Lonely Planet Kyrgyzstan: Brings you its Clothing Art –Part 1

I came across this country, being not so prominent howsoever, rich in culture and heritage. It has treasures of snow leopards, monuments and intricate clothing style.

Kyrgyzstan (/kɜːrɡɪˈstɑːn/ kur-gi-STAHN) is central Asian country along the Silk Road. The Tian Shan Mountains surrounds the country. In the south, it is captured by a huge busy bazar of the millennia old city Osh. Its capital is Bishkek and is the largest city.

Kyrgyzstan is bordered by Kazakhstan to the north, Uzbekistan to the west and southwest, Tajikistan to the southwest and China to the east.

In Kyrgyzstan, many places lure to visit, which I will cover in next part.

Here in this section, I am elaborating the clothing style of Kyrgystan.

Image 1 Map

 Traditional Clothing Style Kyrgyzstan

Being surrounded by mountains and situated in colder region, people had nomadic style of living. This demanded them to wear clothes which should be

1.      Light and comfortable, to enable them to ride on horseback.

2.      Clothes had to be strong, uncomplicated, and could be home made.

3.      It must reliably protect people from cold of mountain climate.

Material which was commonly used coarse wool, leather, felt, and fur for commoners. However, noble families could afford to wear fabrics from the towns of Great Silk Road.

As the kyrgz are animal herding, their clothes trend to be made out of wool, leather of livestock animals they raise.

People in different part of Kyrgyzstan wear different types of clothes.

In southern part, people dress more conservatively due to Islamic tradition. They also prefer more colourful clothes than of North Kyrgyzstan people.

In Northern part, Women dressing are a work of Art. Top their heads are tall, cylindrical caps draped with giant head scarves- red for unmarried and white for married, which flow behind them like super heroes capes. 

CHAPAN:

it is kind of outerwear,  padded coat made of strong and warm woolen fabric, with buttons and high collar. 

Image 2: Chapan

Image 3 Chapan 

Chyptama:  Young women wear sleeveless jackets of coloured velvet. Married women wear skirts with fur and patterned embroidery. Patterned embroidery is called Beldemchi.

It is common to see coats of fur of wolves, ermines, rabbits, hares, marmots, foxes, squirrels, sables, and minks.

Image 4: Chyptama

Ak Kalpak:   It is traditional hat worn by men. It is a hat made in white felt. It is in shape of turban.

Image 5: Ak Kalpak

 

 Elechek:  A hat made in fine white muslin. It is traditionally worn by married women. 

Image 6: Elechek

Paypag is thick felt stockings worn with boots.

This is most common footwear among the Kyrgyz. It may be referred as Boots with high tops an narrow, slightly turned up noses, often with thick felt stockings.

The other shoes of Kyrgyzstan are “Chokoy”, “Paycheck”, “Charik”. The first are worn by poor.

Chokoy are the boots, has stocking like shape, made on one-piece of skin up to the knees.

Pychek has no top, a one-piece of skin with a narrow leather strip which was tied around the ankle. Charik is made in tanned skin of horse or Ox.

Image 7: Chokoy

Image 8 : Felt Boots 

Image 9: Pychek

Image 10: Chokoy

Image 11: Pychek

Image 12: Booties

Image 13: Shoe Bazaar Kyrgyzstan

Image 14: Shoe bazaar Kyrgyzstan

Women Dressing:  This is a work of prominence which is highlighted when they wear long, bright-red dresses, with red vest over them. Vest is attached with an amazing mosaic of bling. Plastic shirt buttons in dozens are sewn around the collar. A sun –shaped brass brooches and leather pouches containing verses of kuran is also visible with it.

What are more observatories are the coins, keys, shells, and perfume bottles, nail clippers pinned to chest and eagle claws. This all together makes jingling voices of wind chime tone.

Married women are also seen wearing skirts with broad belts, bright colours, and rich ornamentation.

Image 15: Nomad dressing

Image 16: Women Dressing 

Image 17: Bust ornaments

Image 18: Dressing  women headgears

Image 19: Velvet sleeveless jacket 

Image 20: Head gear

Image 21: headgear

Image 22; Complete women dressing Kyrgyzstan

Image 23: Culture 

Image 24: Chapan

Image 25: Head gear of women

Image 26: Women head gear styles

Image 27: Women head gear styles 

Image 28: Kyrgyzstan women

Image 29: Kyrgyzstan women dressing 

Image 30: Kyrgyzstan headgears

Image 31: Kyrgyzstan nomadic women dressing style

The hair is styles in two or more long braids affixed with silver ornaments. They wear multiple necklaces and rings on each finger and thumbs, except the middle one. Series of danglers, bracelets are further part of ornamentation.

Details of women Dress.

Kyrgyz women will be seen wearing a one-piece dress and high embroidery boots.

Over the dress, a tight sleeveless jacket made of gold s ilk or a loose collar less jacket with silver button at the font is common.  The long pleated skirt is worn bordered with fur. Skirt in the lower is covered with a black vest.

The prominent colors amongst young women are red, green, yellow and brown.  Red velvet round caps, or red otter skin hats decorated with pearls, tassels and feather are other common features of wearing

Bracelets, rings, ear rings, necklaces made in silver are common ornaments of women. In some part girls wear a silver caved piece across the chest. .

Married women wear embroidery shirt called “Zhaka” with “Beldemchi”.

The most ancient dress with a horizontal cut neck from shoulder is “Tuura Jaka”. A border is sewn on neck. Both girl and women this dress.

:Uzun Jaka” is a dress with horizontal vertical cut neck.

“Kashar” It is a neighbor influence dress with vertical cut neck and stiff standing collar. 

Men dressings:

Chalbar, Kandagay:   Men of Kyrgyzstan are usually seen wearing wide trousers made of leather or suede, embroided with coloured threads.

Keynek: Shirts of Kyrgyzstan.

Kementay:  Felt Robe.

Noble and rich people wear jewelry.

Kemer:  A male must adornment to show richness is wide leather belt, decorated with various silver in cuts.

A typical Kyrgyz clothing of men is consist of coarse top and wide trouser paired with a sleeveless jacket. Boots and a special hat made of white wool or fine muslin as the weather conditions are.

Nomadic men wear trousers of tanned leather or suede, which is known by several names, viz., “Chalbar”, “Khanagay”, “Zhalgak”. 

Image 32: Kyrgyzstan Men dressing 

Image 33: Kalpak

Image 34: Complete Men dressing Kyrgyzstan

In winter some old men long sheep skin coats, and round fur trimmed hats called “tebbetey”. Men who dress in black and wear hats with earflaps, resembles “Gengis Khan”.

Young men wear narrow trouser with embroidery patterns on the cuffs, fronts, and borders of their clothes. Most men wear colours black or white. Young men wear colour like brown and blue.

Some men also wear camel wool fabric with sleeves in fringed black cloth. A rawhide belt is worn at the waist, attached to which is a knife and a flint for making fore. Some spots jackets with a standing collar and front buttons.  Throughput the year all men wear the Kyrgyz Kalpak.  

The single- breasted light dressing gown “Jelek” made of cotton fabric is common wearing in summer season.

Image 35: Kids Kalpak

Image 36: Complete dressing Men and Women

Image 37: Kyrgyzstan Men dressing 

Image 38: Fur coat

Image 39: Kalpak

Image 40: The Kalpak

Image 41: The kalpak

  Hat Style of Krygyzstan

The most common and traditional hat, worn by Kyrgyz is the “Kalpak”.  This hat is made in white felt and brim is upturned. It resembles to Robin Hood Hat. It is often decorated with designs. Kalpak is wear all round the year. The top is ridge-shaped and short cap brim is folded upwards. A stripe of black cloth in lay inside the cap brim. The black border is very conspicuous when the cap is turned inside out. There is a nick that separates the brim into two parts. When the two parts are rolled up simultaneously, the brim protects from snow and rain.

Kalpak is considered holy cap, and when not in use is hung up or quilted to a pillow. It is never casually thrown down.

 “Tebbetey” is another Hat worn by Kyrgyz, is a fur lined hat worn in winter. Kyrgyz Men in China traditionally wear red, green, blue, purple or black cap made of courdouy and on the top of that they wear another leather cap or pelt cap.

Unmarried girls wear on their head, many small plaits,reduced to two after marriage. The pigtails are decorated with chains, coins or keys and chains of pearls.

There is also a traditional conical hat worn at ceremonies by women.

Older women wear “Wimple like” turbans with the number of raps indicating status.

The Kalpak: Image 42

The Kalpak : Image 43

Image 44: The Kalpak

Image 45: The Kalpak

 Folklore of Kalpak:

In ancient time, there was a wise, smart, brave king. He found various coloured caps, clothing and horses affected his army. For the next camping, he ordered to prepare unified caps for his army and civilians in40 days. His believe was that cap has to be bright like star, beautiful as flower, white as iceberg, green as summer mountain, plus repel rain, snow, wind and sand. 39 ministers were killed as they could not present the cap of king likeness but the 40 minister daughter pleased the king with cap and so the tradition is on till date. 

Contemporary clothing styles of Kyrgyzstan.

In cities people usually wear T-Shirts, Jeans. Part of Kyrgyzstan touched with Russia, women are seen wearing to wear revealing clothes whereas, and Muslim women dresses mainly are modest. Some peculiar tribes are seen in their peculiar style of clothing, trait of their tribe.

In that sense variations of Hats are visible. 

Shorts are rarely visible in cities even.

It is usual to see men wearing three piece suit to football match, or visible in jogging suits for concerts. Women at work can be seen in see through blouses, and high heels.

As the summers are usually much hotter in Kyrgyzstan, men wear only shirt, trouser wit tie and avoid suits. Women in summers at work, is considered descent in dresses.

Custom:  In Kyrgyzstan, it is a custom to wear cloth to three consecutive days. They have believe to not to different  clothes every day. 

Source Courtesy:  Image and content Reasearch

Text Sources: New York Times, Washington Post, Los Angeles Times, Times of London, Lonely Planet Guides, Library of Congress, U.S. government, Compton’s Encyclopedia, The Guardian, National Geographic, Smithsonian magazine, The New Yorker, Time, Newsweek, Reuters, AP, AFP, Wall Street Journal, The Atlantic Monthly, The Economist, Foreign Policy, Wikipedia, BBC, CNN, and various books, websites and other publications.

Source of information

www.mountpix.livejournal.com

www.discovery-kyrgyzstan.com/archive/2004/