Estonia traditional costume

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Estonians have strong connections to local traditions related primarily to different dialects and reinforced by variations in customs and dress. By ‘folk costume’ we nowadays primarily mean the festive costumes worn by the peasantry during the last century. Such clothes, made according to historic examples, are now worn at song festivals and other national events. Today the Estonian traditional costume is most spectacularly exposed at “Laulupidu,” the national song festival, both on the stage and among the audience.

In Estonia traditional costume denotes mainly the festive peasant dress of the 19th century, which in its time referred, besides social status, also to national background, as the ruling class was mainly German at the time. The former peasant costume of regional variation has today become a national symbol and has turned into a national dress due to its altered function.
The development of the Estonian folk costume over the centuries was influenced by fashions of the upper classes and the traditional costumes of neighboring countries. However, most of the costumes were influenced by well-established native traditions and customs. At the same time, folk costume denoted national belonging and social status, and both everyday and festive clothing constituted a complicated system of signs, referring to the wearer’s social status, age and marital status. Differences were especially obvious in women’s clothing, and they often became distinctive in neighboring parishes. In men’s clothing variations were much smaller, usually being differentiated by county.

Estonia’s northern climate is conducive to natural fabrics like homespun wool, linen fabric and sheepskin, keeping Estonians warm during the damp and cold winter months. Colors for the clothing came from plants which were a source of dye for the weaving wool and embroidery thread. Patterns, styles, designs as well as methods of sewing, weaving and knitting have influenced, and have been influenced, by neighboring cultures. Culture always seeps through the political boundaries and the boundaries of ethnic Estonians have shifted a lot over the centuries.

Even though folk costumes change over time, many of these traditional aspects have passed down through the generations and are seen today in Estonia and elsewhere in the world where Estonians live and gather for small and large festivities.

Generally, traditional Estonian clothes were divided into three parts:
• Festive clothes worn only on special occasions and often handed down from generation to generation;
• Visiting clothes for errands, business, and visits of a less festive nature;
• Working clothes worn every day and made of poorer material and without decorations;
• The belt has remained an integral part of traditional Estonian clothing for centuries.