Material and spiritual culture of ethnos

Material and spiritual culture of ethnos

·         Belarusians, self-name Belarusians. Language - Belarusian, east Slavic group, is divided into three main groups of dialects - southwest, central, northeast. As a part of Belarusians there are ethnographic groups - Polishchuk and Litvinov, differing some features of a life and culture.

National clothes

The culture of Belarusians started to get an ethnic originality with the XIV-XVI centuries, in the course of formation of the Belarusian nationality. The roots going to the general east Slavic traditions, it at the same time has specific, characteristics. The bright originality is shown in national clothes, where a distinctive feature - a wide circulation of white color. With this feature even ethnonym the Belarusian. White were not only shirts, summer female skirts and man's trousers, but it is frequent also the outer, warm clothing. The man's suit throughout centuries changed a little: the shirt embroidered with an ornament on release, belted a bright wattled or knitted belt, wide linen or cloth trousers, sometimes a sleeveless jacket.

The female suit is especially picturesque: the thin linen shirt is decorated with a bright two-colored or multi-color pattern, favorite - red and white with addition black and green. Over a linen skirt - woolen or half-woolen andarak - a skirt from a striped or checkered fabric. Indispensable attribute - an apron decorated with an embroidery or laces. The same addition - a velvet, brocade, satiny sleeveless jacket of individual furnish. Suites, zhupans started, sheepskin casings -outer clothing for a cold season. Footwear - bast shoes, boots, boots, felt boots. Headdresses - peculiar linen bastings at women, straw, round wide-brimmed hats, felt and sheepskin caps.

National customs and ceremonies

Traditional ceremonies accompanied the main family and public holidays. Wedding from courtship included eves - modular Saturday, sit downing the groom and the bride on the slouch, a unwinding and plait repayment, transfer of the bride to the house of the groom to which the special loaf was baked. The birth of the child - the homeland, christening in which the main the midwife, the godfather and the godmother, distribution by the porridge reel, are sung baptismal songs is widely celebrated. Funeral - a ceremony with lamentations, on commemoration is observed ritual dishes - kantsy, kutya, trickled pastries.

Calendar and agricultural ceremonies are various: a Christmas and New Year's Christmas-tide - Christmas carols, Easter (The Great Day) in which Christian and pagan traditions are equally respected and esteemed and dictates an originality as behavior, and the covered table. Among such holidays - spring Semukh and a Trinity, decorated with young greens, Kupalye - with fires, a bathing, search of a magic flower. Summer - zazhinka and dozhinka - the beginning and the harvest end. The spring and autumn Remembrance days of ancestors - a radunitsa (parental day) and the Grandfathers falling on the last Sunday of October.

All ceremonies include songs, chants, psalms. The Belarusian folklore also descends in the traditions to other Slavic people. Legends, fairy tales on athletes, on the best share bear a cheerfulness charge. The theater of buffoons, puppet theater - a batleyka are traditional. The ethnic originality notes national arts and crafts: woodcarving, ceramics, weaving from a rod, straw, weaving, an embroidery. Products of national crafts traditionally become usual for Belarusians. Ceremonies in the majority were accompanied by game on national musical instruments. These are a psaltery and cymbals, a tambourine and a violin, every possible panpipes.