1. style and fashion
2. clothing

Latvian
Folk
Dress
Latvian
Folk
Dress
Ancient Latvian
Dress
7th-13th century
14th-17th century
Folk dress in Latvia has played and still plays an important symbolic role in the
preservation of national values and cultural heritage and in the creation of a
feeling of unity of the people. This occurred in the 1920s and 1930s, when the
independent Latvian nation was founded for the first time and interest in folk
dress was born; during the years of Soviet occupation; and after the renewal of
Latvian independence in 1991. Today folk dress has a different application than
in earlier centuries and now it is worn only on festive occasions or during performances. Nevertheless the great amount of interest that Latvians express in
folk dress has helped to preserve, research and popularise it.
Latvian Ethnic
Dress
18th-19th century
Regional differences
Vidzeme
Kurzeme
Zemgale
Sēlija
Latgale
Postethnographic
period
1
Latvian
Folk
Dress
Ancient
Latvian
Dress
Aizkraukle hillfort, populated in the 1st millennium AD.
There are two popular historic periods of specific traditions that
characterise Latvian dress: costume of the 7th-13th century that is often
referred to as “ancient dress” and clothing worn in the 19th century and
referred to as “ethnic” or “ethnographic dress”.
The Late Iron Age (9th-13th century) saw five main tribal realms
established in Latvia. The Baltic peoples comprised Sēļi (Selonians),
Zemgaļi (Semigallians), Latgaļi (Latgallians), and Kurši (Couronians). In
addition the Finno-Ugric Lībieši (Livs) were divided into Livs inhabiting
the shores of the country’s principle rivers, the Daugava and the Gauja;
and Livs in north-west Latvia, who differed in dress from the other two
Livonian peoples. Latvia’s five modern regions take their names from the
dominant tribal group to form Sēlija, later Augšzeme, in the south-east,
Zemgale in the mid-south, and Latgale in the east. Kurzeme in the west
and Vidzeme [Middle Land] in the central and northern parts are the
two regions where the local Baltic people assimilated the Liv people and
their traditions. A certain cultural exchange always existed among the
regions.
2
7th-13th century
During the 7th-13th centuries, the territory known today as Latvia was
already inhabited by its indigenous people: Baltic and Finno-Ugric tribes.
This was a period of freedom and relative prosperity. During this time, no
written or drawn records of people’s dress were created. Therefore the
only evidence of dress can be found through the help of archaeological
excavations.
In the 7th-13th centuries there was a tradition of decorating people’s
dress with bronze rings and spirals and of wearing bronze jewellery. This
tradition spread from Finland in the north to Prussia in the south but
had its most developed forms in the eastern part of the current Latvian
territory. The richest and most ornate garments and jewellery date from
the 11th and 12th centuries. Bronze helps to conserve the cloth that it
lies alongside, and therefore thanks to this tradition, many parts of cloth
have been comparatively well preserved and thus allow the researchers
to reconstruct festive apparel with a great deal of credibility.
From the 7th-13th centuries both men and women wore clothing that
was made from locally grown flax and fleece; shoes, belts, caps etc. were
made from leather and furs of domestic and wild animals. All clothing
was made at home while some of the jewellery was imported from
Scandinavia, ancient Rus and even the Arabic world. Cloth was most often
Ancient Latgallian dress of the 11th – 12th centuries.
3
Latvian
Folk
Dress
Ancient Latgallian and
Semigallian bronze jewellery,
10th – 12th centuries.
4
made in plain weave or twill.
The primary piece of clothing for both sexes was a collarless shirt made
from linen in the form of a long-sleeved tunic, long for women, shorter
for men, slit and fastened at the neck with a brooch. Sleeves of the shirt
and other garments did not end in cuffs. Bracelets worn over the shirt
held the sleeves around the arm tightly instead. Men’s graves offer an
alternative practice, showing thin leather thongs up to a metre long
strung with bronze spirals. These laces tied several times around the
sleeves (more often on the left arm) and thus had the same function
as bracelets.
Men would also wear linen trousers while women would wear a woollen
skirt that was just a rectangular piece of cloth wrapped around the body
and fastened with a tablet-woven sash.
Above these primary garments both men and women wore a woollen
tunic-shaped coat with a V-neck. A woven sash for women and a leather
belt for men were worn over the coat. The most prosperous men’s belts
were richly decorated with bronze, with pendants added, and such a
belt was the most exclusive piece of men’s jewellery.
People walked with bare legs on regular days, while for festive occasions
they wrapped their legs with linen or woollen cloth starting from the
foot and up to the knee. Woollen leg-wraps were sometimes decorated
with bronze. Footwear consisted of leather shoes (with a sole), boots or
simple one-piece shoes tied with laces. For keeping themselves warm,
people would also wear capes that could reach 2,2 m in length. Capes
were usually fastened with large fibulas, mostly in the form of a horseshoe. A special cape or shawl for women was a woollen piece of cloth,
approximately 0,7-1,2 m in size. This was often ornamented with bronze
rings and spirals and tablet-woven bands with picked ornaments which
made this shawl the most exclusive garment for women in eastern
Latvia. It was fastened over the chest with a horse-shoe fibula or a pin.
People’s head coverings included linen/woollen scarves or bronze
crowns for women and linen, woollen or fur caps for men. Head
coverings were often decorated with bronze spirals. The most popular
form of women’s metal crowns was composed of wire spirals threaded
onto lengths of spun wool, held together at intervals with figured metal
plaques. The multiple strands of wool separate and form dividing tails to
increase the decorative area. Ancient costume researcher Anna Zarina
suggests that metal crowns were worn by young girls and women of all
ages, also after marriage. This pre-Christian tradition can be observed in
archaeological excavations where crowns are found in most women’s
graves irrespective of their age.
As there were no pockets in the clothing of the time, one of the
most important accessories was the belt or sash, which not only held
garments in place, but was also used to attach the small necessary items
that people carried with them (knife, purse, keys, tablets, drinking horn,
etc.).
Children’s clothing followed the adult principles however it is most likely
that small boys did not have trousers. In addition the jewellery worn
by small children usually did not contain certain types, i.e. crowns, neck
rings and pins.
As to the colours of the dress, the garments were usually monochromatic
with the exception of the rich women’s blue and white tartan shawls of
the 12th and 13th centuries. Linen garments were natural grey or white,
while woollen garments were seldom left white, with an exception
of some female shawls. Natural dyes of local origin – barks, leaves,
grasses and roots that were gathered in the wild – were used for dyeing
woollen yarn. Brown was probably achieved with the same plants as in
the nineteenth century – namely various tree barks (oak, alder, juniper),
other plants like various species of Potentilla, St John’s Wort (Hypericum
perforatum L.) and broad beans, amongst others. Folklore texts suggest
5
Latvian
Folk
Dress
of protection, fertility, and well-being.
There were no remarkable regional differences between the dress of the
local Baltic tribes, while more variation could be observed in jewellery.
The most typical Semigallian item was pins with cross-shaped heads
for women and silver neck rings for both women and men. One of
the characteristic pieces of Couronian jewellery was a richly decorated
drinking horn attached to the belt of men, women and even children.
Latgallian women used a neck ring with plated overlapping ends, and
later added flat pendants. Other kinds of jewellery included: the typical
Latgallian male “warrior’s” bracelet; groups of different fibulas; pins;
bracelets; necklaces, multiple chains, or cowry and glass beads were also
popular for women. Rings for both men and women - especially the
very popular spiral rings - appeared through the 3rd to 16th centuries.
Graves between the 10th and 13th centuries reveal rings worn on all
ten fingers.
the use of brown might have had a mythological meaning of protection
and healing. Red was coloured by the lady’s bedstraw plant (Galium
verum L.) and marjoram (Oreganum vulgaris L.), traditional and important
dye plants for red. The most popular plant for yellow was Stag’s-horn
Stubmoss (Lycopodium clavatum L.) and Yellow Chamomile (Anthemis
tinctoria L.). Green was most often dyed with yarrow (Achillea millefolium
L.) and leaves of silver birch (Betula pendula Roth syn. B. verrucosa Ehrh.).
For the colour blue, a specially grown plant, woad (Isatis tinctoria L.),
was used. The most popular colours for woollen garments were brown
and blue. According to the archaeological record, most women’s skirts
were coloured brown and most shawls, especially those decorated with
bronze, were coloured blue. Men’s and women’s coats were most often
either brown or blue; the same can be said for men’s capes. A natural
grey colour was more popular for everyday clothing. Other colours – red,
green, yellow – were mostly used for small decorations and in tabletwoven sashes and bands.
All ornamentation in every material is geometric, starting with simple lines
and crosses and ending with advanced geometric – and almost always
symmetrical - patterns. The most complex design in ornamentation is in
tablet-woven sashes worn by females, especially advanced in Liv tribes,
and shawl borders. The most complex bronze ornaments also appear
on shawls, and the front decoration of high status men’s coats. It is fairly
evident that ornamentation had some kind of meaning and was not
purely decorative. The signs so far interpreted mostly incorporate ideas
6
The Livs, a Finno-Ugric tribe that inhabited the lands around the Gulf of
Rīga in the Baltic Sea, developed a distinctive tradition in women’s dress
and in clothing decoration. The most common form of the Liv women’s
skirt was similar to that of the Vikings, namely – a pinafore or apron dress,
usually coloured blue. It was held together on the shoulders with the so
called tortoise brooches or pins which were connected with chains and
various pendants added. The most popular pendants were in the form
of a bird; however bear’s fangs were also common. Richly decorated
knives were also used as jewellery and added to the brooch chains. The
tradition of decorating their clothing, especially women’s shawls with
tin buttons in addition to bronze is also unique in this area. Liv women
did not wear crowns as they usually wore a head cloth that could be
decorated with bronze spirals and rings or tin buttons. Liv men’s clothing
does not show as much variation from that of other local tribes.
To keep themselves warm in winter, people wore fur coats, felt capes and
most probably also woollen underwear. Woollen leg-wraps were worn
together with leather boots or bast shoes. Both men and women wore
fur caps. Wealthy people could afford naalbinded mittens and socks.
In the 12th and 13th centuries a new form of women’s crown appeared
– it was made of red or brown woollen cloth and ornamented with
glass beads. This form of crown for young girls survived until the 19th
century.
Ancient Liv dress of
the 11th century.
7
14th-17th century
German crusaders arrived in the first half of the 13th century and the
Latvian territories were gradually conquered. Germans remained the
ruling class in Latvia until the early 20th century, thus influencing the
dress of local people. Under German rule the living conditions of local
people worsened and the tradition of decorating clothing with bronze
disappeared. The use of bronze jewellery also diminished significantly.
This led to the consequence that very little clothing was preserved in
gravesites. Therefore our knowledge of people’s clothing in the 14th17th centuries is limited.
However, written and drawn records gradually started to appear,
reflecting local dress in the 17th and 18th centuries. From these drawings
we can see that the traditions of ancient dress survived to a great extent,
as many garments are very similar. Linen tunics remained of the same
cut, as did woollen coats, however a front opening fastened with hooks
became more prevalent, especially in men’s clothing. Women’s skirts,
in addition to the older style of just a rectangular piece of fabric, were
now also fixed to the sash in small folds. Most of the garments were still
monochromatic, and stripes were rare. Knitwear began to appear in the
15th century, evidenced by the first knitted woman’s cap. Naalbinded
items gradually disappeared and the tradition of knitted mittens, gloves
8
and socks developed to perfection, reflecting
regional differences in ornament and taste in colour.
Starting from the 16th century, imported European broadcloth
reached Latvian peasants, and clothes made from it were considered
to be a sign of wealth. However there is much less jewellery from this
period, and we can observe that its old forms had mostly disappeared.
The only exception is the girls’ crowns that continued to be made either
of bronze plate or red fabric that was ornamented with glass beads of
various colours. These crowns had coloured pendants fastened at the
back of them, but slowly these pendants disappeared and were worn
in only a few parishes in the 19th century. Rings and beads made by
guild craftsmen in feudal towns are frequently observed, as are various
pendants (small animal figurines, coins, animal teeth); unfortunately the
significance of these pendants is unclear. The older types of fibulas that
were usually in the shape of a horseshoe were superseded by circular
or heart-shaped brooches. One of the most popular items of women’s
jewellery was a string of cowrie shell beads. During this period, the
most creative aspect and largest regional variations can be observed in
women’s head coverings, while other parts of clothing remained fairly
uniform.
9
Latvian
Folk
Dress
Latvian
Ethnic
Dress
Alsunga dress from
Kurzeme, 19th century.
10
11
Latvian
Folk
Dress
Latvian peasants in the drawings of J. C. Brotze,
end of the 18th century.
18th-19th century
We have most knowledge of Latvian ethnic dress of the late 18th and
19th centuries as most records and items of festive clothing have been
preserved from this period. This also helps to understand the traditions
of previous generations, as a large part of 19th century festive clothing
was not created during the lifetime of just one generation.
Written records from the 18th century affirm that the most common
colour of Latvian peasant’s dress was the natural white and grey of
linen and wool. The records suggest that the favourite colours of
Latvians and Lithuanians were white or light grey, and thus they could
be distinguished from their neighbours, as Russians preferred bright
colours, while Estonians dressed in black. Until the beginning of the
19th century, when natural dyes were still used, most Latvians’ clothes
were natural grey, while for decoration they kept to the century-old
traditional four-colour scheme of blue, red, yellow, and green.
The most significant source of information on Latvian peasants’ dress
in the late 18th and early 19th centuries is drawings and descriptions
by Johan Christoff Brotze (1742-1823). In his drawings he depicts local
people, showing not only festive clothing, but also work clothing.
•During the 19th century, linen tunic-shaped shirts were still the main
12
garment worn. Work shirts still looked very similar to the ancient ones.
For festive occasions, however, there were now variations of collars, cuts,
and embroidery (most often in white, sometimes red and very rarely,
black). Shirts were pinned with small smooth or relief ring-shaped or
heart-shaped brooches. Sometimes there was a row of brooches down
the front opening of the shirt. Women’s linen shirts usually consisted of
two parts. The visible upper part was made of fine linen cloth, but the
lower part that was hidden under the skirt was made of crude linen.
Above the shirt, Latvian women wore long skirts, coats of various length
(longer in the 18th century and waist-length coats or vests in the 19th
century), and woollen shawls instead of cloaks.
Often the only jewellery worn by Latvian women were silver brooches
with thimble-like bubbles, red glass “stones” or beads and numerous
tiny silver “leaves”. These were worn on the chest, usually as fasteners for
shawls. Young girls wore crowns that were made of cardboard covered
in cloth and embroidered with glass beads, tinsel, and thin brass rings.
Latvians did not often wear amber beads although the material was
easily accessible on the shores of the Baltic Sea. Rather they preferred
glass beads and silver coins. There was no tradition of wearing earrings
in the entire territory of Latvia.
At the turn or the 19th century, men wore homespun coats, mostly of
a natural grey colour, that were decorated with red, green or blue cord
and matching appliqué on the sleeves. Buttons were used for fastening
the coat.
In summer, linen overcoats were worn.
Men’s clothes of dark blue, brown or natural black appeared in the
second half of the 19th century when industrially-made cloth was used
for festive clothing. Men wore vests for special occasions. Both long and
down-to-the knee trousers were in use.
13
Latvian
Folk
Dress
Winter dress from Vidzeme, 19th century.
In winter both men and women wore long, homespun woollen or fur
coats.
When festive dress was no longer new, it was used for daily wear.
A distinctive place was assigned to mittens and gloves, which were
probably not used in such great quantities by any other people. Mittens
were commonly given as gifts, especially at weddings when a bride
would present them to all the relatives of the groom, and also at funerals,
to those who dug the grave and took part in the ceremony. Ornamented
mittens were such an integral part of men’s festive clothing that they
would be placed behind the belt even in summer.
Latvian ethnic dress shows a great variety of ornamentation or “raksts” (in
Latvian – writing). Gloves, mittens, socks, sashes, coats, shawls and shirts
were adorned with woven, knitted or embroidered ornamentation.
14
These patterns do not display such abundant regional variety as does
the clothing as a whole. The ornamentation of the 17th-19th century has
a closer link with the town jeweller than with ancient tradition. However,
the ancient symbols or fertility and wellbeing – the sun, moon, cross,
swastika, snake, double-eared stalk and others, were integrated into
ornamentation in later centuries. The most vivid use of ornamentation
was usually on a white background with red, blue, green and yellow
– natural dyes obtained form plants. Mittens and sashes had the most
diverse ornamental compositions as they were produced in great
numbers and had to differ from each other. Ornamentation grew more
vivid in colour with the introduction of chemical dyes in the second half
of the 19th century.
Bast and leather footwear was similar all over Latvia. When working or
travelling, people bound linen wraps around their feet and calves. Their
shoes were sandals made of a simple piece of leather that was drawn
together by strings through small holes. Footwear, especially that which
was worn in winter, could also be made from linden or willow bast.
Only on Sundays and festive occasions women sometimes wore real
shoes with a hard sole and men wore leather boots. Shoes and boots
were made of black leather and worn very carefully on festive occasions
or to church. One pair could therefore almost last a lifetime. Woollen
ornamented socks, and later cotton stockings were worn with festive
clothes. Woollen socks or stockings for winter were either white or
decorated with coloured ornaments or stripes. Each parish developed
a particular ornament and adopted a set of colours. Both men and
women tied their stockings under the knee with woven bands.
15
Latvian
Folk
Dress
Valka
Valmiera
Limbaži
V ID ZE M E
Ventspils
Trikāta
Alūksne
Launkalne
Cēsis
Talsi
Abrene
Gulbene
Balvi
Jūrmala
Kuldīga
Tukums
Alsunga
Regional diferences
There are five regions in Latvia with their own specific traditions in dialect,
housing, and dress. These regions are Kurzeme in the west, Zemgale in
the mid-south, Selija in the south-east, Latgale in the east and Vidzeme
in the central and northern parts of Latvia. Kurzeme and Vidzeme are
the two regions where the local Baltic people assimilated the Liv people
and their traditions. Yet regional borders were not strictly marked and
a certain cultural exchange always existed. Regional variations were
the most pronounced in women’s dress: in their cuts and the colourschemes, embroidery techniques and compositions, and the decoration
of sashes, shawls, mittens and socks. Everyday clothing, footwear and
men’s head coverings were relatively similar all over Latvia. Headgear
and men’s outdoor clothes were the first to undergo the influence of
town fashion and that of military uniforms. There were few regional
differences in men’s clothing, and the main variations manifested in
details.
16
KURZEME
Liepāja
Saldus
Rīga
Madona
Ogre
Jelgava
Aizkraukle
Dobele
ZE M GA L E
Bauska
Nīca
Cesvaine
Vecpiebalga
Jēkabpils
Rēzekne
Līvāni
Ludza
L ATG A LE
Preiļi
Krāslava
Daugavpils
17
Latvian
Folk
Dress
18
19
Latvian
Folk
Dress
Vidzeme
The brightest garment of women’s dress in Vidzeme was the skirt,
which was multicoloured, and existed in many different variations:
most frequently they were striped, but occasionally were also tartan
or patterned. Stripes were characteristic for the first half of the 19th
century, while tartan became popular in the second half. When stripes
predominated, they even adorned men’s trousers and vests. Despite
the bright colours, the overall effect was rather subdued because of
the balance between the bright stripes and grey, brown and black
ones. The white woollen shawls were richly embroidered and reached
halfway to the wearer’s calf. In summer they were substituted with
20
white patterned linen shawls of the same size. In cold weather, women
sheltered themselves under felt capes or tartan scarves. The white
festive shawls were held in place with silver brooches while the capes
and scarves were never pinned. In most parts of Vidzeme, bodices and
coats, as well as waist-length vests were very popular. They were made
of dark wool in blue, green, brown, grey, black and sometimes also in
white. Throughout Vidzeme, married women covered their heads with
so-called tower-caps, usually of white linen and sometimes tied with a
silk scarf.
Launkalne and Piebalga dress, 19th century.
21
Latvian
Folk
Dress
Kurzeme
Apart from the traditions of Latvians and Livs – the indigenous people
– the dress of Kurzeme reflects the traditions of two neighbouring
peoples: Lithuanians and Estonians. A Polish influence can also be seen
in the dress of Alsunga, from Polish peasants who worked there in the
17th century.
Until the middle of the 19th century, women wore a dark monocolured
skirt (often green, grey, or black), and a white shawl embroidered around
the edges. In some areas dark blue shawls were popular with small
jingling bronze leaves attached to the lower edge of the shawl, so that
the wearer could be heard when approaching. An apron belonged to
the festive dress, but its use died out in the 19th century, remaining only
as a part of Liv women’s festive clothing. A widespread tradition in some
parts of Kurzeme was for both men and women to wear bronze belts.
In the seaside districts, people adorned their clothes with small amber
22
brooches and strings of beads made from pieces of amber collected on
the sea-shore. Women usually wore head cloths or wife’s caps; in several
areas young girls still had the tradition of wearing bronze crowns.
In the 1850s and 60s the dress of Kurzeme underwent radical changes. In
many areas bright chemical-dye colours superseded the previous colour
scheme for skirts, as bright stripes appeared in the north and east of
Kurzeme and bright red in the southwest. A characteristic feature for the
bright monochrome skirts was the ornamented lower edge, sometimes
made from a band of a different colour. Vests and jackets were also often
decorated with bands of various colours, trimmings, embroidery and
decorative buttons. In south-western Kurzeme shawls were worn around
the body and fastened with a silver brooch on the right shoulder. Wives’
caps went out of use and various industrially-produced silk scarves
and wraps became popular. The women of Kurzeme never wore just
one scarf. In winter they covered their
heads with a linen scarf and layered
a home-made tartan scarf on top.
The corners of the scarf were then
crossed in front and tied at the
back.
The clothing of Kurzeme, more than in other regions,
contains industrially-produced textiles and clothing
accessories – silk, velvet, brocade, glass, metal – either
imported or produced by local manufacturers.
Nīca and Tukums dress, 19th century.
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Latvian
Folk
Dress
Zemgale
Zemgale dress bears some traits of Finno-Ugric traditions, especially
in the earliest examples of its garments. Atypical for a border region,
it does not show any resemblance to Lithuanian clothing. Zemgale is
the region which was most industrialised and economically developed
during the 17th and 18th centuries. Many peasants were employed in
manufacturing and learned advanced techniques of patterned textile
production. This influenced Zemgale dress: its typical skirt has vertical
weft-patterned stripes. The most common is the rose motif; while
zigzags, diamonds and triangles also appear. A wide woven sash was
worn above the skirt – it was usually patterned with red suns and
crosses alternating on a white background, and with a thin thread of
blue or green along the centre line.
The economic prosperity of the region led to the earlier loss of national
dress. The first items to vanish in the 19th century were the maiden’s
crown and wife’s head cloth, as well as the white woollen shawls and
their brooches. Silk scarves came into use instead of crowns and head
cloths. However, homemade white linen scarves with coloured threads
were everyday headwear for married women and girls alike. Skirts
remained in production for the longest period, as they were often made
by professional weavers.
Zemgale dress, 19th century.
24
25
Latvian
Folk
Dress
Sēlija
Selija or Augszeme is the smallest ethnic region as most of the Selonians
actually live in the current territory of Lithuania. This is also why many
traits similar to that of Lithuanian dress can be observed here. The
most unique garment is the linen shirt - tunic-shaped with sewed-in
shoulderpieces – which demonstrates an ancient tradition which is
not known anywhere else in the Baltic. The most typical Selija skirt has
vertical stripes with tiny patterns or batiked yarn. The band of patterning
has most often herringbone motifs, zigzags or twisted bicoloured yarn.
In addition, brightly striped or tartan skirts were also worn. The most
elaborate garment was the white woollen shawl, richly embroidered
along the edges. These were the same as the Latgale shawls. The married
women’s head cloth resembled similar garments from Lithuania – they
were very long (up to 3.5m), made of fine linen and tied around the head
in various sophisticated ways. Also similar to Lithuanian dress, a white
linen apron could be added to Selija female festive clothes. Similarly to
Zemgale, Selija traditional dress became obsolete in the 1860s.
Sēlija dress, 19th century.
26
27
Latvian
Folk
Dress
Northern and southern Latgale dress,
19th century.
Latgale
Latgale is the region that demonstrates the most international
influences in traditional dress, due to the close ties with neighbouring
peoples: Estonians and Russians in the north and Belarussians, Selonians
and Lithuanians in the south. Latgale dress therefore reflects northern
and southern traditions through the cut, colours and decoration of the
clothing. In the north, linen garments were usually not made in plain
weave, as was the norm in the rest of Latvia. Bird’s eye twill was used
for the upper section of the shirt, sometimes also satin weave. Shirts
also had red inlaid or woven patterns on the shoulders and on the
shoulderpieces. Skirts were usually white with a red-patterned lining on
the lower edge. In the south, linen tunic shirts were of more traditional
28
cut, sometimes with a very narrow red-decorated shoulderpiece. The
skirt had vertical stripes of naturally dyed, but bright colours. The white
woollen shawls of this area of Latvia can be distinguished by their size
and their richly embroidered ornaments in dark blue, yellow, green and
red. Shawls that reflected the traditions of the 12th century – made
of blue and white tartan linen – were quite common components of
summer attire.
Characteristic throughout Latgale was the intense use of linen in clothing,
as garments such as shawls and skirts for summer festive dress were often
made from linen. In colder weather, large tartan woollen scarves were
tied around the wearer’s head and shoulders. Aprons were often a part
of the festive dress of Latgale, however they were
never worn together with woven sashes. Jackets
were seldom part of festive dress but when they
were used they, too, excluded a sash. Later tartan
skirts of various colours became popular in all of
Latgale, but generally the use of the traditional
dress ceased in the 1870s and 80s. Latgale was
the region where industrially-produced clothes were
seldom used by peasants: all garments were usually homemade. In Latgale, bast footwear from linden bark or tow cord
was more popular than in other regions.
29
Latvian
Folk
Dress
Post-etnographic
period
The Song and Dance Festival takes place every four years.
Tens of thousands participate.
30
For centuries the craft of making clothes for the whole family was
women’s business. Men took part in making footwear. This continued
until the second part of the 19th century, when the job of making
outdoor clothing was taken over by professional tailors. In the beginning,
they also produced hand-made clothes but soon sewing machines
appeared and became widely used throughout Latvia. However, shirts
and skirts remained hand-made until the beginning of the 20th century,
especially in remote areas.
Industrial growth, migration and contacts between people of different
parishes, regions and even countries led to more rapid changes in
people’s dress. The influence of the town grew in the latter half of the
19th century and town clothing gradually superseded ethnic dress as
daily attire. Regretfully, by the end of the 19th century, ethnic dress had
31
Latvian
Folk
Dress
A photo from the film Latvian Wedding in Nīca, produced in 1931,
shows local people wearing their original dresses.
almost completely disappeared. However in some remote districts with
strong national awareness and traditions, such as Alsunga, Rucava and
Nīca (in Kurzeme), ethnic dress continued to be worn as festive clothing
until the 1940s.
The revival of folk dress as dress for festive occasions occurred during
the first era of the Republic of Latvia in the 1920s and 1930s. There
was great interest in the newly established nation and the history and
culture of its people. Partly this was because earlier, the popularisation
of Latvian values was prohibited, and partly this was because people
had to work on lifting their own level of self-confidence after 700 years
of oppression. From the mid-1920s, ethnographic expeditions began
to travel throughout Latvia as ordered by the Monuments Authority,
gathering all possible remaining evidence about the traditional life of the
people, including folk dress. In this way a large collection of elements of
authentic folk dress was established, which ended up in the collection
of the National Museum of History. One of the most active folk dress
researchers and promoters was Ādolfs Karnups and Elga Kivicka, who in
1938 published an overview of the ethnographic costumes of Latvian
regions, identifying the characteristic features of each. The publication
was created based on folk dress elements from each district which were
32
held by the museum. Using the place of origin as the main principle
of composition, unfortunately ensembles were created using elements
of dress which had rarely been worn by the same person – that is,
there could be an interval of around 100 years in the dating of various
elements of dress in the ensembles. Nevertheless the influence of this
publication was huge, and it influenced a majority of folk dress makers.
These costumes were made for choir singers, theatre performances and
individual wearers. In the 1930s interest in folk dress was so great that
not only the society ladies in Rīga, but even women in the outermost
corners of Latvia strove to get a self-made or pre-ordered folk costume.
The making of folk dress for the needs of choirs and dancing ensembles
was preserved also during the period of Soviet occupation after the
Second World War, a rarely-permitted expression of patriotism.
When the folklore movement began in the late 1970s, with the aim of
reviving ancient folk songs and traditions, all participants in folkloric
groups acquired folk dress. A majority of Latvian choirs, dance ensembles
and participants in folkloric groups still wear ethnographic folk dress
when performing. However, during the time of occupation some choirs
attempted to make themselves ancient dress. The wearing of ancient
costumes in the folklore movement was begun by the men’s group
33
Latvian
Folk
Dress
“Vilki” in the 1990s. Since then the making and wearing of ancient dress
has become fairly popular and is particularly practised by those who are
interested in Latvia’s more ancient and often romanticized past.
In the 21st century, folk dress – both ethnographic and ancient – can be
seen in Latvia in a number of contexts. A large collection of ethnographic
and ancient dress and their replicas is found in the collection of the
Latvian National History Museum and part of this is able to be viewed
in the museum exhibition. The dresses which can be seen there are
as authentic as possible, taking into account not only the place of
origin, but also the dating of the garments. On special occasions folk
dress can also be seen worn by contemporary people. The largest folk
costume parade in Latvia is once every four years in the Latvian Song
and Dance Celebration. During this celebration, even the leaders of the
nation wear folk costume. Each summer also smaller-scale school and
student song festivals are held, as well as regional festivals. Every three
34
years the Folklore festival “Baltica” is held. A majority of Latvian choirs
and dance ensembles, as well as all folklore ensembles wear folk dress
when performing in concerts, events and city festivities. Ancient dress
is worn by participants of living history and re-enactment groups at
various festivals and city festivities. Individuals tend to also wear folk
dress on midsummer night’s eve, called Jāņi, on 23 June and on the
Latvian Independence Day on 18 November. Occasionally folk dress is
also worn at weddings.
Since the revival of folk dress one hundred years ago, the popular opinion
has been adopted, that the person who is wearing folk dress has not just
dressed up, but is also demonstrating all of the best they have to offer.
The wearing of folk dress is therefore associated with goodness, purity,
noble-mindedness and ceremony. Alongside Latvian folk songs and
traditions, Latvian folk dress symbolises the national historical values
which have been passed on from generation to generation.
35
Latvian
Folk
Dress
Further reading:
1. Bremze, Zile, Velta Rozenberga and Ilze Zingite Latviesu tautas terpi.
Vidzeme = Latvian National Costumes. Vidzeme Vol. I Latvijas Vestures muzejs,
Riga, 1995.
2. Bremze, Zile, Velta Rozenberga and Ilze Zingite Latviesu tautas terpi.
Kurzeme = Latvian National Costumes. Kurzeme Vol. II Latvijas Vestures muzejs,
Riga, 1997.
3. Bremze, Zile, Velta Rozenberga and Ilze Zingite Latviesu tautas terpi.
Zemgale, Augszeme, Latgale = Latvian National Costumes. Zemgale, Augszeme,
Latgale Vol. III Latvijas Vestures muzejs, Riga, 2003.
4. Zeiere, Irita Arheologiskas liecibas par apgerbu Latvija 13.-18. gadsimta.
[Archaeological evidence of the 13th-18th century dress in Latvia.] Latvijas
Nacionalais vestures muzejs, Riga, 2008. [Contains English summary.]
© The Latvian Institute, 2009
© Text and concept: Ieva Pīgozne, National History Museum of Latvia
Consultant: Ilze Ziņģīte, National History Museum of Latvia
Special thanks to people who dressed up in their personal folk costumes:
Auza family, Kristīne Kārkle, Līga Kurpniece, Dagnija Kupča, Mirdza Pabērza, Dagnija Pārupe,
Ieva Pīgozne, A.Pumpure, Laura Raipale, Iveta Rubīna, Tukums Museum
Photo credits: V.Kleins „Fotobnaka”, M.Kudrjavcevs, I.Lazdiņa, A.Puriņš, A.Liepiņš, V.Poļakovs,
I.Urtāns, I.Znotiņš
Original drawings: J.C.Brotze (Latvian Academic Library)
36
The Latvian Institute promotes knowledge about Latvia abroad. It produces
publications in several languages on many aspects of Latvia.
For further information please contact the Latvian Embassy or Consulate in your country, or the
Latvian Institute:
Latvijas institūts, Kaļķu iela 7, Rīga, LV 1050, Latvia.
Phone: (+371) 6750-3663
Fax: (+371) 6750-3669
E-mail: info@li.lv
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