Maiden’s Festive Costume
Zaonezhye, Olonets Gubernia. Late 19th century
- Pearls, mother of pearl, colored glass, foil, stringing on horsehair, silk, galloon, gold fringe, brocade
- Тк-1727; В-2822; В-6752; Тк-1181
Shirt
(Modern reconstruction)
Maiden’s Crown
Pearls, mother of pearl, colored glass, foil
Ochelye — Net, Horns
Pearls, stringing on horsehair
Sarafan
Silk
Dushegreya
Brocade, galloon
The festive costume of the inhabitants of Zaonezhye — a peninsular in the north of Lake Onega — had many unusual decorations. “Wealthy maidens dressed in brocade and shtofny sarafans pulled in at the waist with a ribbon sash and a thin shirt with Polish (short) sleeves. They wore colored kerchiefs around their necks which did not hide their pearl necklaces; in their ears were large pearl earrings and on their heads, a podniz — a horsehair net woven with pearls which framed the forehead like lace and falls onto the ears. A podniz is made up of several types of lace, and the wealthier the maiden, the more types of lace. Some had a chelochek, a pearl crown, in addition to the net.” (Rybnikov 1991, 122).