Traditional Cloths of Mongolia
Mongolian Dress
Mongolian
dress has changed little since the days of the empire, because it is supremely
well-adapted to the conditions of life on the steppe and the daily
activities of pastoral nomads. However, there have been some changes in
styles which distinguish modern Mongolian dress from historic costume.
The deel, or kaftan, is the Mongolian traditional garment worn on
workdays and special days. It is a long, loose gown cut in one piece with the
sleeves; it has a high collar and widely overlaps at the front. The deel is
girdled with a sash. Mongolian deels always close on the wearer's right and
traditionally have five fastenings. Modern deels often have decoratively cut
overflaps, small round necklines, and sometimes contain a Mandarin collar.
Depictions
of Mongols during the time of the empire, however, show deels with more open
necklines, no collars, and very simply cut overflaps, similar to the deels
still worn by lamas in modern Mongolia. In addition to the deel,
men and women might wear loose trousers beneath, and men may have worn skirts
during the later Buddhist period, and women might wear underskirts, but in fact
it appears on some Mongol paintings women wore wide trousers gathered at ankle,
similar to shelwar or Turkish trousers. Skirts of the same style are
still worn in part of Mongolia and China today; they have plain front and back
panels with closely pleated side panels. Paintings of Mongols from Persian
and Chinese sources depict men, and often women, wearing their hair in braids.
The hair would be divided into two pigtails, each of which would be divided
into three braids. The ends of the braids would then be looped up and bound to
the top of the braid behind the ears. Men shaved the tops and sides of their
heads, usually leaving only a short "forelock" in front and the long
hair behind. The famous bogtag headdress worn by women seems to have been restricted
to married women of very high rank.
Each
ethnic group living in Mongolia has its own deel design distinguished by cut,
color, and trimming. Before the revolution, all social strata in Mongolia had
their own manne
r of dressing. Livestock breeders, for example, wore plain
deels, which served them both summer and winter. The priests wore yellow deels
with a cape or khimj thrown over it. Secular feudal lords
put on smart hats and silk waistcoats
THE MONGOLIAN TRADITIONAL COSTUME
The Mongolian Tradition Costumes consist of a Hat, Deel, Boots and Accessories.
Hat
One of the most colorful and original items of
Mongolian national dress is the traditional head wear. The Mongolian headdresses
differed in shape and purpose; there were hats for the young and old, summer
and winter & men & women, holidays and ceremonies & fashionable and
everyday hats. Their fashion and trimmings & colors were amazing varied
depending on the sex of the person wearing it his or her social position or to
who's tribe or nationality they belonged. There are 400 different styles. For
example, the cone-shaped top of the hat (blue or red) had 32 stitching
symbolizing the unification of 32 Mongolian tribes.
The middle ages women & men wore summer hats
made of plush wet velvet upturned brim &brocaded pointed tops. The hat has
crowed with a fanciful knot. In ancient times it symbolized power capable of
frightening enemies. In summer Mongols wore either the hat or flat-topped
"Toortsog" hat consisting of six gores. The toortsog had an upper and
a lower part. The upper part was not one piece but was sewn from six separate
pieces.
Married women were not permitted to wear this hat,
only girls & men. Women's holiday headwear was noted for it is original and
richness of adornment. It consisted of holiday silk and velvet hat and a
complete decorative set for the hair the lower part of the hat was made from
velvet and the upper part from red silk. The hair holder was covered with
coral, pearl, and mother pearl. The Shanaavch the temporal adornment with
little silver bells was fixed to the hair holder. The "Tolgoin boolt"
was a headdress usually made of silver and studded with a precious stone and
semiprecious stones. Women's hats were more fashionable than men's, and the
ribbons on them were decorated with turquoise.
Deel
The Deel is a loose calf-length tunic made of one piece of material. It
has long sleeves, a high collar, and buttons on the right shoulder. The Deel
buttons. If they are not commercially produced from decorative stones or
silver, they are narrow strips of cloth tied into intricate knots. Each ethnic
group living in Mongolia has its own individual Deel, distinguished by its cut,
color, and trim. These distinctions go unnoticed by foreigners but are obvious
to Mongolians. Before the Revolution, all social strata in Mongolia had their
own manner of dressing. Live stockbreeders, for instance, wore yellow deels
with a cape thrown over it.
There are basically three types of deels, each worn during a particular
season. The "Dan Deel" is made of light, thinks bright materials and
is worn by women during the late spring and summer. The "terleg" is a
slightly more padded version and both men and women. The winter Deel is
serious, padded tunic lined with sheepskin, or layers of row cotton. Deels have
the same cut whether worn by men or women. Male deels are just wider and in
more somber colors. The Deel for everyday wear is gray, brown or some other
dark color, white the holiday Deel is bright blue, green or claret silk with a
silk sash of contrasting color several meters long. The sash is not simply
adornment. It also serves as a soft corset facilitating long riders on
horseback.
Boots
The toes of boots are upturned, and several explanations have been
offered for this unconventional style. If boots had upturned toes pre 1578 when
Buddhism introduced to Mongolia, then this would be an example of religion
using indigenous customs, beliefs, etc. to support advance their own religion.
Another explanation is that the upturned tip prevents a rider's feet from
slipping out of the stirrups. However, it's also true that boots are so thick
and rigid that if they were flat, they would be almost impossible to walk in.
Accessories
Traditional accessories are usually made of silver. Mongolian women
usually wear a pearl head dressing and silver earrings with pearls. The
necklace is not common.
