In Bulgarian ethnographic science, traditional costumes have been classified into several main types with a certain geographical distribution. According to the cut and the way of wearing the upper clothes, placed directly above the shirt, women's costumes are divided into three groups - two-overcoat, sukmanena and sayana. The double apron women's costume is characteristic of Northern Bulgaria. In its basic composition, it is composed of a shirt and two aprons that surround the woman's body from the front and the back, tied around her waist. The cloth costume is distributed in the central regions of the country - Stara Planina, Srednogorieto, Rozova Dolina, Vitosha, Rila, Middle Rhodopes, Sakar, Strandja and South-Eastern Thrace. In the mountainous regions of Northern Bulgaria, the cloth costume was used at the same time as the double apron, but mainly as a garment for the winter season. The Sayana costume is the type of women's clothing worn in Macedonia, part of Central Western Bulgaria, Thrace and Asia Minor. Loose along the entire front length, the saiya is the preferred outer garment in the southern parts of the country.
Men's costumes are divided into two types - white clothes and black clothes (depending on the main color of the outer clothes and their shape). They are not tied to a geographical distribution, but are two consecutive stages in the development of men's clothing. The ancient white dress costume has been preserved for the longest time in North-West and South-West Bulgaria. The black-shirted costume, which originally appeared at the end of the XNUMXth and the beginning of the XNUMXth century in the economically developed regions of Central and Eastern Bulgaria, almost completely replaced the white-shirted men's clothing in the first decades of the XNUMXth century. Until late, however, the white benevrets in the costume of the Sofia shopkeepers, the white cheshires and the bozo abika in Samokovsko and Dupnishko were preserved.
A basic garment in all folk costumes is the shirt. Made of linen, hemp, and later cotton canvas, in ancient costumes it performed the role of both an undergarment and an upper garment. In the composition of the two-apron costume, the shirt is mostly of the barchanka type, with folds around the neck opening and the ends of the sleeves, while in the sukmanena and sayana costumes it is tunic-shaped. The decoration of the shirt - from woven or embroidered ornaments, located on the edges of the skirts and sleeves, around the armpit cut and the collar, makes it decisive in the aesthetic impact of the traditional suit.
Compositionally, the traditional folk costume is complemented by the following elements: apron, belt, belt, footwear accessories (socks, socks, socks, tservuli, slippers, shoes), towels for weaving. The full composition of the costume also includes outerwear, different in type, name and decoration in different regions.
An important part of shaping the traditional women's costume are the ornaments to it. Their production is the work of master goldsmiths (goldsmiths) working in the old goldsmith centers of Chiprovtsi, Vratsa, Kratovo, Sofia, or in the ones formed as such during the Renaissance - Panagyurishte, Vidin, Plovdiv, Sliven, Teteven, etc. The main materials from which most jewelry is made are silver and its alloys. Gold is mainly used for gilding, and the jewelry in which it is used is usually made to order. Placed in central and important places on the human body - head, waist, chest, jewelry performs not only an aesthetic but also a protective function. They are also a sign of social, religious and age affiliation.
Calendar holidays
The ethnographic exposition of the museum presents a selected part of the calendar holidays and rites of the Bulgarian people. From the winter calendar cycle, emphasis is placed on Christmas and New Year's customs and rites, on Christmas Eve with the festive table with ritual breads and foods; the hearth with the "Christmas tree" in it; caroling. New Year's Day (St. Basil's Day) is celebrated with the customs of "Surva" and "Chanting of Rings".
From the spring calendar cycle, Tsvetnitsa with the maiden custom of Lazaruvane are presented; Easter with the "written" eggs and ritual breads characteristic of the holiday; St. George's Day - rites and beliefs mainly related to sheep farming.
