In the clothing of the ancient Jews there are many borrowings from the garments of other peoples. This is due to historical events.
The ancient Jewish costume was reminiscent of the clothing of the Arab nomadic tribes.
Having moved to the Jordan Valley, the Jews retained their former simplicity in dress. And although the first king of Israel, Saul, did not like luxury, it was after the emergence of their own state that the clothes of the Israelites became richer and more diverse. This was influenced by the rich booty that Saul's soldiers captured in the wars. After the murder of Saul, David became king. During this period, under the influence of the Phoenicians, the clothes of the Israelites became even more elegant, many decorations appeared. King Solomon, who ruled after David, surrounded himself with fabulous oriental luxury. The time has come for Israel to flourish. The clothes of noble Jews at this time become especially rich. Rebellions and civil strife split the kingdom in two. First, the Assyrians settled in Judea, and later, in 788 BC. - Babylonians. In the costumes of the Jews, the characteristic features of the Assyrian clothes appeared, and during the "Babylonian captivity" they almost did not differ from the Babylonian ones. Later, he changed again under the influence of Roman and Greek dress.

Men's suit

The clothes of noble men consisted of a lower woolen and upper linen shirt. The sleeves could be long or short.
An obligatory element of a male Jewish costume is a belt. Rich luxurious belts were made of woolen or linen fabric, embroidered with gold, decorated with precious stones, gold buckles. The poor wore leather or felt belts.
The outer garments of wealthy Jews were of two types. After returning from Babylonian captivity, they began to wear outerwear with sleeves, knee-length, which opened in front. The decoration of these caftans was distinguished by luxury. In the cold season, caftans were popular, mostly of bright red color, trimmed with fur.
At the waist, the outer garment was decorated with a rich buckle, to the corners of which were attached tassels - "cises".
There was also a wide sleeveless garment - an amice. It could be single or double. The double amice consisted of two identical strips of fabric, which were sewn together so that the seam was only on the shoulders, and both pieces of fabric fell freely at the back and front. Such an amice with ties on the sides was the main garment of the priests and was called an ephod.

Woman suit

Before the reign of Solomon, even noble Jewish women wore simple, modest clothes, such as those worn by women in ancient times. During the reign of David, transparent Indian and Egyptian fabrics appeared, as well as patterned Assyrian and purple Phoenician fabrics. They were very expensive, and therefore available only to rich Jewish women, who made of them long and very wide, with many folds, clothes. To create a slouch on the clothes, it was pulled together with sashes and various buckles.
The rich female costume consisted of several outer and outer garments. It became especially luxurious during the reign of King Solomon. The underwear was long, trimmed with a beautiful hem along the hem and sleeves. They wore it with an expensive belt. On top of it, for exits, a second clothing was worn - luxurious, dazzling white, with wide sleeves, gathered in pleats. The collars and sleeves were decorated with precious stones and pearls, golden figures. This robe was girded with a metal belt, and it fell in long folds. There were also jewelry on the belt: gold chains, precious stones. Sometimes, instead of belts, women used wide embroidered sashes, to which small bags embroidered with gold were hung on gold chains. Outerwear was most often made of patterned or purple fabric, sleeveless or swinging with sleeves.

On the man: outerwear - ephod, shirt with wide sleeves.

The woman is wearing: a wide under dress and an outer swinging garment.

Hairstyles and hats

Long hair was worn only by young men. This was not accepted by middle-aged men. But in later times, even young men with long hair began to be considered effeminate. Baldness in both men and women was considered a shame.
But trimming the beard of the Jews was prohibited by law. Like the Assyrians, they treated her with great respect: a beard was one of the main signs of male beauty and dignity, as well as a mark of distinction of a free man. The beard was carefully looked after, anointed with expensive oils and incense. Cutting off someone's beard was considered the most severe insult. However, if any of the relatives died, the Jews had a custom to pull out their beard or even cut it off.
Ordinary Jews put woolen scarves on their heads (like the Arabs). Or they simply tied up their hair with a lace. The nobility wore bandages - smooth or in the form of a turban, as well as hoods.
Noble women wore mesh hats decorated with pearls and precious stones, over which they threw a transparent long veil that enveloped the entire figure. Threads of pearls, corals, gold plates were woven into the braids.
Women took great care of their hairstyle. Thick and long hair for women was highly appreciated by Jews. Long braids were lowered along the back or twisted around the head; noble young girls wore curls. Hair was anointed with expensive oils.

Jewelry and cosmetics

Jewish women annealed their eyelids and eyebrows, painted their nails red, rubbed themselves with fragrant oils of myrrh, cassia, and cinnamon. V biblical times cosmetics were so popular in Judea that Job named one of his daughters "a vessel of antimony."
Loved Jewish women and jewelry: rings, necklaces, earrings in the nose and ears, wrist and anklets, to which chains with pendants were attached.
During mourning, women took off all jewelry and shoes, dressed in the simplest clothes of coarse dark-colored fabric, girded with a rope, and covered their heads and faces.
Men did not wear precious jewelry, with the exception of gold seal rings.

Source - "History in Costumes. From Pharaoh to Dandy". Author - Anna Blaise, artist - Daria Chaltykyan.

Now about the clothes.
A must-have is a quadrangular cape with a hole for the head and four tassels around the edges. The cape itself, called (small tallit) or arbekanfes can be hidden under clothing, or can be worn over a shirt, but the brushes are always straightened over the trousers. In its four corners tsisis threads are threaded - brushes wound up by the Torah.

Talit katan is usually made of white wool with black stripes. But there are pure whites.

It happens that among the eight strands of the brush, one or two are blue. This is most likely a Radzin or Izhbitsky Hasid. The story is this: the secret of making theylet, a blue paint that is obtained from the chilozon shellfish, was lost about 2000 years ago and was rediscovered by Rabbi Gershon-Khanokh from Radzin. His theylet paint recipe was not accepted by most rabbis and came into use in only a few communities.

The Sephardim and many Hasidim have not one, but two holes at each corner of the tallit katan. In addition, on some hands, in addition to four (double) obligatory knots, you can see from 13 to 40 small knots on the turns of the thread. On this basis, you can also distinguish between members of different communities.

Thus white blanket, poncho type called.
And mind you, I'm not telling you about folk costumes that have sunk into oblivion, they really wear it all!

I personally do not distinguish Hasidim from Litvaks and Sephardim. By the way, the latter are also very similar in clothing. The only thing that Litvaks wear neckties... But there are also Ruzhin Hasidim, who can also be seen in ties. True Hasidim are all with beards who never shave or even cut. But Litvaks take care of their facial hair, trim, trim. There are also Litvaks without beards.

Traditional Jewish men's clothing is tailcoat or frock coat... Litvaki on weekdays can wear blazers... Hasidim wear hoods(rackle), which also naturally have differences. For example, lapels can be pointed or rounded. Or instead of the usual three buttons - six (two rows of three), as it happens with the Satmar Hasidim.

In general, outerwear is somewhat more diverse, besides the hoods, there are also bathrobes, bekechi(bekesh), zhugshtsy(jube), etc. And all this is necessarily black.

Dressing gowns- clothes for special occasions: festive silk, embroidered in black on black, a tish robe for festive dinners, a yeshiva robe made of the cheapest fabric without lining - for classes in a yeshiva or koylele.

On Shabbat and Yom Tov, many Hasidim wear a special black satin cloak - Becche.

Both the bonnet, the frock coat, and the robe of the Hasid must be tied with a belt woven from black silk thread or fabric. A braided belt can be a smooth ribbon - open gartl, or a tape rolled longitudinally into a double tube - closed gartl... Open gartles are worn by Polish, Belarusian, Ukrainian Hasidim. Closed - Hungarian and Romanian.
By the width of the gartl, one can recognize the social status of the Hasid. The rabbis and dyonyms will wear a belt wider than ordinary artisans and traders. But this rule does not apply to Belz, Gers and some other Hasidim.

Now pants... Everything is simpler here. They can be either regular or up to the knee - ealb-goyen... Short trousers are worn by Hungarian Hasidim, they tie a pant leg with a string under the knee and put on black knee-highs - zokn... Sometimes on holidays in some communities it is customary to change black socks for white ones. Garskiye Hasidim generally tuck ordinary trousers into knee socks! This is called "Cossack" knee-highs ( Cossack-zokn).

All of this is unusual (to put it mildly) and is very eye-catching on the streets. Each time I grabbed the camera and immediately stuffed it back into my bag, who knows how peaceful they are. And in general, it is indecent to photograph civilians, I personally would not be happy in their place.

I got the information on the website toldot.ru, and pictures on the Internet

And now I propose to guess who is in the pictures and what kind of clothes they are wearing :)

UPD: and this guy seems to say FIG GUESS :)

Homra (from the Greek chpst - round dance) - Bulgarian, Moldavian, Greek, Armenian, Romanian and Jewish round dance and musical form... Usually performed to the accompaniment of an orchestra. The Jewish choir is similar to the Moldovan and Romanian choirs, performed in 3/4 or 3/8 times with an emphasis on 1 and 3 beats. This is a 4/4 fast round dance created in the 1930s. Baruch Agadati (Kaushansky); sometimes referred to as "Chora Agadati". For the performance of the choir, the dancers gather in a circle, hold hands and begin to move to the right, first with their left, then with their right feet. In the next step left leg put behind the right, and again take a step with the right. These movements are repeated at a fast pace. At a large number dancers, people make several circles, one in the other. Previously, the choir was popular mainly in kibbutzim and the countryside, but then it became often performed at weddings and other celebrations. The chora can be performed to traditional Israeli songs, although the most famous is the performance to the music of Hawa Nagila.

Jewish national costume

Folk costume is an integral part of Jewish culture. The male Jewish costume consists of woolen black and white or white and blue prayer shawls with tassels, long robes, caftans and cloaks. The head is covered with a special cap. Men grew beards and strands of hair at their temples. In Ashkenazi men's suit obligatory attributes were a tunic-like shirt, black trousers, boots, a long-length caftan (lapserdak), a black yarmulke or a hat trimmed with fur (striml). Married women covered their heads with a wig.

The women of the old Yishuv wore traditional long dresses with a fitted bodice, which, when skillfully cut, emphasized the chest and waist. The bodice was very intricate, with many gathers, folds, laces, buttons, ribbons and intricate hand embroidery. Dresses were sewn with long sleeves, gathered at the shoulder, tapering to the wrist and ending with a lapel with buttons. Such a sleeve was called jigo (fr. "Leg of lamb"). The stand-up collar was tight around the neck and trimmed with lace. The hem usually ended with two to three rows of ruffles. In the front, the dress was straight and reached the toes of the shoes, and in the back there were several folds, and it ended with a small train. Up to five or six petticoats and a tight corset were worn under a fluffy skirt. The train made the lady's silhouette from the side look like a slide, sheer in front and sloping in the back. The waist was pulled together by a belt made of leather or of the same fabric as the dress. Fashionable dresses of this cut were worn by women of the old Yishuv - both Ashkenazi and Sephardic - from the last decades of the 19th century until about 1910, and only in the second decade of the 20th century new trends began to penetrate into their clothes.

Most of the Jews in the old Yishuv were religious, observed traditions and dressed modestly. In summer they preferred light colors and usually wore white dresses, and in winter they preferred dark colors: various shades of brown or blue. The color of the dress depended on both age and marital status. Few women dared to wear dresses in red or green; older women sometimes wore dresses in gray, beige or gray-blue tones. A black dress meant mourning. Usually summer dresses were sewn from cotton fabrics - cambric and poplin, and winter ones - from crepe satin, taffeta or thick silk.

Women also wore skirts with blouses. Complex cut blouses were sewn of the finest cambric and trimmed with lace and delicate hand-made embroidery. They were worn with dark skirts, which used a lot of fabric, since they were pleated, in frills, and ribbons and patterned buttons were used for decoration. Usually the skirts flared towards the hem.

Dresses and blouses were buttoned so that the right side - a symbol of wisdom - was superimposed on the left side - a symbol evil spirit- and guarded the modesty and chastity of a woman: after all right hand- "stern hand" (by the way, one of the books of Maimonides is entitled), and the left side of the Kabbalists call the Sitra Ahara (the other side), this is the refuge of Satan, where vicious desires are rooted.

An apron was usually worn over the dress, which, in addition to its direct purpose, was also considered a protection from the evil eye. On Saturdays and holidays, the embroidered white apron was starched and ironed to emphasize the neatness of its wearer. Boots were worn high, up to the ankles, laced to the top, usually black. The stockings were black or colored, hand-knitted, held on round garters above the knee, hidden under a long skirt.

The lingerie consisted of lace-trimmed pantaloons, over which a long petticoat, tight-fitting to the thighs, was worn. Between the underskirt and the upper skirt there were two or three white silk or cambric skirts. The bodice was in the shape of a vest. The corset was made with tight-fitting metal hoops, but later they were replaced with whalebone plates sewn into the fabric. The corset narrowed the waist, increased the chest and naturally made breathing difficult. The petticoats were sewn straight in the front and flared in the back, which, together with the pads on the hips sewn into them, gave the figure then fashionable forms: in those days, thin women were considered unattractive, and clothes were supposed to correct this flaw. Jerusalem old women still remember a fluffy skirt with a thick wadded lining.

Underwear constituted an essential part of the girl's dowry, and its quantity and quality reflected the financial situation of her parents. Loose-fitting nightgowns made of fine cambric, always white, with long sleeves and a closed collar, were finished with embroidery with ribbons of a dull pink or blue color. In winter, women wore dark ankle-length capes over their dresses, usually gray, with a narrow collar and slots for the arms. Some wore woolen coats made by local tailors using patterns brought from Europe.

Jerusalem Sephardic women wore long black dresses and lace headscarves that covered their heads, foreheads and shoulders. When a woman visited relatives and friends, the hostess took this handkerchief off her herself and kept it to herself, and when the guest was about to leave, the hostess refused to return it out of politeness, persuading her to take her time and drink another cup of tea. Sephardic women and beautiful warm shawls with fringes and bright patterns were worn.

O eastern influence the clothing of that time is evidenced by the traditionally embroidered scarf around the edges, which the Sephardi used to cover their heads and shoulders, and a black dress with a corsage in the form of a cape, with a wide bottom to the heels.

In Jerusalem, such a dress could be seen only on the streets of the Old City, and women in it, moreover, usually covered their faces with a black scarf so that no one would bother them. At the beginning of the century, women gathered their long hair into a chignon and, to emphasize femininity, did not pull it very tightly. This hairstyle, brought from Europe, where it was called "Marie Antoinette", was especially popular with young women, and even women from the highly Orthodox community did it on their wigs.

Following religious precepts and traditions, married Ashkenazi women usually covered their hair with hats, which were attached to their heads with hairpins or ribbons. Hats were felt or straw, trimmed with lace, ribbons, artificial flowers or fruits. Sephardi women covered their heads with various shawls: on weekdays, they were made of thin cotton or silk fabric with thin fringes or patterns along the edges; festive shawls were distinguished by brighter colorful patterns. Before the wedding, girls wore a light light shawl on their heads, and colored ribbons were woven into their hair. Young married women wore bright headscarves, and older women preferred dark colors.

A kind of tourniquet was usually worn over the headscarf, tied in a knot at the back, and hanging loosely in front on both sides of the face; something like pendants that covered the ears and reached the shoulders departed from it. Women from the Balkan countries wore a large colorful cape on their heads, folded in a triangle and fixed with a hairpin. In the rain, they wore galoshes on their shoes and wore umbrellas. Knitted woolen gloves were also in fashion.

The well-being of a woman was indicated by gold and silver jewelry: chains, bracelets, brooches, rings, medallions typical for that time, often with precious stones. For girls, the midwife immediately after birth pierced the ears and passed a white thread through the holes, and soon the ears were decorated with tiny gold earrings.

The Sephardim at home usually wore a white shirt and cotton trousers, a small tallit (a Jewish prayer blanket) was put on the shirt, then a vest and a caftan with a sash. Going out into the city, they put on a long coat, and a fez on their head.

Almost all men wore cherry-colored Turkish fez hats with a black tassel, European felt hats, wide-brimmed straw hats, sometimes folded on one side, sometimes on both sides, sometimes unbent. The dandies wore straw boaters in the French fashion and wore gloves even in summer. The choice of the hat unmistakably indicated the orientation of its owner: the fez - to loyalty to the Turkish authorities, the felt hat - to a moderately pro-Western orientation, the straw boater - to panache, the French cap to the opposition, the sun-protective cork helmet - to cosmopolitanism. And the absence of a headdress was perceived as an open rebellious challenge. Ties at that time were worn in various long, wider or narrower ("herring", "butterflies!", "Bows"), silk, striped or checkered. Men's boots or low shoes were often black, sometimes white, with laces. The dandy costume was complemented by a cane and a watch on a gold chain in a waistcoat pocket. The man's hair was carefully smeared with brilliantine, carefully combed. Most let go of their beard mustaches.

Initially, Jews covered their heads only during prayer and Torah study. This is how they showed their respect to the Almighty. The exact time of the establishment of this custom is unknown. On this score, there is a good maisa (literally this word is translated as "history", although it would be more accurate to say "historical anecdote").

They asked the rabbi: "Where is it written in the Torah that you need to wear a yarmulke?" “Well, it's as easy as shelling pears,” replied the rabbi, “after all it is said:“ And Abraham went. ”Can you imagine that Abraham walked with his head uncovered ?!”

At first, only the kohens, the priests of the Jerusalem temple, had to walk constantly with their heads covered. Over time, the most pious Jews began to cover their heads not only during prayer, but almost always, showing in such a way that all their actions were aimed at serving God. Gradually, this custom received the force of law, although it was not formally recorded in the Torah. During the creation of the Talmud (III-V centuries AD), Jewish sages developed a decree according to which it was forbidden to walk four cubits (about 2.4 m) with the head uncovered. This custom gradually took root in all Jewish communities.

But why exactly such a hat, and not a turban or something else? It is believed that the notorious Laws of Omar, created in the 7th century, served as an incentive for adopting the kippah as a headdress. AD one of the first Muslim caliphs. According to these laws, Jews did not have the right to wear turbans, like Muslims, but had to wear some other headdress. According to another version, the "fashion" for kippah was brought to the Middle East by the Turks. Then, in the VIII-X centuries, the main part of the Jewish people lived there. The proof of the "Turkic" hypothesis is usually considered the second name of the kipa - yarmolka (or yarmulka, as they often write). According to a number of experts, this is from the Turkic "yagrmurluk" ("raincoat"). However, many believers believe that the word "yarmolka" is not of Turkic but of Jewish origin. From "yarei malachi" - "who fears the king" (of course, it comes about the Almighty).

Translated from Hebrew, kipa literally means - top, top. The name indicates that the kippah covers the person from above, thus turning out to be the highest point within the microcosm.

Does a kippah always indicate a Jew's religiosity? Not always. Non-religious Jews wear a kippa when visiting synagogues, during mourning for the dead, and at bar mitzvah (coming of age). Kipa often helps to determine not only the religiosity of a Jew, but also to which population group this person belongs. Thus, the kipa partly fulfills the role of the identification mark "friend or foe" in the Jewish environment. A knitted round bale of any color usually indicates that its owner is a religious Zionist (at least in Israel). These people are called "kipot srugot" ("knitted kippah"). Kipot srugot are religious people, but they do not always keep all the commandments. Stricter behavior is characteristic of those who wear a black kippa. These people position themselves as devout believers. But the most strict observance of the commandments is the people who are called "haredim" in Israel. They wear a hat over a bale. Some of them do not remove their kippa even while sleeping.

There are other nuances as well. White kippahs are worn, for example, by representatives of some Hasidic courts who wish to hint at belonging to the study of Kabbalah. Sometimes this bale has a pompom. Chabad followers wear a black hexagonal kippah.

The way a person wears a kippa can also tell a lot. Newly wearing it usually tends to make it more comfortable. For example, they wear a kippa on the back of the head, and not on the top of the head, as it should be. If the kippah is held on a hairpin or even dangles from the hair, then you have a person who covers his head solely because of a business need and immediately removes the kippa as soon as this need passes.

Some religious Jews are convinced that on the Day of Judgment (Yom Kippur), on the day of remembrance of the dead (Yorzeit) and other similar days, it is imperative to wear only a pile of dark colors. There is also the opposite option - many Israeli believers prefer to wear a black kippah every day, and on Saturdays and holidays just change it to white.

In tsarist Russia, all features of the so-called Jewish settlement were forbidden to wear a kippa. However, in the very Pale of Settlement, a large fine was subsequently imposed for wearing it. In the days of the USSR, kippa was not officially banned, but not very much, to put it mildly, encouraged. For Jewish revival activists, the kippah was a symbol of their Jewishness. Moreover, the symbol is literally highly valued. One of the activists of the Jewish independent movement of the 1970s told me that for his first knitted kippah, brought from Israel, he gave away a jacket from a denim suit, which was then a huge rarity in Moscow. There were also quite anecdotal situations. One Jewish student came in a hat to the medical institute where he studied. The lecturer, noticing this, demanded to take off his hat immediately. However, when there was a kippah under the hat, the professor chose the lesser of two evils, and never again asked this student to take off his hat.

It is interesting that the kipa at some point passed from the life of believing Jews to the life of Soviet scientists (especially academicians). Whether fashion was associated with a significant number of Jews among Soviet scientists at the beginning of the last century, or it had other roots, it is now difficult to say. But if you remember the old Soviet movies and theatrical performances - a venerable scientist there certainly in a yarmulke. Let's make a reservation right away that this yarmulke had some design differences from the bale. In particular, the bottom was completely different there. In some places, the kippah is still perceived as just a fashionable and stylish thing without national roots.

In some countries, because of the rise of anti-Semitic sentiment, Jews refuse to wear a kippah. For example, Joseph Sitruk, the chief rabbi of France, suggested that devout Jews wear a baseball cap instead of a kippah.

In the clothing of the ancient Jews there are many borrowings from the garments of other peoples. This is due to historical events.
The ancient Jewish costume was reminiscent of the clothing of the Arab nomadic tribes.
Having moved to the Jordan Valley, the Jews retained their former simplicity in dress. And although the first king of Israel, Saul, did not like luxury, it was after the emergence of their own state that the clothes of the Israelites became richer and more diverse.

Illustration. On the man: outerwear - ephod, shirt with wide sleeves.The woman is wearing: a wide under dress and an outer swinging garment.

This was influenced by the rich booty that Saul's soldiers captured in the wars. After the murder of Saul, David became king. During this period, under the influence of the Phoenicians, the clothes of the Israelites became even more elegant, many decorations appeared. King Solomon, who ruled after David, surrounded himself with fabulous oriental luxury. The time has come for Israel to flourish. The clothes of noble Jews at this time become especially rich. Rebellions and civil strife split the kingdom in two. First, the Assyrians settled in Judea, and later, in 788 BC. - Babylonians. In the costumes of the Jews, the characteristic features of the Assyrian clothes appeared, and during the "Babylonian captivity" they almost did not differ from the Babylonian ones. Later, he changed again under the influence of Roman and Greek dress.

Illustration: Ancient Jews (High Priest, Levites)

Illustration. Noble Jews

Men's suit

The clothes of noble men consisted of a lower woolen and upper linen shirt. The sleeves could be long or short.
An obligatory element of a male Jewish costume is a belt. Rich luxurious belts were made of woolen or linen fabric, embroidered with gold, decorated with precious stones, gold buckles. The poor wore leather or felt belts.
The outer garments of wealthy Jews were of two types. After returning from Babylonian captivity, they began to wear outerwear with sleeves, knee-length, which opened in front. The decoration of these caftans was distinguished by luxury. In the cold season, caftans were popular, mostly of bright red color, trimmed with fur.
At the waist, the outer garment was decorated with a rich buckle, to the corners of which were attached tassels - "cises".
There was also a wide sleeveless garment - an amice. It could be single or double. The double amice consisted of two identical strips of fabric, which were sewn together so that the seam was only on the shoulders, and both pieces of fabric fell freely at the back and front. Such an amice with ties on the sides was the main garment of the priests and was called an ephod.

Illustration. Jewish soldiers, Jewish king

Woman suit

Before the reign of Solomon, even noble Jewish women wore simple, modest clothes, such as those worn by women in ancient times. During the reign of David, transparent Indian and Egyptian fabrics appeared, as well as patterned Assyrian and purple Phoenician fabrics. They were very expensive, and therefore available only to rich Jewish women, who made of them long and very wide, with many folds, clothes. To create a slouch on the clothes, it was pulled together with sashes and various buckles.
The rich female costume consisted of several outer and outer garments. It became especially luxurious during the reign of King Solomon. The underwear was long, trimmed with a beautiful hem along the hem and sleeves. They wore it with an expensive belt. Over it, for exits, they wore a second clothing - luxurious, dazzling white, with wide sleeves gathered in folds. The collars and sleeves were decorated with precious stones and pearls, golden figures. This robe was girded with a metal belt, and it fell in long folds. There were also jewelry on the belt: gold chains, precious stones. Sometimes, instead of belts, women used wide embroidered sashes, to which small bags embroidered with gold were hung on gold chains. Outerwear was most often made of patterned or purple fabric, sleeveless or swinging with sleeves.

Illustration. Noble Jews

Hairstyles and hats

Long hair was worn only by young men. This was not accepted by middle-aged men. But in later times, even young men with long hair came to be regarded as effeminate. Baldness in both men and women was considered a shame.
But trimming the beard of the Jews was prohibited by law. Like the Assyrians, they treated her with great respect: a beard was one of the main signs of male beauty and dignity, as well as a mark of distinction of a free man. The beard was carefully looked after, anointed with expensive oils and incense. Cutting off someone's beard was considered the most severe insult. However, if any of the relatives died, the Jews had a custom to pull out their beard or even cut it off.
Ordinary Jews put woolen scarves on their heads (like the Arabs). Or they simply tied up their hair with a lace. The nobility wore bandages - smooth or in the form of a turban, as well as hoods.
Noble women wore mesh hats decorated with pearls and precious stones, over which they threw a transparent long veil that enveloped the entire figure. Threads of pearls, corals, gold plates were woven into the braids.
Women took great care of their hairstyle. Thick and long hair for women was highly appreciated by Jews. Long braids were lowered along the back or twisted around the head; noble young girls wore curls. Hair was anointed with expensive oils.

The history of the Jewish costume of the 19th and early 20th centuries is not only a history of borrowing, it is the history of "Haskala", the educational movement, with which the existence of Jewish communities of that era is in one way or another connected. This is the history of prohibitions on wearing national clothes, on observing national religious customs.

The whole system of life of the Jewish townships (shtetls) and the clothes of the inhabitants were regulated by the strict rules of Judaism. But the Jewish costume is also the costume of the region or country where the Jews lived: two thousand years of migration left an imprint on the appearance of people. As a result, from the truly traditional clothing, only the talis remained, worn during prayer, on holidays and on Saturdays.

Bavarian costume of the 18th century Left lapserdak.

The hard and monotonous life of the shtetls changed only with the onset of the holidays. It was on holidays that religious prescriptions were carried out especially strictly. The clothes of the townships are, first of all, the clothes of the poor. It was covered to such an extent that it was difficult to determine its original appearance and style. And although the basic elements of clothing and the entire appearance were generally accepted, there were differences. Men wore beards and side curls (long curls at the temples). It is said in the Scripture: “They must not shave their heads and trim the edges of their beards and cut their flesh” (Leviticus 21: 5). Following the covenants spoke of a connection with God, of loyalty to Him. "So that you remember and fulfill all My commandments and be holy before your Gd ..." (Numbers 15:40). The man's head was certainly covered with a black yarmulke (kippah). Kipa in Hebrew is "dome". Yermolki were of two types: with a flat bottom and a low, up to 10-12 centimeters, crown and flat, sewn from wedges. The kipa was often made of velvet, but could be made from any other fabric. Could be embroidered with gold thread on the edge. Wearing a kippah has been a duty since the Middle Ages. Ordinary hats were worn over the kippah. According to P. Vengerova, who left extremely colorful and detailed "everyday" memories, in the 1830s-1840s the headdress of the poor on weekdays was a hat with side flaps. In the warm season, they usually went up, and in the winter they fell on their ears. Fur triangles were sewn over the forehead and on the sides of such a hat. The hat, it is not known why, was called "patchwork"; maybe because of the valves. Perhaps her name - lappenmütze - suggests that she first appeared in Lapland, where similar hats are worn. At least, in "Memoirs of grandmother" Vengerova says about it. The most common men's headdresses in shtetls in the second half of the 19th century were a cap and a wide-brimmed hat. By the end of the century, Jews often wore bowlers, and especially wealthy people they even walked in cylinders. Clothing was associated with class distinctions. Scholars - interpreters of the Torah - belonged to the poorest part of the population of the township. Abram Paperna, poet, teacher, literary critic, writes in his memoirs: “Unlike the plebeians, they (interpreters) dressed in black satin or whale zipuns with velvet collars and fur hats with velvet top (striimels). Zipuns and streimels (streiml - in a different transcription) were often dilapidated, inherited from their ancestors. " Fur hats of this kind were part of the national costume of the Bavarian peasants of the 18th century. In general, many of the details of the 19th century Jewish costume strongly resemble the German clothing of the previous century. There are fur hats of various styles, and a woman's scarf draped over the shoulders and crossed over the chest.

Yehuda Peng. The Old Tailor.

From time immemorial, talis has been considered a particularly important part of men's clothing from a religious point of view. The talis was a rectangular piece of white woolen fabric with black stripes around the edges and tassels. It was worn during prayer or on holidays.

“And the L-rd said to Moses, saying:“ Declare to the children of Israel and tell them to make themselves tassels on the edges of their clothes ... and in the tassels that are on the edges, insert threads of blue wool. And they will be in your palms so that you, looking at them, remember all the commandments of the L-rd ”” (Numbers, ch. 15).

The so-called small talis is also a rectangle with tassels along the edges, but with a hole for the head and not sewn on the sides. As a rule, it was worn under a shirt. However, in the paintings of Yehuda Pena, Chagall's teacher, we see a small talis worn under a vest. Wearing a small talis testified that a person honors the sacred commandments not only during prayer, but also throughout the day.

The influence of the traditions of the local population, next to which on this moment lived by Jews, the clothes were obvious. P. Vengerova also recalls this. “The men wore a white shirt with sleeves that were tied with ribbons. At the throat, the shirt passed into a sort of turndown collar, but it was not starchy and had no lining. And at the throat, the shirt was also tied with white ribbons. (A similar cut of the shirt is inherent in the Lithuanian national costume. - MB) Special attention was paid to the method of tying the ribbons; special chic was also in the choice of material for these ribbons, which resembled a tie. Even older men from wealthy families often showed discreet coquetry in tying these bows. Only then did the black neckerchiefs appear. But in families where tradition was emphasized, neckerchiefs were rejected. The pants reached to the knees and were also laced with ribbons. The white stockings were quite long. They put on low leather shoes without heels. At home they wore not a frock coat, but a long robe made of expensive woolen fabric. The poorer people wore a dressing gown made of half-cotton on weekdays, and of thick wool on holidays, while the very poor wore a dressing gown made of nanki, a cotton material with a narrow blue stripe, and in winter made of dense gray material, in summer. This robe was very long, almost to the ground. However, the costume would be incomplete without a belt around the hips. He was treated with special care; after all, it was considered the fulfillment of a religious commandment, since it symbolically separated the upper part of the body from the lower, performing rather impure functions. Even the men of the lower class wore a silk belt on holidays.

Jan Matejka. The clothes of the Jews of the 18th century

The everyday clothes of Jews in the second half of the 19th century were no longer different from what other men in the Russian Empire wore. Suffice it to look at the drawings of IS Shchedrovsky, VF Timm, or a provincial merchant portrait; there are the same bekesh (a kind of frock coat on cotton wool with a fur collar), the same caps, vests. Craftsmen and merchants (the main professions of the inhabitants of the townships), as a rule, wore shirts outside, trousers tucked into boots, vests and caps. Short pants tucked into high white knee-high stockings and shoes were characteristic of the more religiously orthodox part of the Jewish population. Lapserdak was popular - outerwear with cuffs, cut off at the waist, usually lined, with long hems that reached the middle of the calf, and often the ankle. It is interesting that the shape of the lapserdak exactly repeated the shape of the coat of the first quarter of the 18th century. What Vengerova calls a robe were, in fact, bekesh. Long time the inhabitants of the towns wore long frock coats. Dressing according to the generally accepted fashion, people used mostly the cheapest fabrics - lustrin, Chinese, nanku. Sholem Aleichem has numerous references to this.

Cloak-delia. 18th century engraving.

The tsarist bans on the wearing of national clothes each time had a strong influence on the appearance of the Jews. A. Paperna cites one such document: “Jews are strictly prescribed to dress in German dress and it is forbidden to wear a beard and side locks; women are prohibited from shaving their heads and covering them with a wig. Author of the book “From the Nikolaev era. Jews in Russia "A. Paperna writes:" The first restriction on traditional clothing was introduced in Russia in 1804. For a long time, this provision was practically not observed within the Pale of Settlement, although it was repeatedly confirmed in legislation. In the years 1830-1850. wearing national clothes was punishable by significant fines ”. The fine for wearing a wig reached 5 rubles, which at that time was a significant amount. How significant this amount was can be understood by comparing food prices with it: a turkey cost 15 kopecks, a goose - 30 kopecks, a large rooster - 30 kopecks. F. Kandel in his "Sketches of Times and Events" continues this theme: "In 1844, the tax was introduced not for sewing, but for wearing Jewish clothing. In each province they set their own prices, and in Vilna, for example, they took from the merchants of the first guild fifty rubles a year for the right to keep the traditional costume, from the bourgeoisie ten rubles, and from the artisans five rubles. For only one yarmulke on the head, each Jew was entitled to from three to five rubles in silver. "

However, the tendency to follow the city-wide Russian fashion by the end of the 19th century intensified. This was due to the penetration of educational ideas into the Jewish environment. “At first it was only an external imitation,” the same F. Kandel specifies, “and at the beginning of the 19th century, Berliners appeared in Warsaw (the followers of the Haskala, which came from Berlin, the first period of the Haskala began in Prussia in the second half 18th century), who, by changing their clothes and appearance, tried to eradicate in themselves “ features”. They spoke German or Polish, shaved their beards, cut sideways, wore short German coats and, of course, stood out on the Jewish streets among the Warsaw Hasidim in their long, toe-length robes. Orthodox Jews unanimously hated these obvious heretics - "apikoreis" for gross violation of age-old traditions. "

Woman in a wig.

Jews who traveled to other cities on business for business, dressed already in European fashion and shaved, which did not prevent them from remaining faithful to traditions. “Until now, I have not forgotten his strange figure,” recalls A. Paperna, “a fat man with a big belly, with a shaved chin, dressed in a short frock coat, under which a traditional bib with“ threads of vision ”(talis kotn) was visible." I must say that the appearance of these people at first aroused the fierce indignation of the inhabitants. A. I. Paperna writes: “My father, rotating in Bialystok among progressive people and having been abroad, where he had the opportunity to get acquainted with the culture of German Jews, changed his views on many things in Jewish life and this inner change received an outward expression in his German dress, and this dress caused a terrible commotion in Kopyl ... He was smartly dressed in a short frock coat and long trousers; the beard was trimmed, and long blond hair fell around the neck in curls. Oncoming people came close to him, peered into his face - and walked away, pretending not to recognize him. " The old men wore the old dress, which was popular in their youth. Sholem Aleichem has an interesting description in "Kasrilovskiye Fire victims": "He was dressed like a Saturday: in a rustling silk cape without sleeves, put on an old but satin split caftan, in a fur hat, in stockings and shoes." Similar capes were worn in Poland in the 16th century, but similar robes (lionfish) existed in European fashion in the 30s of the 19th century.

Jan Matejka. The clothes of the Jews of Poland in the 17th century.

Age-old attitudes were considered immutable for women's clothing. For example, wearing wigs. When a woman married, she covered her head with a wig. However, in late XIX centuries, apparently due to fines, wigs began to be replaced with scarves, lace or silk shawls. The scarf was tied under the chin, sometimes leaving the ears open. Instead of a wig in the 1830s, they wore a kind of patch made of fabric to match the hair color, worn under a cap, as mentioned in V. Krestovsky's Sketches of Cavalry Life: “Until then, she, like a good old-law Jewish woman, for lack of a wig she hid her gray hair under an old patch of old-aged, once black satin with a parting groove stitched in the middle and put on a tulle cap with wide bows and crimson roses over this patch. In Sholem Aleichem's novel Stempenu, the heroine is portrayed as follows: “Rohele was already tied and dressed in the latest fashion of a local lady's tailor. She was wearing a sky-blue silk dress with white lace and wide sleeves, which was then worn in Madenovka, where fashion is usually late for several years. Through the openwork silk scarf thrown over his head, the warrior and the braids shone through ... true, other people's braids; her own blond hair has long been cut, hidden from human eyes forever, forever. Then she put on herself, as usual, the whole set of adornments befitting the occasion: several strands of pearls, a long gold chain, brooch, bracelets, rings, earrings. "

Kleizmers. The beginning of the XX century.

Here there is some discrepancy with the generally accepted fashion and secular rules. However, we must not forget that the shtetls had their own laws. One of them read: "A husband should dress below his capabilities, dress children according to his capabilities, and dress his wife above his capabilities." This explains the indispensable abundance of jewelry on women, because according to their appearance judged the welfare of the family.

Interestingly, in the 16th and 17th centuries, the Vaad (the all-Jewish Seimas of Poland and Lithuania), by special decrees, more than once prohibited excessive luxury in the clothes of Jews, so that they would not stand out among the local population. “It should be noted that the best representatives of the Jewish communities of that time were also fighting against the luxury of Jewish costumes,” says S. Dubnov, one of the authors of The History of the Jewish People. - The Krakow kagal issued in 1595 a number of rules regarding the simplification of clothing and the elimination of luxury, especially in women's suits, establishing a monetary fine for violating these rules. But the regulation was not successful. " In general, the kahal authorities and the vaads, according to data published in the same "History of the Jewish People," everywhere vigorously fought against luxury in clothing; special envoys were even dispatched to the communities in order to prevent expensive dresses, especially from fabrics with threads of gold and silver, and sable hats. The surviving pincos (protocol books) of individual communities (Opatov, Wodzislav, Birzh) testify that every few years the kagal issued, under the threat of excommunication, decrees against luxury in clothing that “ruins communities and individuals, causes enmity and envy on the part of the Gentiles. ".

It is impossible not to mention one more wedding tradition: the girl always covered her face with a veil. This is explained by the fact that before the wedding, the groom had to lift the veil and look at the bride in order to avoid mistakes. This ritual is rooted in the Torah: Jacob was promised, as you know, to be Rachel's wife, and given to Leah. Among the prohibitions on luxury in clothing, already in the 19th century, there was the following: “On wedding clothes, do not sew any lace on the dress. Price outerwear the groom, that is, the frock coat and overcoat, should not exceed 20 rubles. For a bride, a dress and an overcoat should not be more expensive than 25 rubles in silver. "

In Rosh Hashanah, it was supposed to be dressed in new or white, so that the new year was bright. In Bella Chagall's Burning Lights we read: “Everyone puts on something new: some have a light hat, some a tie, some a needlepoint suit ... my mother also dresses up in a white silk blouse and flies to the synagogue with a renewed soul”.

Both men and women buttoned their clothes from right to left. It was believed that the right side - a symbol of wisdom - was superimposed on the left side - a symbol of an evil spirit - and protected the modesty and righteousness of a woman. The neckline was discouraged. An apron was usually worn over the dress, which, in addition to its usual purpose, was considered protection from the evil eye. According to P. Vengerova, “an apron was an indispensable requirement for a complete outfit. It was worn on the street and, of course, during all the festivities. It was long and reached the hem of the skirt. Wealthy women bought variegated silk material or precious white cambric embroidered with velvet flowers or embroidered with the finest patterns in gold thread for an apron. Poorer women were content with woolen fabrics or colored calico. "

In the second half of the 18th century, Hasidism, a religious and mystical offshoot of Judaism, became widespread among the Jews of Belarus, Ukraine, Lithuania and Poland. He gained immense popularity among the poor. But the traditional rabbis (they were called misnaged) fought in every possible way to influence the flock. Both Hasidic and Misnaged tzaddiks still regulated every moment of a person's life. In the 50s of the XIX century A. Paperna wrote: “The Bobruisk Hasidic rabbi issued a bull, which, under the threat of a herim (herim or herem - curse, excommunication), prohibited local Jewish women from wearing crinolines. This grief was further intensified by envy of the neighbors and girlfriends of the Misnaged sense, for whom the order of Rabbi Hillel was not obligatory and who therefore continued to flaunt their crinolines. " But even in the 1840s, the Misnageds were still strongly opposed to any fashionable innovations ...

Postcard to Rosh Hashaona. 1914 year.

In the second half of the 19th century, at the time of enlightenment and, therefore, assimilation, rich women, regardless of religious prescriptions, began to dress according to the common European fashion. She did not touch the shtetls. Already in the 1870s crinolines were replaced by bustles, the waist dropped lower, the corset changed. He began to tighten not only the waist, but also the hips. Clothing of this kind, with narrow sleeves, a tight bodice and a bustle, was found only among a very wealthy part of the population, who had practically abandoned traditions. In general, women preferred to sew dresses according to the fashion of 10-20 years ago. And at the beginning of the twentieth century, ladies from wealthy Jewish families are already dressing, following the latest Parisian "instructions": they put on huge hats decorated with flowers, ribbons, bows, etc. Bella Chagall did not forget how their cook dressed up on Saturday, on a holiday : "Here she straightened the last fold on the dress, put on a hat with flowers and proudly walked to the door."

However, an unusual headdress was also popular, which Sholem Aleichem calls a warrior (in Yiddish - kupka). It was worn by married women on a holiday. It consisted of seven parts, was made of brocade, was embroidered with pearls, but at the same time one part of it remained unadorned. It was believed that complete joy was impossible while the Jerusalem temple was in ruins. P. Vengerova gave more detailed description warrior: “Among the rich, he represented an essential part of the fortune. This headdress, a black velvet band, strongly resembled a Russian kokoshnik. The edge, carved in an intricate zigzag pattern, was adorned with large pearls and diamonds. The bandage was worn on the forehead over a tight-fitting cap called a "digging". A bow made of tulle ribbon and flowers was attached in the middle of the digger. At the back of the head, from ear to ear, there was a lace frill, trimmed closer to the eyes and temples with small diamond earrings. This precious headband was the main part of a woman's dowry. "

In short, the differences between the costumes of the Jews and the clothing of the local population at the end of the 19th century were insignificant. The clothes of the Jews now differed from the clothes of the indigenous people only in that in European everyday life it arose a hundred years earlier. Naturally, in the 1850s-1870s of the 19th century, the coat from the middle of the 18th century looked strange, just like shoes with stockings and short pants. The clothes of the Jews of the mid-19th century, as already mentioned, resemble the costume of the Bavarian peasants of the late 18th century. The desire to maintain and observe traditions, wear the clothes of the fathers and gave rise to some archaism in clothes. At the end of the 19th and the beginning of the 20th centuries, the Jews of the townships dressed according to the general fashion. Lapserdak, for example, was replaced by a long, almost knee-length, frock coat. Nevertheless, these traditional lapserdaks, hats with high crowns, and streiml hats can still be seen on the Hasidim. It is curious: today's Orthodox Jews often wear long frock coats instead of lapserdaks or black cloaks reminiscent of 1960s fashion ... Traditions are preserved, sometimes refracted in the most strange way and, yielding to novelty, sometimes perpetuate hoary antiquity.

Who can name the main sign, how do Jews differ from other peoples? The National costume. Its description will be presented to your attention in the article, since it is the clothes that always distinguish the Jew from the crowd.

Jews are the people of the West Semitic group, akin to the Arabs and Amharians (Ethiopians). Yes, no matter how strange it may seem, the Arabs and Jews who are always at war and dislike each other are close relatives, much like the Russians and the Poles.

However, religion, culture in general, and clothing in particular, these peoples are not at all similar. The traditional clothes of the Jews are very colorful and distinguish the representatives of this nation from the crowd. To people modern and far from religion - and the way Jews dress is entirely based on religious beliefs - it may seem ridiculous and somewhat old-fashioned, "anachronistic". What does the national costume of the Jews look like? Black frock coats, hats, belts - these items of Jewish costume have become the "visiting card" of a real Jew. Slightly less famous is the yarmulke - a round cap. However, these are far from all the details of the Jewish wardrobe. What does the national costume of the Jews look like? The photo in the article shows us the image of a real Jew, dressed according to all the rules of his people.

Jewish ideology in clothing

The Jewish peoples have their roots in antiquity. Over the centuries, they have constantly changed, and the reason for this is the desire of the Jews to disguise themselves (after all, in many countries they were forbidden to live at all or were allowed to settle in strictly designated places) or to assimilate. The latest trend appeared at the beginning of the 19th century: educated representatives of the Jewish people decided to change their traditional attire for European clothing; they began to dress in the fashion of those times - this is how those long black frock coats and hats came into Jewish use. Later, this style was "mothballed" and became one of the variants of the "traditional Jewish" attire, while in the rest of the world it went out of fashion.

But this transformation has a certain meaning - national, ideological and even religious. Its principle is reflected in a common joke. Allegedly, at the beginning of the 19th century, one of such educated Jews approached the rabbi, who seemed to be the keeper of ancient piety, and, deciding to "pin him", asked: "Rebbe, what was our forefather Abraham wearing?" The rabbi calmly replied: “My son, I do not know what Abraham was wearing — a silk robe or a shtreimla; but I know exactly how he chose his clothes: he watched how non-Jews dress and dressed differently. "

Indeed, the Jews strove to be different from all other peoples and did this with greater fanaticism than all other Eastern peoples. The pagan religion of the Jews is still stubbornly refused to be called "paganism" (although, strictly according to science, only the Jewish faith can be recognized as real "paganism", since it practically did not undergo confusion with foreign cults).

Jewish music, cooking, behavior, clothing - all this should always be different from the environment, but how exactly it should look is the tenth thing. Even kashrut - a list of culinary (and not only) dogmas - is interpreted by many Orthodox Jews only in this way: "Kashrut was introduced in order to distinguish a Jew from a non-Jew." Likewise with circumcision ...

Therefore, there is nothing surprising in the fact that the Western European costume of the beginning of the nineteenth century is now officially considered traditional Jewish clothing. The national costume of Jews in Russia may seem like something strange and unusual, but of a different people that must be respected.

Ermolka

This is the same beanie. Jews from the former USSR used to believe that its name was formed from the Russian name Ermolai. But when they come to Israel, the locals explain to them that the cap is so called from the expression "yere malka" - "one who fears the lord." That is, wearing a yarmulke, in theory, means that its owner deeply and sacredly believes in God.

How to choose a yarmulke?

Choosing a yarmulke is not as easy as it seems to the uninitiated. In Israeli stores, they are sold like ordinary hats - yarmulkes of various sizes, materials, colors and styles are laid out on the shelves. However, which one the buyer chooses depends on the characteristics of his religion and mood. For example, Hasidim do not recognize velvet and knitted yarmulkes. A religious Jew acquires a hat of the same style that is worn in his community. This is also a reflection of the principles of Judaism: to outside observers, it seems to be a monolithic, uniform cult, but in fact it is divided into dozens of currents, differing in dogmas, rules, clothing, etc. Relations between many currents are far from friendly.

Cape

The national costume of the Jews includes a cape. In Hebrew it is called tallit katan or arbekanfes. Like the yarmulke, this is also an obligatory attribute of the Jewish costume. It is a piece of quadrangular cloth with a hole for the head and four tassels (tzitzit) along the edges. The cape can be worn under clothing or worn on top, like a shirt, but the tassels are always placed over the trousers. Each brush has eight strands. Here, too, there are elements characteristic of certain currents of Judaism.

The most interesting and even mysterious part- one (there may be two) thread in the brush, painted in blue color... It means that the owner of this cape is a Radzin or Izhbitsky Hasid. There is a legend about the origin of such threads. It is believed that blue dye - "theylet" - was present on Jewish clothing in ancient times, but the recipe for its preparation was lost two thousand years ago. At the end of the 19th century, the Hasidic rabbi Gershon-Khanokh received theylet again, but his recipe was not recognized by the majority of the Jewish community as "the same" paint. Therefore, this theylet remained only belonging to the indicated Jewish movements.

In fact, attempts to restore the ancient recipe and obtain theilet have been suggested by many Western and Jewish scholars since the Middle Ages. Archaeologists who have investigated the remains of ancient factories and modern chemists have also made their contribution to this matter.

Tzitzit, according to religious canons, should be worn by all men who have reached the age of 13. This means coming of age (bar mitzvah). Wearing brushes indicates that the boy is already able to take responsibility for his actions and participate in the affairs of adults, including reading and discussing the Torah in the synagogue.

"Casket" and hat

The national costume of the Jews necessarily includes a headdress. Every religious Jew is obliged to wear a yarmulke. However, it is usually hidden under a second headgear. It can be a hat, a hat or a "cassette" (aka "dashek") - an old-style cap. The latter is especially popular among Russian and Polish Jews, including the Hasidim.

But the most famous is the traditional one. It is worn by Jews on weekdays. Do not think that all hats are the same: by its appearance, you can tell even more about the personality of its owner than by the passport. The size of the hat, its position on the head, the nature of the crease and other elements indicate to which trend of Judaism the owner of the hat belongs and even what social status it has.

Streimble

Streimble is the third type of headdress that is included in the national costume of the Jews. But it is only common among the Hasidim. Streimble is a cylindrical fur hat. There are also more than two dozen types of them. At the same time, there are three large groups: the strimble itself - wide and low, correct shape; Chernobyl is simply low, more free-form; and spodik - a very high fur hat. Streimble Hasidim are worn only on special occasions - on Shabbat, for weddings and other holidays, during a visit to the rabbi. There are also types of strimble that are worn only by the heads of communities.

Tie and beard

There are elements of clothing that are only recognized by some Jewish communities. One of them is a tie. It is the prerogative of the Litvaks only. But the Hasidim fiercely hate ties; they explain this by the fact that the first action in tying a tie is tying a knot in the shape of a cross. Anything connected with the cross, a zealous Jew is supposed to hate.

The other part of the "clothing" is the beard. Some Jews walk clean-shaven, others trim their beards neatly, but the Hasidim do not recognize any modification of the beard at all, so they have the thickest and blackest beard among all Jews.

Tailcoat

What else can be included in the national costume of the Jews? In some communities (for example, among the Litvaks), an element of wardrobe that is old-fashioned in European terms, like a tailcoat, has been preserved. It is also black, long and has no pockets. It is interesting that the buttons on the tailcoat (and on any Jew) are fastened so that the right floor covers the left - that is, from the point of view of a non-Jew, "like a woman." The Jews wear a tailcoat, as a rule, during a holiday.

What does the national costume of the Jews look like? The photos in the article clearly demonstrate to us a colorful and unusual style of clothing for a simple European. This may seem strange to many, but this is why Jews are special. They are firm in their views and faithful to their customs. And these features would not hurt every nation!