The document summarizes Estonian folk costumes, which varied by region but were typically made from linen and wool. Women's costumes usually consisted of a linen shirt, headdress, striped skirt, apron, and coat, while men wore linen shirts, pants, coats, and felt hats. Costumes identified aspects of the wearer's identity and were divided into festive, visiting, and working attire. While folk costumes are now less commonly worn, they remain an important symbol of Estonian culture and heritage celebrated during festivals and other national events.
2. The development of Estonian folk costume
• Estonian folk costumes differ by region, there
are four major groups — Southern, Northern,
Western Estonia, and the Islands.
• Folk costume identified place of birth, national
belonging, age, social and marital status of a
person.
• Women wore linen shirts, headdresses,
*striped skirts*, linen robes, black woollen
long-coats, fur-coats, *aprons*, belts,
kerchiefs, stockings, mittens and heel-less
peasant shoes.
• Men wore linen shirts, white woollen or linen
pants, black woollen long-coats, waistcoats, a
linen robes, fur-coats, woollen or leather
belts, stockings, mittens, heel-less peasant
shoes and sheep-black hard felt hats.
6. Clothes may be divided into three gruops:
1. Festive clothes which were used for
church visits, weddings, funerals and were
passed from generation to generation; they
were fancy and with jewelry.
2. Visiting clothes were for errands, business
and visits of less festive nature.
3. Working clothes were worn every day,
were made of poorer material and without
decorations; sometimes old visiting clothes
were used.
1.
2.
3.
7. Making of the national costume...
• The main materials: flax
and wool.
• Most of the clothes were
bleached white, woollen
outer garments were
mainly sheep-brown or
black.
• The wool for making skirts
was dyed with herbs.
8. Headgear
Women
*Brooch*
Linen
blouse-
midriff
Belt
*Striped
Skirt*
*Apron*
Peasant Linen wrap
shoes
9. Old customs
•Young girls wore no
headgear for most of the
year, even during milder
winter periods, they used
only a hair-band.
•A married woman had to
cover her head and wear
an *apron*.
•apronless mistress of the
farm would damage the
fertility of the fields.
10. Men
Linen
shirt
Headgear
Vest
Coat
Belt Mittens
Peasant
shoes
11. Finery
• was handed from generation to
generation.
• The jewellery and ornaments had to
protect the wearer against the evil.
• A woman wore her beads day and
night, at a party or at work, and took
them to her grave with her, beads
were put around a little girl's neck
when her first tooth was cut.
• Belts and mittens were believed to
have very strong protective powers.
12. • The most festive adornment
of an Estonian woman was
conical *brooch* and a
necklace made of coins.
• Belts were thought to be a
support, give strength to the
body and protect it from
illness, therefore people wore
belts even at night.
13. Nowadays
• folk costumes became less used.
• At the same time it became increasingly popular in
Estonia to wear folk costume on festive occasions: at
song festivals and various national events.
