Folklore of the World - Arts and Crafts

Brooches

Silver brooches were used to close the placket of the shirt, but also as decoration. The brooch on the left was worn by men, the one on the right by women. Some women wore more than one brooch. The amount and size of the brooches showed the wealth of the woman. In South Estonia, women tied a red ribbon under the collar. It was believed that red from the ribbon would reflect from the brooch to the cheeks and give the woman a beautiful glow.
The brooch on the left belongs to a member of our group, Sander, who got it as a gift from his grandmother. The brooch on the right belongs to Helin. It is a silver brooch made in 1939.

Garters

Garters were used by both men and women to keep the stockings up. Garters were made from coloured pieces of yarn that were left over from handicraft. For this reason, they often have colours of women’s skirts in them. These garters belong to Sander, a member of Maatasa, who made them himself.

Mittens

Mittens are very important in Estonian culture. Mittens were not only very useful during the winter, but they were also a common present and so they were knit with extreme care. Older mittens were two-colored, mostly blue and white. It was inspired by the winter, as in the winter the nature was two-colored as well. The patterns were also inspired by nature, bugs, plants, animals and snowflakes.

Peasant shoes

Peasant shoes were the most common footwear until the end of 19th century. They were worn everywhere, being suitable for both working and dancing. When the laces had been premade, the making took about an hour. Peasant shoes could be worn on both feet. They were worn in turns, so that they would stretch and be worn out at the same time. Men wore out 6-9 pairs and women 5-8 pairs in a year. The laces were crossed on top of the foot and up the leg. They were tied above the ankle or below the knee.

The sash

The sash was tied tightly around the waist. It was about 3 meters long and would be wrapped multiple times around the person wearing it, hiding the ends of the sash. While working, people could wear the long shirt without the skirt, but the sash definitely had to be worn. Little girls started wearing the sash at a young age to get thin waists. Eventually, women got so used to wearing the sashes, they would not even sleep without them. Every region had different sash patterns showing important symbols.

A woman's headpiece

In Estonia, married women would always wear a headpiece and an apron. This headpiece belongs to the national clothes of a 19th century Tarvastu woman. It is rare compared to the rest of Estonia because in this area, old traditions were kept very strictly and new trends were not acknowledged. It is also worth noting that in this region, married women’s hair was not cut off unlike the rest of Estonia. The red embroidered part was worn in the front and the corners were tied into a knot in the back. Red embroidery was very common in Estonia, it was believed that it would protect from harm. Shirt collars, edges of skirts and sleeves were embroidered with red so that evil wouldn’t get in. Every symbol had a meaning as well.