Nowadays, in the time of the full-scale Russian-Ukrainian war, it is more than ever crucial to preserve the things that define our identity. This applies to both tangible and intangible cultural heritage. The enemy is burning down Ukrainian cities and villages, destroying museums, stealing and ruining cultural monuments. In other words, it is trying to tear out the roots upon which the strong tree of the Ukrainian spirit grows. Therefore, the primary task of museum workers, ethnographers, folklorists and ethnomusicologists is to record, preserve and popularise all manifestations of traditional culture. Scholars, members of public and charitable organisations, and concerned activists understand the urgency of this work. At a time when science lacks funds to finance research, cooperation between business representatives and people interested in preserving our tangible and intangible cultural heritage is extremely important.

Thus, thanks to the support of the ‘Partnership for a Strong Ukraine’ Foundation, during May-July 2024, the NGO ‘Around Us. UA’ within the framework of the ’Clothing and Tradition. Bohuslavshchyna’ project, conducted 37 expeditions to the villages of the former Bohuslav district. The aim was to record information about the traditional clothing of the Bohuslavshchyna, to search for elements of traditional attire for further digitisation and disclosure to the general public. The expeditions were attended by 5 scholars (folklorists, ethnologists, ethnomusicologists). The expedition group was led by Volodymyr Shchybria, a well-known collector, PhD Candidate in History, Director of the Centre for Folklore and Ethnography at the Educational and Scientific Institute of Philology of the Taras Shevchenko National University of Kyiv.

In total, 35 settlements were surveyed (Isayky, Dybyntsi, Vilkhivets, Semyhory, Moskalenky, Polovetske, Biyivtsi (Momoty), Khokhitva, Potashnya, Rozkopantsi, Mysaylivka, Kalynivka, Teptiyivka, Deshky, Tunyky, Shupyky, Karandyntsi, Savarka, Liutari, Synytsia, Dmytrenky, Koryakivka, Chayky/Chaiky, Matayivka, Krasnohorodka, Kydanivka, Shcherbashentsi, Bohuslav, Medvyn, Sofiyka, Poberezhka, Yatsiuky, Ivky, Borodani, Mykolaivka). During the expeditions, more than 100 respondents were interviewed; in terms of gender, the majority were women, and in terms of age, people were mostly born in the 1930s and 1940s. The eldest respondents interviewed were over 95 years old. These are, in particular, Pidluzhnyi Mykhailo from the village of Deshky of the Teptyivka village council of Bohuslav TC (born in 1928), and Vorona Uliana (Oliana) from the village of Moskalenky of the Moskalenkivska village council of Bohuslav TC (born in 1929). The youngest respondents were those born in the 1950s. They were willing to be contacted, but, unfortunately, their memories are of little scientific value. And there is a logical explanation for this: their childhood and adolescence were spent at a time when the ruling elite of the Communist Party of the Soviet Union did not promote the preservation of Ukrainian customs and traditions, so the phenomenon of folklore transmission is weak.

Our respondents told us in different ways about all the elements of traditional Ukrainian attire: undergarments, waistcoats, breastcoats, outerwear, as well as jewellery and footwear.

Back in the old days, people wore linen shirts that were sewn in three pieces (or ‘pilka’). Only hemp cloth was used for sewing, because flax was sown only for medical/therapeutic purposes (both for humans and livestock), and not as a raw material for making fabric.

There were ‘dodilna’ shirts (long ones), as well as a pidtychka/pidtochka (an insert of a shirt sewn on the bottom). Each girl/woman had at least two or three shirts. Everyday shirts were mostly very lightly decorated with embroidery: usually, only on the collar and narrow stripes on the ustavka (inserts). The shirts were embroidered mostly with red and black threads using various techniques, including cross stitch, satin stitch, ‘nabirane’ (counted stitch/counted-thread embroidery), stapling, rod, interlocking stitch, etc. Cross-stitch Brocard-inspired embroidery ornaments have practically replaced the older geometric ones. Shirts mostly were visible from under the skirt. Festive shirts were embroidered on the bottom, while everyday ones were not.

An important component of female traditional attire, naturally, was the skirt. The interviewees mentioned that in their youth, girls, young women, and older married women in Bohuslavshchyna wore abundant (puffy) skirts (black, green, grey, etc.). Festive skirts were often decorated with velveteen (black, blue, etc.). Poorer people used narrower velveteen, while wealthier people used wider ones. Respondents also mentioned a ‘brush’ ribbon that was sewn below the velveteen.

The skirt was accompanied by aprons of different colours. There was also a white percale apron, mostly embroidered with cross-stitching, and worn on holidays. A belt was an obligatory element. Interviewees said that the belts were red, with tassels at the ends. When asked whether they had seen woven or wicker belts, they gave a negative answer. They also did not recall whether older women wore belts or ‘plakhta’ (a kind of skirt): ‘In my memory, there was no such thing anymore.’ A ‘gerset’ (gorset, kerset) with assemblies was worn over the shirt. It was usually black and green, sometimes covered with velveteen cloth, and fastened mainly with buttons.

It is hard to imagine a traditional costume without jewellery. Bohuslavshchyna was no exception. In this region, red coral necklaces, called ‘dobre’ (good one), were very common. The presence of a necklace indicated the social and property status of its owner. Sometimes girls even borrowed necklaces from their richer friends when they went to ‘dawns’/evening parties, when they were visited by matchmakers, or when they were going to the wedding ceremony. The wealthier the family was, the better the necklace was, and the more ‘razok’ (a string of beads) it had. According to the respondents, it was mostly 3, 5, 7 ‘razok’. The necklace was tied at the back with woollen tassels, sometimes with silver (mostly) inserts (barrels, ‘baranchyky’ or ‘lambs’). Unfortunately, very few of the respondents we interviewed have such jewellery today.

The respondents recalled the stories of their ancestors about how often during the Holodomor years (1932-1933; 1946-1947) the necklace served as a means of survival: it was exchanged for food. However, it still exists today and is passed down from generation to generation. In addition, among the jewellery of wealthy peasants were karbovanets, dukach. A cross, mostly silver, could be attached to a dukach. In some places in Bohuslavshchyna, people used ‘karbovanets’, in others – ‘dukach’. One of our respondents, a resident of the village of Mysaylivka, explained: ‘Karbovanets were a little smaller, and dukach were a little bigger in size.’ Earrings are also a traditional piece of jewellery. They were usually ‘flattened’ or ‘puffed’, mostly gold. Almost every girl dreamed of them, and they could be bought at the fair in Bohuslav (Buslav, as old-timers say). The information about how ears were pierced in ancient times was especially interesting. The age for piercing did not matter much, usually, it was younger girls or girls ready to be married who wished to look attractive. Before being pierced, the ear had to be rubbed well with a woollen belt. Obviously, this manipulation helped to improve blood circulation at the piercing site. Since wool has a high heat dissipation, the rubbing warmed up the ear and improved blood circulation. After that, the ear was pierced with an ordinary needle and a thread was threaded through it. The thread was left in until the wound healed, periodically rotating. Only then would the earrings be worn. Sometimes the ear was also soaped. Perhaps it was to prevent infection.

Girls braided in one or two plaits, which could also be wreathed. Colourful ribbons were often woven into the braids (often blue, red, green, etc.). 

Married women did not braid their hair, it was considered a great sin, and there was a superstition that in such a case a man could be ‘brainwashed’. They gathered their hair in a bun. In addition, women wore ‘ochipok’ (a cap) after marriage (in Bohuslavshchyna they also used to call it ‘chushka’ or ‘chepchyk’). Ochipok could be of different colours (black, red, white, etc.), but mostly round. Over the chushka, women wore a shawl or headscarf, fastening it. They wore it so that the chushka was visible.

The interviewees also recalled one of the oldest shawls, the ‘ternaux’ shawl. The name of the shawl comes from Guillaume Louis Ternaux (1763-1833), a French entrepreneur who introduced the production of thin wool fabric by adding goat down (author’s note). These factory scarves were quite expensive, so only a few persons could afford buying such a thing. They were usually dark colours (brown, black), had tassels and printed floral ornaments. Such a shawl could be inherited and be part of a dowry.

In general, less wealthy women wore mostly cotton (‘bavnyani’) shawls. A woollen shawl was not cheap. As one of our respondents noted: ‘When I got married, my mother bought me a ‘woollen’ shawl for 300 rubles. In 1956, we sold the calf and bought a ‘woollen’ shawl. 300 rubles’. The respondents also mentioned percale shawls (percale is a thin, dense cotton fabric of plain weave). However, almost none of our respondents recalled older women using ‘namitka’ (a kind of wimple). Only rarely did people say that ‘namitka’ was gauze.

Outerwear included a broadcloth ‘yupka’. It had folds in the back and was ample. According to the respondent: ‘It was as ample as the ‘gorset’. Only the ‘gorset’ was short, and this one was long’. Dark colours prevailed (brown, black, grey, etc.).

The respondents recalled that they used to wear sheepskin ‘svyta’ (a kind of cloak). They were usually brown and belted. Like ‘yupka’, the ‘svyta’ was ample and had ruffles on the back.

One of the respondents recalled that ‘chemerka’ was also worn back in the old days. The ‘chemerka’ (aka Czamara or Krakow coat) is an element of men’s traditional attire. The ‘chemerka’ also had ruffles and was tied with a belt.

Our respondents still recall wearing ‘kozhukh’ (a coat). They were made of sheepskin. Unlike yupka, kozhukh was straight, which is reasonable given the material. Also, the coats differed from yupka and svyta in that they had fur collars. In the past, light colours prevailed: white and ginger. White coats were decorated with flowers and trimmed with curves. Later, people began to cover themselves with coats during cold weather.

Interestingly, even though the majority of respondents did not know the meaning of the word ‘bashlyk’, some did. For example, a resident of the village of Polovetske said: ‘A bashlyk was worn on the head. When a man goes somewhere in a snowstorm, he puts on a bashlyk. He wraps it around his shoulders so that only his eyes can see out.  The bashlyk had ties, it was like a separate hood, it was not sewn to the svyta.

Residents of Bohuslavshchyna recall that they used to wear ‘yukhta’ boots a long time ago. Yukhta is a type of leather obtained through special processing of the skins of cattle, horses, and pigs. Horsehide was considered to be the best, while cowhide was used mainly for soles (author’s note). Yukta boots were of good quality, they were soft, unlike the later ‘kirza’ boots. The predominant colour was black. Since they were leather boots, not everyone could buy or have them made because of the price. Those who were poorer wore felt boots. It happened that children in a family shared boots and, accordingly, took turns going to school. Chrome boots were also popular. Boots were sewn by a bootmaker (there was a master in the village called ‘sapozhnyk’). People paid him money or gave him food. Boots could also be ordered or bought at the market in Bohuslav. In addition, respondents also mentioned high-heeled shoes with high calf/shin – ‘rumynky’.

The expedition participants also managed to record information about how clothes were woven and washed in those days. The expedition team recorded a series of calendar and ceremonial texts from the respondents, including carols, wedding ceremonial texts, information on how a wreath was made of paraffin for a bride, where and who bought it, how a bride was begirdled with a ‘rushnyk’ (ceremonial towel), and lyrical songs, children’s folklore and folklore for kids, details of how the dead were outfitted for their last journey, how soldiers were sent off to serve in the army, testimonies of how the residents of Bohuslavshchyna survived the occupation during the WWII in the context of the Russian-Ukrainian war of today, etc. In addition, residents of Bohuslavshchyna were happy to share with us old photographs from their family archives. All this exceeded our expectations and hopes.

The expedition resulted in collecting information about the style features, colours of clothes worn in Bohuslavshchyna in the 20th century, the materials used to make them, and the methods of production. The expedition data can be used by researchers when writing articles, members of folklore ensembles, etc.

Today, the Ukrainian market is ‘bombarded’ with Chinese consumer goods, kitsch. Therefore, we believe that such research will be useful for Ukrainian designers in reconstructing and recreating elements of the traditional Ukrainian costume of Bohuslavshchyna. We hope that people who have ancestral roots in the Bohuslav region, but for one reason or another have not preserved their family relics, will also be interested in the materials. After all, it is of utmost importance today to show traditional Ukrainian culture to Ukrainians themselves and to open up authentic Ukraine with its incredible cultural heritage to the world.

Our expeditions proved to be intriguing and productive, and they refuted the views of sceptics about the dying out of traditional culture. No, it is alive as long as its carriers live. Therefore, recording, documenting, and digitising memories and elements of traditional culture is extremely important. The task of our generation is to popularise our traditions. Only then will they live on and pass through the ages. This is important for our spirituality and is also promising in economic terms. We are convinced that such expeditions are necessary for both sides of the communication process: the older generation needs attention, and the younger generation needs knowledge and skills. And we owe it to our ancestors, to those who, unfortunately, are becoming fewer and fewer every month, and to our children and future generations.

The ‘Around Us. UA’ NGO expresses its sincere gratitude to the ‘Partnership for a Strong Ukraine’ Foundation for the opportunity to organise and conduct expeditions. And, undoubtedly, we would like to thank the Armed Forces of Ukraine and all the volunteers who are fighting for our freedom with arms in their hands, making it possible for us to carry out our activities.