COSTUMES
LOWICKI COSTUMES
The people of the small town of Lowicz live in the very heart of Poland. They are descended from the ancient Lusatians, Wends and Slavs from whom the Polish people themselves were born. For many centuries ¸owicz was part of a separate dukedom governed by the archbishops of the old eighth century city of Gniezno. The people of ¸owicz were known as ksiezacy, or "people of the priests". One can see the origins of some of their folk motifs. For example, the men's costume bears a close resemblance to uniforms of the Swiss Papal Guard in Rome, after which it was patterned by the archbishops of Gniezno. The costumes of Opoczno, Sieradz and Kozbiel are also modelled on this style.
The men dress in orange and green striped trousers, which are tucked into high black boots. Their black jackets with shiny black buttons are pleated at the back. Their white linen shirts have embroidered collars and cuffs. Hats are made of thick black felt and have colourful bands.
The women wear dresses made from thick heave wool. The bodices are of black velvet with beautiful beadwork and the skirts have wide vertical stripes. An apron of the same colour is worn over the skirt. Three colour schemes can be employed in these costumes. The most ancient is red, the intermediate is orange and the most recent is blue and green. The bottom panels are made of black velvet with brilliant beadwork. The wide-open sleeves of the blouses have elaborate embroidery, as do the kerchiefs worn over the hair.
KRAKOWSKI COSTUME
The most celebrated and popular of polish folk costumes is the one from Kraków. This costume has been known in Poland since at least the end of the fifteenth century when it arrived from Persia. In fact, during the Kosciuszko insurrection in the eighteenth century, the Kraków costume became the military uniform. The tassels on the coats ( kontusz) have their origins as military decorations from the Napoleonic wars. Their style was considered very dashing. The lapels of the kontusz waving in a dance or on horseback convinced many romantic young men to pursue military careers! The clatter of metal disks attached to the belt accentuated the rhythm of the dancer's movement.
The men's costume is very distinctive and consists of red and white striped trousers, a long blue vest with tassels on the front and embroidered borders and a wide leather belt with strings of metal disks. A unique hat called a rogatywka, trimmed beneath by lambskin and decorated above with a panache of peacock feathers, is always worn.
The costume of the women was once quite simple but since the end of the nineteenth century it has become highly ornamented. Their skirts and aprons can be almost any colour but are always made of material with bright floral prints. Their vests (gorsety) can sometimes be of various colours of velvet, although black is preferred to show off the embroidery and beadwork. In their hair are flowers, which are braided with long ribbons, which hang down the black. Over white blouses they wear red coral necklaces.
PODHALANSKI COSTUME
The people of Podhale, meaning below the mountain pastures are mountaineers and shepherds. In the summer they pasture their ship high in the Tatras, the Polish section of the Carpathian Mountains. In the winter months they dwell in the sheltered valleys below. They owe their culture and folklore not only to southern Polish sources but they also share much with the Slovak highlanders who live just on the other side of the Czech border. These mountain people were greatly influenced by Wallachian shepherds who migrated to this area from Romania. This is one of the few Polish regions where bagpipes (kobza) are heard.
Characteristic of the men's costumes are the tight, white, woollen trousers of homespun cloth decorated on the front with embroidered parzenice in red, green and black wool.
The white linen shirts are little ornamented but are held at the front with brass or silver pins. Around the waist they wear heavy leather baca belts with numerous buckles. On their feet they have leather slippers called kierpce. They always wear black felt hats with an eagle feather tucked into a red band of cowrie shells. In winter they are clad in overcoats or capes called cuchy or gunie. The design of these capes, brought to Poland by Wallachian shepherds from Bukovina, have their origins in Ottoman Turkish designs from the fifteenth century or earlier. When walking in the mountains they carry a ciupaga, or mountaineer's axe.
The women of Podhale wear dark red, blue or green floral printed skirts and embroidered velvet vests (gorsety) tied at the front with a large red ribbon. Their blouses, with wide frills and cuffs, are also beautifully embroidered. Around their necks they wear red coral necklaces and over their shoulders, bright shawls to match their skirts. Over white wool ankle socks they wear kierpce, identical in style to the men's.
POLONEZ COSTUME
The Polonez, although originally Polish, is known and danced throughout the world. It is known as the Polonaise in France, the Polonase in Germany and the Polacca in Italy. It is an elegant dance whose origins are in the courts of the Polish nobility. Tradition has it that it derived from a procession of noblemen at the coronation celebrations of Henri III (of Valois) when he ascended the Polish throne in 1573. The Polonez, however, has roots in an even earlier peasant dance called the Polski. During the Renaissance and Baroque eras, every state ball would traditionally open with a Polonez.
Officers wear their uniforms and noblemen their close-fitting velvet coats with voluminous sleeves. The coat is tied in front with a coloured sash and over it a satin fur-trimmed coat is worn. A fur cap topped with fathers completes the portrait. The Polonez is always danced with deep reverence and respect.
The men's costumes are in various colours of velvet -red, blue, green, purple and gold. They wear red boots and gold sashes around their waists. The hats are crowned with dark feathers. The women's dresses are of pale pastels-green, gold, blue, red and violet. The jackets are darker in colour than the skirts and both are trimmed with gold. Only the frilled white sleeves of the blouses can be seen.
Based on “Polish Folk Costumes” by CHRISTOPHER MAJKA
