What materials to use for a homemade outfit? How to make Maslenitsa costumes: traditional outfits, hats, mummers' costumes. Councils of the masters.
Maslenitsa costumes are a return to the origins of the traditional Meat Week celebration. In fact, the holiday is not only about eating pancakes and large-scale festivities, but is a harbinger of Great Lent. Preparing a dress for the holiday will allow you to learn more about the celebration and have fun. And if an adult makes a Maslenitsa costume together with a child, then the hours spent together will undoubtedly bring generations closer.
Materials for making costumes for Maslenitsa
Shrovetide is celebrated for a whole week before the beginning of Lent, but some researchers believe that the origins, without exaggeration, of the popular festivities date back to the pre-Christian era. It is necessary to understand that some of the traditions were lost in Soviet times, when religious celebrations were banned, and instead of them, party holidays were held. Ethnographers and historians bit by bit restore the peculiarities of the celebration, and in many ways this noble mission was helped by the memories of the elders about the costumes for Maslenitsa, folk beliefs and jokes.
Rhymes and jokes, masquerade dresses and festival scenes - all this is an integral part of the holiday. And if you want to join folk traditions, it's time to get acquainted with the peculiarities of Maslenitsa. It is for this purpose that more and more thematic exhibitions are held in kindergartens, and festivals are held in schools. But adults are also happy to prepare for the holiday, waiting for the arrival of spring. The Maslenitsa costume is prepared as part of folk festivals and depends on the day of the celebration and the format.
So, out of 7 holidays, the first three were considered preparatory and even bore the name "Narrow Butter". At this time, folk costumes for Shrovetide are appropriate, but themed carnival dresses were not used in the old days during this period.
The so-called "Wide" Maslenitsa lasts from Thursday to Sunday. At this time, noisy fairs and exhibitions are held in the central squares of the city, and the fun unfolds in full. In some regions, it is even customary to arrange a carol, when companies dress up in costumes for Maslenitsa, made with their own hands, sing songs, glorifying the imminent arrival of spring.
Researchers say that the first outfits were very simple: a fur coat turned inside out, and instead of a mask, a face stained with soot. But over time, preparations for the holiday have become more complicated, and the costumes of spring, pancake or sun have become iconic. The owners presented the mummers in elaborate costumes with money and sweets.
It should be noted that in the modern world the festival holiday has been somewhat abolished. The main festivities are held on weekends, and accordingly the most elegant costume is prepared one, and not several, as it was before. In this case, in order to feel yourself in the center of the holiday, to become an integral part of the Christmas carol and have a great time, it is better to think over the costume in advance.
Note! Costumes for children on Shrovetide were not an obligatory part of the holiday. But the main acquaintance with the festival among modern children passes through festivals in kindergartens or schools. Parents should responsibly approach the preparation and help in creating a costume, because in this way the baby gets acquainted with the culture and traditions of his people in general and the family in particular.
An important feature of the Maslenitsa holiday is its amusing and riotous nature. This means that outfits and decorations for the holiday do not have to be ordered from professional craftsmen. It would be appropriate to make a costume for Shrovetide yourself. Uneven patterns, seams, or embellishments add fun to clothes, so don't worry if you're new to needlework.
As already noted, Maslenitsa costumes can be completely different - from classic folk to festival thematic ones in the form of the sun, pancake, spring, as well as buffoonery, bear or horse. It is noteworthy that it was this week, full of jokes and fun, that it was possible to change outfits, for example, dress a buffoon in a woman's sundress.
In order to sew a suit from scratch, you need fabric. For beginners in sewing, it is easiest to use chintz, but satin, satin, crepe satin are also suitable. It is preferable to take bright juicy shades. If you have a piece of red fabric, you get a sun suit, and if you have a green one, you will get a Spring suit for Shrovetide. Such an outfit is a long Russian sundress with wide straps. You can decorate the craft with satin ribbons, lace, embroidery. Men's shirts for a Skomorokh costume are also sewn from satin or satin, and decorated with ribbons.
If you want to take modern clothes as a basis for celebration, but complement it in the theme of the holiday, we recommend that you pay attention to do-it-yourself hats. For women, you can make a kokoshnik, and for men, a buffoon hat. To create a hat, you will need the same fabric and threads, but the materials for a kokoshnik are much more diverse. You will need beads, beads, rhinestones, Swarovski stones, metallized thread and much more. Decorative elements are attached to the fabric base and almost completely cover it. Elastic bands, hair clips, satin ribbons can be used as fasteners for a kokoshnik.
If you are making a specific outfit for your child, for example, a pancake costume for Shrovetide, then it is recommended to sew a traditional folk costume as a basis, and attach a paper-cut canvas depicting a pancake to it. The same canvas can be made from yellow felt or cardboard. You can fasten the homemade product on the outfit itself or on the head with the help of ribbons. The pancake will turn out like a real one if you decorate the craft with gouache in various shades - from yellow to brown. By the way, the paint can also be used to dye the costume itself.
The best costume ideas for Maslenitsa
It's hard to imagine an oil week without mummers. Merry round dances, jokes and laughter are heard from large companies. Festivities and Maslenitsa costumes are as important a part of the holiday as pancakes. The main technique for creating costumes is sewing. But don’t worry if you’ve never sat at a sewing machine, you can create simple and fun costumes even with a simple needle and thread. For women, the best outfit will be a sundress, and for men it is easy to sew a traditional shirt. By varying the color and decoration of clothes, you can change the image, for example, by adding ribbons to a traditional women's sundress, it is easy to make a Spring costume out of it, and a men's shirt with a cap will make the image of a buffoon more authentic. For kokoshniks, the technique of embroidery with beads or threads is best suited, well, and comic outfits of mummers are created using papier-mâché, appliqués or from scrap materials.
Sundress and shirt for Shrovetide
The traditional women's outfit has a characteristic feature - a tight fit in the chest area and a skirt expanding downwards. However, do-it-yourself Maslenitsa costumes do not have to completely repeat the traditional cut. To make a women's sundress, you will need a large piece of fabric 2, 5 by 1, 1 m or pieces of the same size sewn together.
The simplest method of sewing a sundress involves several simple operations:
- Cut out a rectangle from the fabric, the length of which is equal to the length of the product along the back, and the width is equal to the width of the hem.
- We sew the blank to make a tube made of fabric.
- We attach an elastic band to the top of the tube to ensure a snug fit in the chest area.
- We decorate the seam with ribbon or embroidery. This seam can be placed on the front of the dress.
- We attach the straps for the sundress to the blank.
It is not difficult to make such a costume for Shrovetide, so the preparation will take very little time. As you become more experienced in sewing, you will be able to complicate the design of the outfit, use patterns and make the perfect fit of the sundress to the figure.
Men's shirts in a simple version are sewn from rectangles (back, front and two sleeves), and then decorated with ribbons. But, of course, costumes made according to patterns, which are easy to find on the net, look much more complicated and complete.
Hats for Maslenitsa
For Shrove Week, men use both traditional hats and comic ones, for example, caps and flaps. The caps are usually made of white satin and have a characteristic tapered shape. An important feature of the flaps is the symmetrical front and back cuts. These cuts should be held together with a large number of buttons.
But the female Maslenitsa costume for an adult craftswoman, or rather her upper part, can become a real challenge. While they experiment a little with the cut of the sundress, kokoshniks are a field for the imagination of needlewomen - the height and width of the blanks, the techniques of decoration, fastening change.
At first, it is recommended to make narrow kokoshniks according to drawn blanks, and as experience is gained, the technique for creating a headdress can be complicated:
- Cut out the blank-inlay of the kokoshnik from the cardboard. To seal the structure, you can use two or three of these tabs.
- We cut out two fabric blanks of the same shape, but 1 cm wider (allowances).
- We embroider one fabric blank with beads, beads, multi-colored threads. The jointing technique is limited only by your imagination. For some craftswomen, under a scattering of sewn beads and beads, it is not even possible to see the fabric.
- Sew the fabric together, leaving a small slot at the bottom of the kokoshnik.
- We put a cardboard base through the slot and sew the fabric.
- We attach ribbons or hairpins to the kokoshnik so that the headdress is fixed on the head.
A beautiful kokoshnik will become the highlight of your look, even if other details do not correspond to the theme of the holiday.
Maslenitsa costumes
Most often, mummers try on the images of a bear, a goat, or a horse. The same traditional outfits can be used as a basis for such a costume, and they are complemented by animal masks. To make a mask with your own hands, you will need PVA glue, newspapers, napkins, cling film, water, gauze, paints.
Mask making instructions:
- A cling film is applied to the face. Slits are made for the eyes and nostrils.
- Soak napkins in glue and water and put on cling film in three layers.
- Torn shreds of newspapers are thoroughly moistened in PVA glue and laid out on top of napkins. Dry the mixture with a hair dryer every 2 layers of newspaper. There should be a total of 12-15 layers of paper.
- When the paper is dry, remove the cling film from the back of the mask and trim the edges straight.
- We glue the workpiece with gauze, paying special attention to the rough edges.
- We glue rubber bands or tapes to the mask.
Such a blank is painted depending on the author's idea, but the mask can also be supplemented with ears, horns, and an animal's nose. You can add homemade products using paper or plasticine.
Important! Maslenitsa costumes for children can be supplemented with masks, but the papier-mâché technique on the face is not suitable for babies. In this case, it is better to use purchased foundations or paint temporary masks with face painting.
Tips from the masters
It should not be forgotten that although the holiday is strongly associated with the sun and hot pancakes, early spring, the action actually takes place on a frosty street at the very end of winter. When creating a Maslenitsa costume, an adult must calculate that warm clothes or even a jacket could hide under the outfit. Given the cheerful nature of the festivities, such a feature of the dress will not cause bewilderment, but, on the contrary, will amuse the audience.
Don't be discouraged if you didn't have enough time to design a complete suit. It's easy to use modern clothing to create a festive look. It is easy to find a long skirt and a colorful scarf in a women's wardrobe, and decorate a classic men's shirt with a bright braid.
You should also pay attention to details: instead of classic boots for a holiday, you can put on felt boots or embroidered ugg boots, make bright makeup. Make an accent in the make-up for Shrovetide on bright blush, as if you stood for several hours in the cold. You can also tint your cheeks with blush for male buffoons.
On this holiday, do not be afraid to experiment and have fun, because Maslenitsa is a festival of happiness. Instead of beads, put on a bundle of bagels, and tie a scarf over the cap. Enjoy the week to the fullest, because after Maslenaya, the time of Lent awaits with the restraint and self-control inherent in this period.
How to make a costume for Shrovetide - watch the video:
Maslenitsa costumes are an important part of the holiday. A bright outfit will plunge you into the atmosphere of the festival and allow you to fully experience the joy of the departure of winter. The very preparation of the costume will allow you to learn more about our folk traditions, about the peculiarities of the holiday and about new techniques of needlework, and in some cases even encourage you to actively participate in folk festivals.
