Sergei in the novel is surprised to see a woman wearing a denim jacket and jeans (he asks "Where did you get those blue jeans?"), gladly trading his coat for it. Note, though, that this is a fairly overblown notion ï¿½ while for a time in The '60s and early Seventies the authorities tried to fight this "cowtowing before the West" (including cutting too-narrow trousers ), by the mid-Seventies they finally relented and even started the domestic production of the most coveted items such as the blue jeans, as well as importing knock-off ones from Turkey and India. Still it didn't have much effect, as not only was the quality often atrocious, but the mere fact that they were domestically produced made them not "true" and thus not worth it. Since the collapse though, Russian women (and men) have grabbed Western fashions voraciously. Their upper and upper-middle classes are currently often found wearing several salaries on their person at once.

In extreme cases, a driver's currently worn outfit can be worth more than his car. The vast majority of Russians, however, dress very similarly to the average person in the West. This article, however, will focus on the items of clothing that are specifically Russian, or very common there. Note, that most 'traditional' items was outdated in USSR time or even earlier, and even in USSR times Russian fashion was heavily westernised. Bashlyk: A cone shaped hood of Cossack and Turkic origin. Associated with the early Reds with Rockets , but used before that by the Imperial Russian Military. Budyonnovka: Hat of the Reds with Rockets until the 1930s, like a kepi, but with a cone-shaped top. Associated with the Russian Civil War era and Communism, despite initially being designed for an Imperial WWI victory parade . Its creator, a famous Romantic painter Victor Vasnetsov, styled it after a traditional Russian cone-shaped helmet (which wasn't, in fact, uniquely Russian, but was in use in all Europe during the Early and Early-High Middle Ages; you could see a Norman knight wearing a similar helmet and not be surprised).

Gymnastiorka: The one-piece smock-style standard tunic for Soviet soldiers in WW2 , which was based on the traditional peasant shirt called "kosovorotka". This tunic also resembles the modern U.S. "Combat shirt", except made of less advanced materials. Kaftan: For Russians, a long man's coat with tight sleeves. Now mostly worn by reconstructors and some of the Orthodox Church clergy. Kokoshnik: A traditional female headdress, used with: Sarafan: a sleeveless jumper-dress. Mostly used now for folk dances, along with the previous item. Kosovorotka: A male Russian peasant's shirt, literally "oblique collar" after its collar, which seals to the side. Not tucked in. Babushka: Worn by country women and older women in cities. A relic of the frozen in time Soviet fashion. Initially was a piece of clothing worn by religious mandate and symbolizing women's submission and modesty, similarly to modern Islamic headscarves.

Ironically, a red or scarlet headscarf was a typical headgear for female Commissars, Chekists or other strong, independent women aligned with Bolshevism in the Russian Civil War era . Note that in Russian "Babushka" (stress on the first syllable) means "Grandmother". "Babushka" (stressed on the second syllable) as a headscarf is a strictly American usage, stemming from the fact that when the word was adopted into English, only grannies still wore them. Telogreika: literally translated as "body warmer", a quilted short coat. The most common type of winter uniform until the 1960s and was first issued by the Red Army during the Great Patriotic War. It is also still popular today among many blue-collar workers in the successor states of the USSR. Very common in all media depicting the Eastern Front of the aforementioned war. The other name of this coat, "vatnik", has recently become a derisive nickname for Russian patriots in both Russia itself and Ukraine.

Papakha: A wool hat (often made out of karakul sheep skin), associated with Georgia and Cossacks, sometimes worn by Tricolours With Rusting Rockets officers and generals. In fact, a papakha is a regulation winter hat for the officers from colonel up. Land forces officers, that is. Naval officers (even those with land ranks) of corresponding grade wear a flat cylindrical kepi made of karakul fur, which is nicknamed "hat-with-a-handle" ("шапка-с-ручкой"note a pun on the humorous expression "жопа с ручкой" or "arse-with-a-handle", meaning a comically incongruous thing or a person) due to a fake leather chinstrap normally tied across the front. Telnyashka: A striped top, usually dark blue and white, worn by sailors, submariners, VDV (paratroopers — they are equivalent in reputation and kill to the US Army Rangers), Spetsnaz (Which are just special forces in general), tankers, border guards, presidential guards, rescue swimmers, marines, pilots, border guards... The Telnyashka is a symbol of masculinity as ell as of military pride.

See Color-Coded for Your Convenience for assistance. Ushanka: The Russian hat. Made of fur with the ear flaps. Often worn by soldiers and cops during the long Russian winter. The army and police standard issue hat is made of cheap artificial fur (derisively nicknamed "fish fur"); civilian hats are of natural fur and more expensive. Some have gotten to the US. Chief Marge Gunderson in Fargo is wearing one. Some historians suggest that they might also be an adoption from the steppe nomads, as very similar hats are still could be seen among various Turkic tribes of the Great Steppe, and the early Kievan Rus' hats were mostly round leather skullcaps or tall conical hats made of wool, often with the fur trim. Old style ushanka-like hats were known as treukh ("three ears") or malakhay (a vaguely Turkic or Mongol loanword). The modern army ushanka was invented by Admiral Kolchak, the notorious White Guard leader. Valenki (singular Valenok): Felt boots, used by the Soviet and Russian military during winter. Helped them win the Great Patriotic War , since their feet didn't freeze.

Now have lost most of their popularity in cities, because these boots excel in walking on snow (particularly common in the country, uncommon in cities) and are terrible at walking on slush (they are not waterproof at all). Sapogi (Jackboots): lingered in the Soviet army longer than in any other, currently being slowly faded out. Sometimes, the boots are also worn by civilians in the backcountry and blue collar workers, since they are somewhat practical "off-road" footwear. Sapogi are ranked by their material: Box-calf leather (khrom, because chrome salts are used in curing this leather): the most high-quality boots, shiny, handsome, more or less comfortable and expensive, but not very durable compared to the types below. Part of the dress uniform of Soviet officers and modern Kremlin guards, often bought by civilian horseback riding and LARP enthusiasts. Cow yuft, or yalovye leather: rugged cowhide. These boots are not as shiny, handsome and comfortable, and also heavier, but way more durable, nigh unkillable. Were used by Soviet officers and cadets as day-to-day footwear, today they are highly prized by outdoorsmen.

There are also pig and horse yuft (yuftevye) leather, of somewhat lesser quality. Kirza, or fake leather (from Kirovsky Zavod, a manufacturing plant where it was invented): similar to Western leatherette. Very heavy, stiff and generally uncomfortable. Kirza is the standard material for soldiers' field jackboots, or for similar boots used in blue-collar work. Regular combat boots are especially prized and are now gradually replacing jackboots from service (often being bought privately). Jackboots may be impractical in both garrison service and mountain warfare (the only kind of warfare The New Russia engaged itself in, to date), but they are the best thing there is in large-scale wars on wide open plains. That means, if someone invades Russia again , the boots will be useful. Shinel (greatcoat). Russian military is one of the last ones still using greatcoats, since they are somewhat practical during winter. Attempts to introduce more high-tech, light, winterized uniforms so far resulted in pneumonias and frostbites, largely from their improper applications by the undertrained officers too entrenched in the old ways.

Big, high peaked caps are associated, among other things, with Russia, despite they are a new introduction to Russian uniforms. Smaller ones, though, have a long history in the Russian military, and a similar but even smaller civilian headgear, called kartuz, is indeed part of the traditional national costume. Traditional Russian military peaked cap, often seen on the heads of Tsarist (and some early Soviet, though in many cases that were the same people ) officers in historical shows, lacked any stiffener and was therefore somewhat draped around its wearer's head like a beret, earning it the traditional nickname of "blin" ï¿½ that is, "pancake". Later Soviet caps included a circular spring around its crown to give it some shape, and the front was raised a bit. By The '80s note A-ha! it became a kind of military chic to have a cap with the widest crown and the highest front, not unlike a traditional Banana Republic Generalissimo headgear, often dubbed "the aerodrome". After USSR fell, this look somehow got codified in the uniform regs, giving The New Russia the association with the Commissar Cap .

Ironically, by the same time their wearers has noted the Sukhomlinov Effect in action (frankly, the caps started to look ridiculous) and begun a backlash against them, derisively naming them " Pinochet's hats ", and throttling down on size and trim. In fact, the modern field and undress uniforms don't include a peaked cap at all, eschewing it in favor of a simple kepi or a beret, and since Shoigu came to the MoD, he brought an EMERCOM cap, clearly based on a Tsarist-era design, with him. :: Indexes :: Dressing the Indian woman through history - BBC News BBC News Dressing the Indian woman through history 6 December 2014 Close share panel Image copyright Hulton Archive This week in India a man slapped actress Gauhar Khan on a TV set for wearing a "short dress" and news emerged of outrage in a Mumbai law college at a strict dress code imposed on students. Fashion historian Toolika Gupta looks at ideas of decorum in fashion across India through the ages. Every country has its own erogenous zones.

What many Indians today believe are home-grown ideas of decorum and modesty are in fact British imports - bequeathed to us by the Raj. The earliest representations of women show them with minimal clothing. In sculptures from the Maury and Sunga periods (about 300 BC) - men and women wore rectangular pieces of fabric, on the lower part of the body and one on the upper part. Little else. Image copyright Other Images from the Gupta period - about the 7th or 8th Century - show stitched upper garments along with a breast band, as well as a lower garment. Modesty has had different definitions over time and in different regions and communities. It was not always about covering your face and body and in many respects India's hot climate led the way. People just did what was convenient. The salwar kameez Salwar - a pair of light, loose, pleated trousers tapering to a tight fit around the ankles Kameez - a long tunic Source: Oxford English Dictionary But the regional variations are interesting. In southern India, even in colonial times, some women did not cover the upper part of their body.

And throughout India's history of contact with different cultures - with Greek, Roman, Arab and Chinese influences coming in - fashions and ideas began to change. In the 15th Century we see Muslim and Hindu women wearing different outfits and the influence of the Mughal empire was decisive - they ruled most of India and Pakistan in the 16th and 17th Centuries. I have not seen written codes about how to dress, but Muslim women normally covered themselves and wore divided garments. These outfits gave birth to garments like the salwar kameez - virtually seen as a national dress in India today. Image copyright Auguste Racinet In Bengal, in the Victorian era, some women did not wear blouses under their saris - they went bare-breasted. This did not suit Victorian society, which had its own ideas of propriety, and blouses increasingly became the norm.

Image copyright British Library Board, Photo 124/(36) Image caption Bengali women in the early 1860s It was Jnanadanandini Debi, the wife of Satyendranath Tagore - brother of the famous Bengali poet Rabindranath Tagore - who popularised the blouses, jackets and chemises and the modern style of the sari today after she was reportedly refused entry to clubs under the Raj for wearing the sari fabric over her bare breasts. Tagore is believed to have actively encouraged his wife to adopt Western ideas. The terms "blouse" and "petticoat" - both English - made the leap into Indian vocabulary in the Victorian era. Shirts also came to be worn under the sari as part of high fashion and these rather British innovations are considered traditional garments. Image copyright Press Eye Even though it can be revealing, as the crop top leaves the midriff bare, the sari blouse has long been deemed decorous and associated with tradition. In India it was important for a woman to cover her body with a draped fabric here no matter what is underneath. The British influence only became stronger over time.

We see different kinds of blouses coming in with sleeve structures, and various necklines. Image copyright © The British Library Board, Photo 1000/46(4641) Image caption At the height of the Victorian era the British and Indian fashions rather resemble each other In India, unlike in Britain, there are no written codes of conduct or sumptuary laws about what should be worn. What was considered suitable was spread through word of mouth. So today's guardians of the hemline - who no doubt believe they are safeguarding women by prescribing what women should wear - are following in the footsteps of older political overlords. Indian women now are much freer to do what they want, at least in the cities, yet we see dress codes being set and women condemned for what they wear. Some people even make an association between clothing and rape. These people don't understand that ideas of decency are constantly changing and rape is not a consequence of what women wear but of how certain men think. Our dress is our identity. But what we think of as traditional Indian modesty, can turn out not be not very Indian at all.

Question: On which part of the body would Russian valenki normally be worn?
Answer: Feet