Any national costume reflects the lifestyle of any nation, shows what nation is. It is possible to judge about the climate, geography, social level, economic development, and religious according to the costume. We can also to define the lifestyle of a folk and what people faced in its everyday life.
The Geographical position of Armenia and particularities of its historic development has a considerable influence on formation and evolution of the Armenian national cloth, taking a special place in the system of national costume of Middle East. No doubt that Armenian cloth, particular male, always carried the influence of neighbor folk and their cloth, in is turn, was subjected to the influence of the armenian costume. But as a whole the Armenian cloth saved its national coloring.
The Armenian national clothes is colorful and various essential local differences in costume of the population of the different historic and ethnographic areas of Armenia, determined, first of all, particularity by the historic development of East and West Armenia.
Artistic expressiveness of Armenian national cloth was reflected by many ways, including embroidery, but in well-to-do layer population costumes - by golden and silver sew.
The most beautiful are the folk costumes from miscellaneous region of Armenia. The majority was decorated with different embroidery and ornament, which go up to the roots to pre-Christian Armenian culture.
The purpose of our work is to consider Armenian national costume from the ancient times to our days; to retrace changes, that have taken place for long historical period and to value the importance of it in modern period.
Ancient Armenian royal costume
The costume of a king reigning
Ancient Armenian sovereign carried the rich tunics, embroidered by geometric ornament and decorated by fringe on waistlines and bottom. The signs of the sovereign authority were the from a skin of the leopard and a crown with earflaps, decorated by golden embroidery.
Full cloth of the tsar was also a tunic with figured embroidery, joining on waistlines by metallic belt with decorative buckle. The head was decorated by the crown with fine veil .
The King of Kilikia Armenia, Levon I Unitor.
Supposedly so looked the cloth of the armenian tsarina Satenik, the reigning of Great Armenia Artashesa’s I
Princess Keran
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Feminine costume
The base of women cloth was a shirt with a big neckline and broad pants, which fitted and bolted beside ankles.
The upper feminine cloth nearly did not differ from the male one. This was close-fitting in the waist and bell-shaped caftan with very long sleeves. More often it was girded not with a belt, but with a long scarf. The Feminine caftan was decorated by embroidery on the edge. Besides, women carried the embroidered pinafore.
The feminine cloth was varied enough - dresses, (the loose and no loose), caftans and sleeveless jackets. They made dresses depending on prosperity from sateen, silk, brocade, plush. Later women and girls started to put on the natty sleeve covers, to the dress with folding sleeve, which were sewn on to sleeve by means of cord. The beauty and style designers created by means of embroidery. Dresses of girls from wealthy families were embroidered with gold and silver.
Among the decorations it is possible to name the necklaces, bracelets from silver, silver decoration with turquoise to nose to be passed through, on legs the bracelets with lavaliere were put on. Karinians loved the amber and pearls very much.
Cloth and ornamentation of the women and girls were different. The last had more modest of them. The wardrobe of married ladies was much richer. They were given the most exquisite costumes with all attributes. Particularly carefully women and girls chose the headdresses.
In the past in Armenia parents, when they married their daughter, usually gave several taraz (the suits), moreover they had to be expensive and exquisite. All this was booked beside master, but they were professional, which "withcrafted" on each decoration, belt or gown. The special technology of the work differed the karinians masters. To karinian master’s costumes much different decorations from gild, silver were enclosed. They also used amber, pearls and the other jewels. The cloth which they sewed was exquisite. The embroidery on it was very rich. Gold threads were basically used. The gold thread was sometimes embroidered by men because it was a rather complex process. And forehead embellishments were trimmed by fine and exquisite lace. Армянский национальный костюм // [Электронный ресурс] : Веб-портал : «Vardanank.org». – Режим доступа : http://forum.vardanank.org/index.php?showtopic=181272
At cold period of the year women from rich families put on the velvet coats to the before knees "kurk " – edged with marten or fox fur, often from red velvet, with folds on waistlines and high clasp.
The National east armenian costume consisted of long shirt - " chalav" (east armenian’s was red - a red colour was considered as a talisman, the symbol of feminine beginning, fertilities) with oblique wedge on sides, broad and direct sleeves with gussets, round neckline, and with embroidered longitude cut on the front, and the long red trousers "pokhan" under it. Their lower part was sewn from more expensive, embroidered fabrics.
On the top east Armenians put on the shoulder cloth, long gown of the type of "arkhalukh", made from calico, sateen or silk, usually blue, green or violet colour, with graceful long neckline on the front, fastening on waist only. Sometimes, the waistline was tied up the silver belt or long silk or woolly scarf put in several layers.
On solemn occasions over arkhalukh armenians put on a dress called of the "mintana" same cut , as arkhalukh, but without lateral cuts.
Both arkhalukh, and a dress on the edge of sleeves (with cut from an elbow till a hand) were trimmed with fine cord. The sleeves were fastened to cuts on silver buttons of a ball shape, but on the wrists instead of the buttons were sewed the fine chains with leaves or berries (possible, the survival of the magic of fertility) or silver tubes, strung on a thread and dropped in the manner of triangle.
The women gown of west Armenia was little different in a cut, but was different in details: a shirt was of a white colour, broadly embroidered, with an obligatory apron.
The West armenians carried "antary", "zpoon " over the underwear – a dress made from silk or cotton gown with lateral cuts below hips.
On solemn occassions, as well as at cool time of the year, on the top they put on the other gown, but without lateral cuts, moreover from beneath its sleeves be seen the edges extended down sleeves of «antary».
All these varieties of dresses nearly did not differ by the cut, but were sewn from different fabrics. So, the everyday clothes usually was from navy blue broadcloth, festive - from maroon or violet velvet.
The essential part of the suit of west armenians was embroidered by braided braid "gognots" with narrow knitted or woven belt. Usually on the belt were embroidered the words: "On good health" or "On joy" and so on.
Particularly beautiful were pinafores, that were the part of a wedding costume of the bride. They were sewed of cotton fabric or of the expensive velvet, embroidered with gold threads or woven fine carpet technology. Армянская традиционная одежда // [Электронный ресурс] : Веб-портал : «Hay ashkharh». – Режим доступа: http://hayashxar.siti.me/armyanskaya-traditionnaya-odejda.html ]