Traditional Bulgarian Costumes

The traditional Bulgarian

costume is one of the

most typical elements

of the Bulgarian folk culture. It

is the traditional clothing which

has a specific meaning in both

everyday and festival activities

of the Bulgarians. Each region

of Bulgaria has its own costume

with unique, typical motifs.

A specific code is weaved into the

ornamentation of the Bulgarian

costumes - in the past the Bulgarians

used to rely on it for information about

the family of those, who wore them,

and the areas of the country, where they

lived. Each costume had its message.

The Bulgarian costume contains

many elements and motifs from the

pagan beliefs and legends. No one

wore clothes with fully symmetrical

decorations, because Bulgarians

believed that full symmetry was a

diabolical creation. Therefore, elements

were often added and removed, so

that no symmetry should exist. Those

were intentional mistakes in order to

prevent the evil eye.

Costumes are divided into

male and female. Female

costumes are more colorful

and interesting than male

costumes; however the

male costumes also attract

interest with their typical elements

.

Bulgarian women make their

costumes all by themselves. As early

as the age of five, little girls were

starting learning to spin wheels,

sew, weave, prepare the trousseau

for their weddings, and from

their twelfth year to the wedding,

they were learned to embroider

- this was the highest skill of all

domestic crafts. Embroidery used

to have great symbolic value. It

was believed to protect the human

body from evil spells and spirits.

People believed that cutting a part

of the embroidery of one’s garment

would blaze a trail for the evil spirits

and make the person vulnerable.

Bulgarian women were allowed to

embroider only until their wedding

day - after that they were having

the right to do it again only when

their own daughters become 12

years and they need to learn how 

to do it.

Commonly, female costumes are

divided into: two-apron, tunics,

Sayan and one-apron clothes.

The male costumes are divided

into white-cloth and black cloth

costumes.

The two-apron female costume

is widespread in Northern

Bulgaria. It consists of a shirt,

two aprons (front and back)

and a belt. A wide variety of this

type of national costumes can

be seen in the Regional History

Museum in Pleven. The male

costumes in Pleven area are of

the white-cloth type and consist

of a belt, a tunic-like shirt, pants

and outer garments.

Most of the decoration of

the Sayan clothing is at the

neckline and the sleeves. The

costume consists of colorful

Saya (overcoat), jacket, skirt and

belt. The Saya costume used to

be widespread in southern and

southwestern Bulgaria.

The tunic is typical for

southeastern Thrace. It consists

of shirt, tunic, apron and belt;

the typical decoration is most

noticeable at the foot of the

dress and the neckline.

 

The one–apron costume can

be seen mostly in the Rhodope

area. It consists of a shirt and

an apron. The black-cloth male

costume, which is typical for

the Middle Rhodope Mountain

region, consists of a tunic-like

shirt, wool trousers in a dark

color, outerwear and a cap.

A rich collection of costumes,

typical for the Middle Rhodope

region, can be seen in the

Regional History Museum in

Smolyan. More information on

costumes in various regions and

the symbolic meaning of the

elements and the decorations

on them can be obtained in the

Bulgarian museums. Almost

each urban museum in the

country has an ethnographic

collection, which represents the

typical costumes of the region.

Extremely rich collections from

all over the country are stored

in the National Ethnographic

Museum at the Bulgarian

Academy of Science and the

National History Museum.