Croatian national costume

The folk costumes of Croatia put in their appearance represents the different parts of the country of Croatia and also reflect the social and cultural characteristics of the beam resist. Although Croatia is a small country, so there is a relatively small space an unusually large variety of different folk costumes. Folk music and folklore are inseparably intertwined with the respective traditional costumes and lifestyle of each neighborhood.

• 4.1 The Pannonian plain 4.1.1 The main parts of the Pannonian men costumes 4.1.1.1 Slavonian men's costume

• 4.1.2.1 Slavonian women's costume

• 4.2.1 The parts of the Dinaric men costumes 4.2.1.1 Dinaric men's costume

• 4.2.2.1 Dinaric women's costume

• 4.3.1 The parts of the Adriatic Men's costumes ( from the island of Krk) 4.3.1.1 Adriatic male costume

• 4.3.2.1 Adriatic women's costume

European comparison

The national costumes are different but very clearly by the Slovenian, Austrian, German or Swiss costumes. While there costumes are characteristic of the area of the Alps, at the Slovenian- Croatian border, a relatively significant cultural cut is made here. Suddenly, the striking white, combined with entirely differently designed robes dominates the picture.

Leather pants, long socks up to the knees or about the typical alpine hats costumes do not exist in the Croatian men costumes. The women dress completely different. Comparing again the Croatian national costumes with those of other peoples of Europe, so you noticed but very clearly their Slavic descent, so the similarity in appearance to costumes of Hungary, Poland, the Czech Republic and Slovakia about.

History

The Venetian lion and the Turks

Up until the second half of the 19th century, the costume was characteristic of the entire rural population. Even in the urban population, which earned her living with agriculture, this style of dress was available.

Mid-19th century, however, the picture in this but broad section of the population begins to change. The men gradually neglect their national costume and come more and more venal substances, and later increasingly strong influences of urban clothing on the traditional garment in the women's costumes on. These changes arise as a logical consequence of the social and political performance of " Moreška " ( Battle of the Heroes ) on the island of Korčula and the happenings in the world after the revolutionary reversals that the Europe in the late 18th and first half of the 19th century shook, which also impacted significantly on the territory of Croatia.

The Venetian is overthrown and superpower. Along with it the order to the majority of the Croatian coastal region that was several decades under the authority of the Venetian lion On the other side loses the Turkish power, which is still located in the heart of the Balkan Peninsula, its influence, so that the areas bordering the Ottoman Empire, begin to live more freely and carefree. 1848 comes in Croatia for the abolition of serfdom. Large masses of rural people free themselves from their sealed living conditions in which they lived and worked for centuries and their subordinates mindedness towards the feudal lords.

Move away from old traditions

After the abolition of serfdom it comes to the disintegration of the great family cooperatives. The cooperatives included once a few tens and even hundreds of roommates. All activities organized wrapped themselves divided among the numerous members in accordance with strict rules laid down in the tradition from.

In such a way of life the female members had to ensure the development of the clothing of all roommates. The robe was generally produced in the autonomous community, only a few additional parts were purchased. The women took care of the cultivation, production and processing of textile raw materials, their processing, dyeing to weaving of linen, tuchener and silk fabrics and, finally, to the sewing and clothes decorating for all occupants.

This important task could no longer cope with the housewives after the disintegration of the family cooperatives. They had not even take the time and energy in addition to other domestic and economic work this task on yourself. Therefore, one can say that with the disintegration of the family cooperatives also wearing the national costume was doomed to inevitable extinction.

This of course was not the only reason. Other reasons include, for example, the consequences of technological progress. The transport links and contact with the outside world beyond the narrow family circle were faster and easier. The textile industry developed, which also brought an upswing for the shops with them, which in turn attract more buyers in the rural areas for themselves.

It is also clear that the national costume not lived through their last phase simultaneously on the territory of Croatia. In the coastal area of Croatia you will notice the decline in the Commencement Date. The men leave the costume is usually very fast, while the women's costumes usually go through some transitional phases and to keep himself in daily life much longer, in some specific areas and on some islands even to this day.

Where you still wearing the costume, she lost most of purity and naturalness, the beauty of the design and the diversity of form. It is mainly worn by older people and that means that it is only in their most modest variations in use and that it is usually already equipped with newer, urban elements.

The costume and their social environment

The costume of the inhabitants of a given region behaves like a living organism, adapted to the social environment in which it is located. It fits into the picture of the area, she reveals the main economic sectors, from her one reads the climatic conditions, on her you can see the richness of the broad community without regard to the tenure status of the individual.

But the folk costume hiding in itself the traces of the historical events that were in the past, much of the area and left their stamp on the look of the costume. Finally, is the costume the image of the skill, the artistic comprehension and creative scope of the people that has characterized found in this essential for life prop a medium through which can speak it from the depth of her self to his own way and with his language expresses the pursuit of beauty. Three factors, the natural environment, cultural and historical influences and their own creative drive of each people are always present in the design of the popular garment, and therefore, the costume one of the most complex achievements of the creativity of the population;

But the robe, that the people designed through the centuries, has it all except the practical determination and the more or less artistic importance that comes to the fore, also a deeper meaning. Namely those unreal, magical, which is often subordinated to the practical and artistic component. The clothing style in the circle of closed rural center, however, is still mainly through traditional, centuries-old rules determined, to which the people held strictly and was of which rarely come off.

Through this traditionally handed and prescribed rules, the costume also gaining social importance. It is a sign of social status of individuals in the local community.

Each stage of life, every event and every significant change in life from childhood about the girl age, the duration of the engagement and marriage, honeymoon, and the achievement of motherhood, old age and widowhood - all that you can to the particular for a holiday read foreseen and certain clothes and in addition also at the ceremony costume, essential for individual practices. Then we are somewhat aware of how much wealth of diverse types, species and subspecies, we can recognize the people dress and that this treasure of folk culture is an inexhaustible treasure whose value must first be discovered, learned and understood the hides in itself.

The regions of Croatia

Roughly speaking, one can divide the costumes based on their various parts and their similarity in appearance to three different regions. The embossed illustrated in the following areas of geographic features and still affect the appearance of the respective national costumes:

The Pannonian plain

This area is known for its predominantly low-lying plains with fertile soil undTracht from the Slavonian Drauebene confusing oak forests that are soaked with the water of lakes, swamps and rivers. This level is confusing reared only by individual mountains and hillocks a little.

Such an area is practically already predetermined for the agricultural sector, so developed here agriculture as the main economic activities. Yet almost to our time the earth was with the help of oxen pulled the plow, edited. On this fertile soil to grow all kinds of cereals, in addition thereto, nor corn, potatoes, cabbage, turnips and other mineral products.

Man bred livestock here, he needed to process the country and of which he used on the milk and meat. In addition to cattle, the pig was an important animal for the diet of the population, especially in the lower and wooded parts where it was reared in large herds and was left in the autumn in the forests in order to feed on the acorns.

Therefore, the population in the north of Croatia generally felt no scarcity and lived fairly prosperous. This fact also has an effect on the costume, which is there rich and varied, where the abundance is greater. But the diligence employed and work in the production of the garments had a similarly from the appearance. ( Young woman from Slavonski Brod)

As the diet of the population in general depended on the fruits of the earth, so the raw materials were produced mainly for the clothes of vegetable fibers - made ​​of linen and hemp. The men's as well as the women's costumes this area was worn as a normal garment virtually all year round. The garments were not cut, but they put the straight line halves together and sewed them together along the hem. The edges were then merged to form smaller or larger solid wads.

The main parts of the Pannonian men costumes

Slavonian men's costume

• A: Shirt ( košulja " rubača, rubina " )
• B, c: Trousers in linen ( platnene " gace " )
• D: camisole, jacket, vest, vest ( " prsluk, lajbek " )

The parts of the women's costumes from the region of Slavonia and Baranja

Slavonian women's costume

• A1: Dress ( košulja " rubina, odnjica " ) from the front
• A2: selbiges from behind
• B, c, d: split gown
• B: Woman shirt ( peasant shirt, shoulder dress) ( " veliki oplećak " ) - large
• C: women shirt ( peasant shirt, shoulder dress) ( " mali oplećak " ) - small
• D: lap apron ( " rubina, skuti Krila " )

The Dinaric mountain region

The area of the Dinaric mountain region stretches from the northwest to the south-east of Croatia and also includes most of Bosnia - Herzegovina and Montenegro. There you will find the typical signs of an elongated karst area: bare limestone rocks, hollows, caves, steep rivers, and creeks with a short course that suddenly disappear under the earth and appear in another place before they turn flow into a river or the sea. In the sinkholes, river basins and karst fields, the red earth, washed from the steep mountain peaks deposed. These are the only areas which can be used for the cultivation of at least a few ground-crops such as corn, cabbage, peas, onions, corn and potatoes.

The entire area of the Dinaric Mountains was long ago covered with dense forests that humans used more and more through the centuries, and spent more and more destroyed, so some parts are now completely naked and only stand out the bright rocks. This fact also contributed to the many sheep and goats at which constituted the most important beings for the population in this area. Without these animals to survive in this area would have been impossible. The sheep still dated back to the ancient Illyrians and any other people in this area had to be forced to adapt to this way of life to survive.

Even if nowadays the majority of the population does not lead nomadic or semi-nomadic life this, so you can see it that it is not just a need for a cozy home. The majority of the budget is just improvised in any way. But why the clothing is very trimmed with exceptionally fine decorations, lots of jewelry and weapons. For the people and their way of life could be the old Latin saying " omnia mea mecum porto " ( "I carry everything with me." ) Can be applied.

It is understandable that the schafzüchtende population of this area also the raw material used for the preparation of their clothes in the first place, which was available to them most, and that was wool. In the textile manufacturing was used lamb or sheep's wool, while the Geißhaar used for bags and sheets, which were needed in the economic work.

The parts of the Dinaric men costumes

Dinaric men's costume

• A: Shirt ( košulja )
• B: pants ( hlače, " benevreci " )
• C: camisole, vest, vest ( prsluk, " krožet " )
• D: camisole, vest, vest ( prsluk, " jačerma " )
• E: Jacket ( kaput, " trlagan, kanparan, koret " )

The parts of the Dinaric women's costumes

Dinaric women's costume

• A: linen dress ( platnena " košulja " ), composed of:
• A1: women shirt ( peasant shirt, shoulder dress) ( " oplećka " ) and
• A2: lap ( " Krila, skuta " )
• B: wool skirt ( vunena " pregača " )
• C: Kittel ( on the dress ) ( Gornje sukneno Ruho " aljina, suknja, Modrina, bilača " )
• D: Skirt ( on the dress ) ( Gornje sukneno Ruho " sadak, zobun " )

The Adriatic coastal and island region

The Adriatic region hugs the Dinaric on, so there are no differences in the configuration and composition of the soil between them. It may also not certain boundary between these two areas are drawn. This is known as the Adriatic area only the narrow coastal strip, which usually descends steeply plunges into the blue of the sea and of course the thousands of islands that accompany such a dense ring the eastern Adriatic Sea.

The area with a mild, short winters and long, hot summer attracted many people to settle here. However, there are only a few areas that are editable, so that the man the fields themselves created, with inexhaustible diligence and own sweat, without the help of any auxiliary animals, as these are unsuitable for such terrain.

They were lucky if you could grow a little grain for their daily bread. Mainly fed you from the typical plants of the Mediterranean region, such as olives, grapes and figs. The most important animal was the sheep here. Everything else had to be bought, so that developed trade with the remotest areas along population of Konavle in the summer gown ( Southern Dalmatia ) of the Mediterranean here. Due to the continuous raids of foreign nations, such as the Venetians or the Turks, the people moved back to the remotest islands on the summits and the most secret corners of the coast. They lived in unbroken fear of raids and tried as much as possible to protect and save their lives. Only if you consider all this, one can also understand the various phenomena on the costumes.

The costumes in this area were generally influenced by those of other Mediterranean peoples, as well as the Ottomans and the fabrics are lighter.

The parts of the Adriatic Men's costumes ( from the island of Krk)

Adriatic male costume

• A: Shirt ( košulja " stomanja " )
• B: pants ( hlače " brageše " )
• C: camisole, vest, vest ( prsluk " koret " )
• D: jacket ( kaput " alja " )

The parts of the Adriatic women's costumes ( from Istria)

Adriatic women's costume

• A: linen dress ( platnena " košulja, stomanja " )
• B1: Upper garment ( Gornje Ruho " modrna " na " ŠKAS " ) from southern Istria
• B2: Detail view of the upper robe from behind
• C: Top Skirt ( Gornje sukneno Ruho suknja, " gogran, modrna na kline " )

Gallery

Folk costumes from Vrlika ( Southern Croatia )

Lace from Međimurje in the northwest