Folk patterns. Russian national ornament

Any nation during its existence used various ornaments and patterns. Many images of stunning beauty have come down to us from time immemorial. Each nation has its own unique handwriting, depending on many factors. Culture, location on the planet and the individual characteristics of each master play a role. It is impossible not to be glad that these national ornaments and patterns are an art that has reached our days, and has not disappeared so far.

Any nation during its existence used various ornaments and patterns.

The tendency to keep dishes with folk paintings at home, to decorate the interior with ornaments and patterns, is becoming more fashionable every day. Even if you are not an artist, you can purchase stencils or print them. Then use the ready-made templates as the inner voice prompts.

Folk workshops, where you can order such stencils or invite an artist, usually exist in the outback. But even in the capital, if you wish, you can find craftsmen who can apply both a simple ornament or pattern, and a more complex one. To decorate, for example, a child's room with such a painting is a great joy for children.

There are geometric ornaments that do not carry any subtext. There are those that contain some meanings and symbols.

Russian ornament: stencils that are easy to make yourself

Russian ornament, for example, on embroidery, is known to everyone. Everyone has seen folk costumes at least once in their life. Such beauty comes out from under the hands of masters. And these are not the most difficult options. Nothing to say - art is art. And Russia has always been rich in talents.

If a decision is made to engage in the art of ornamentation, you need to start with stencils, which are simpler. And it’s worth taking a Russian ornament for a start. If you can't get stencils, you can make them yourself. Anyone can do this, you just need to show perseverance and patience.

If a decision is made to engage in the art of ornamentation, you need to start with stencils that are simpler

After simple patterns begin to turn out, you can switch to more complex ones.

Gallery: ornaments and patterns (25 photos)

Buryat patterns: song of the steppe

The Buryat ornament, like the murals of all Mongolian-speaking representatives, basically consists of simple geometric shapes:

• broken lines;
• zigzags;
• circles;
• diamonds;
• other figures.

If the hand is at least a little trained in the simplest drawings, you can take on Buryat ornament and Mongolian drawings. Here is some of them. It is easy to see Buddhist motifs and the Bashkir style in them.

Yakut ornament

Yakut works of art of the pattern amaze with their beauty. It is especially difficult to look away from works made in gold. Keeping in mind the Yakut gold, it would be surprising not to see it in folk art.

It seems to be nothing complicated, but it looks magical.

Yakut art works of the pattern amaze with their beauty

As in any art form, there are simpler ornaments. Of the geometric shapes, the Yakut people are very fond of using circles.

Tatar pattern: patterns of a great people

Tatar and Bashkir craftsmen specialized in bright ornaments and patterns. This is especially evident in national clothes (headdresses, shoes with colorful mosaics).

Decorating your home with carpets of stunning beauty is one of the main highlights of the Tatar nation. Any housing, whether rural or urban, was always filled with carpets that surpassed Persian ones in beauty. Tatars have always been dominated by bright floral motifs.

Embroidered flowers can be seen not only on clothes, but also on household items. Towels, pillowcases, tablecloths, aprons, prayer rugs.

You can talk about head scarves for a very long time. In each house, a whole chest is filled with such scarves. Everyday, festive, wedding - for each event there is a scarf, and for each scarf - its own special pattern. Here is such a beauty - a Tatar and Bashkir embroidered scarf that you can’t take your eyes off

Tatar and Bashkir craftsmen specialized in bright ornaments and patterns.

The most common was the art of ornamentation in carved wooden architecture. Then there was embroidery, a pattern on shoes and carpets. It took up very little space Tatar people fabric application. But on the other hand, in this application, which is interesting, oriental and Greek motifs were clearly visible.

The most popular was and still is floral ornament. Shamrock, carnation, tulip, dahlias, peonies and chrysanthemums - all this is very popular with Tatar craftswomen.

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Looking at these works of folk craft, I want the house to have at least one such pattern that pleases the eye

Geometric patterns in the interior: the trend of the season

Geometric solutions in interior design - the most fashion trend of the year. Strictness, harmony, aristocratic aesthetics - all this delights and is used more and more often in the work of designers.

The geometric style came to houses in different forms:

• like furniture
• as accessories
• like patterns and ornaments.

Such ideas are embodied today by designers in the design of apartments and offices.

Geometric solutions in interior design - the most fashionable trend of the year

Simple and beautiful. And this becomes the motto of fashionable modern designers and those who strive for harmony in such an interior.

Oriental patterns: a visit to a fairy tale

Oriental patterns are gaining popularity again today. More often they are used for painting fabrics, silk, large canvases. Oriental ornament based on the rhythm and construction of elements, on the abstraction and stylization of real things. The roots of this art go back to the culture of Persia and Mesopotamia. Each of the patterns symbolizes something. For example, an ordinary socket is a symbol of the universal cycle. Made in the form of a flower, it had many varieties. This is only one of the few deciphered characters. What other patterns hide in themselves may remain an eternal mystery.

Oriental patterns are gaining popularity again today

The most frequent motifs of oriental patterns are a plant motif, magical birds and the World Tree. In the latter, a lot of symbols are combined along with real details. Oriental pattern has another feature. This is carpet filling. It is difficult to find an unoccupied space on the surface of the pattern. Lines, leaves, cones, spikelets, blades of grass - they fill the whole space. In particular, this technique is used in architecture, the manufacture of decorative dishes and clothing.

Patterns for children: we create together with the kids

Developing a child's abilities by teaching him the art of patterns and ornaments is a way that gives excellent results. Try to make a light floral pattern first. Below is step-by-step instruction, according to which it is very simple to do everything.

The order of work is as follows:

Divide the selected area into eight identical sections. Spend horizontal lines and start decorating.

Make the next sketch.

Add some small details of your choice.

Already unnecessary lines along which the sketch was made must be erased with an eraser.

Ah, these Russian folk patterns ! As their subtle ligature attracts attention, so something in the soul resonates! And it seems that these lace ornaments exude the intoxicating aroma of ancient secrets and, flickering, they are trying to say a hundred things. Alas! Not many people know the symbolic language of Slavic patterns, not many people understand their multi-layered images, their meaning. Slavic patterns are beautiful, like a summer nightingale song, but, of course, you need to have some kind of spiritual resonance with the heritage of your ancestors in order to hear their soft music. This article shows whichRussian folk patterns and their meaning were used in the artel "Northern Fairy Tale" when creating a model of a women's sweater with protective patterns.

The true beauty of Slavic patterns- in their meaning

Slavic patterns are like a holographic picture - they must be viewed with defocused vision, switching attention either to a dark pattern, or to a light one. Meaning Slavic patterns can only be understood by combining in the mind the meaning of a dark pattern that “speaks” on behalf of the earthly, manifest world, and the meaning of a light pattern that “speaks” on behalf of the heavenly world, the world of Rule. In addition, the interpretationRussian folk patterns changes depending on the place where they are located - after all, Slavic clothing had a three-part division (preserved, by the way, in the ancient archaic canons of the Mezen painting).

The hem of the clothes symbolized Heaven, the World of Rule, the sleeves and the throat were ritually connected with the Earth, close to the world of Navi, and between them is the space of Reveal. Now try to imagine how the meaning of at least one Slavic pattern will change when it “moves” to “different worlds”. It is impossible to comprehend the beauty and meaning of Slavic patterns on the run, in a hurry - you need a subtle attitude, a special spiritual state in which a person is open to the call of the heart, the call of nature.

Consider embroidery patterns. So, on a women's sweater with protective patterns from the "Northern Fairy Tale", there is a sign "ringed cross", symbolically associated with the First Ancestor. This is a powerful protective sign, its strength rests on the roots of your family tree. It is present in all "three Worlds" on our sweater (below you can see illustrations).

On the hem (remember that this is the heavenly world) the Slavic pattern of the First Ancestor is made in white, that is, it is symbolically associated with Heaven. This is the most powerful heavenly patronage of the Native Gods, the First Ancestors of the Slavs. Further, on the chest, in the territory of the explicit world, the sign of the First Ancestor is already red (dark) in color, these are the roots of your family, supporting the life trunk of your family tree “here and now”, carrying the earth energy, And, finally, the third time the sign of the First Ancestor appears on the sleeves, woven into a pattern that protects the wearer from premature departure to Nav. Here the sign of the First Ancestor is precisely red (dark), earthly, holding.

Let us consider in more detail the schemes of Slavic patterns

“Patterns are great travelers in Time and Space,” writes Marina Kachaeva, whose magnificent and thoughtful studies of Slavic patterns served as the basis for the symbolism of the women's sweater, made in the artel of the Northern Fairy Tale.

I will try to tell as much as possible about this handmade sweater, which even professional knitters can knit in only three weeks.

The first thing to see: Earth or Sky?

And considering general scheme Slavic pattern, evaluate what is more in it - light or dark. In all the protective patterns of this sweater, the balance of dark (red) and light (primary color) is observed, and only on the large protective pattern on the back there is a predominance of the red color of the Earth. This means that this piece of clothing, while harmonizing the flows of male and female energy, still gives its mistress a little more feminine softness, so necessary in our cruel world.

In general, remember that:

if there is more dark, the pattern connects its owner with the earthly world of the living, its purpose is the activation of physical processes in the body and energy (let's call it a trance effect);

if there is more light (there are even “white thread on white” options), then the pattern stretches its powerful connecting threads between the owner and the Sky. Such a pattern helps spiritual work;

if the pattern includes equal amount light and dark threads, then its purpose is to harmonize the Earth-Man-Sky system as a whole.

The second thing to see: what Slavic patterns are located on the "Earth" and "Heaven"

Let's take a closer look at the patterns on clothes with a story from the artel "Northern Fairy Tale".

Sky (world of Rule)

This is the hem of our sweater. It has a dark pattern, made with red threads, and a light one, of the main color in equal proportions (there are equal numbers of light and red threads).

What does the light pattern tell us, whose energy is maximum in this place?

The first thing that is important is the "ringed cross" of the First Ancestor. Its meaning has already been said, we will just enjoy contemplating this Slavic ornament, beautiful in its geometry. Here this symbol is “white in Heaven”, which gives it a key meaning in this ornamental tie, symbolizing the patronage of the Gods of Rule themselves. Perhaps Svarog himself is looking after the owner of this sweater? Then the hostess is provided with a bright, creative, creative life and good health - after all, Svarog, the Supreme God-blacksmith, is also the God of Fertility; he created the Blue Svarga - a country in the sky where our glorious ancestors live.

Prayers are sent to him for the abundance of the fruits of the earth. Svarog taught people how to cook (create) cottage cheese and cheese from milk, which were once considered sacred food, a gift from the Gods. "To bung" still means - in a wonderful, masterful way to create something new, previously unknown.

And, for the harmony of such a strong energy of the Heavenly Ancestor, the Goddess-Earth herself, the Mother of Cheese Earth, appears to us in the form Slavic symbol"sprouting grain". The meaning of thisSlavic pattern- the power of the Earth, the power of life-giving energy, a clot of earthly, explicit incarnation.

Thus, meeting on this hem, the higher forces of the Earth and Heaven favor the creation of a new life. It is no coincidence that this ornament in a sweater from the "Northern Fairy Tale" closes the loins, protecting the very center of female power.

Now let's make a mental effort and switch our perception to the consideration of a dark (in our case, red) pattern.

Earth energy, maximally enhanced by the sign of the "sown field", symbolically associated with the Great Goddess Mother of Cheese Earth, meets here with Slavic sign"Horned", the sign of Makosh, the Goddess of Fate and Magic. Her appearance gives new depth to the meaning of this Slavic pattern.

It contains the confrontation and unification of the earthly and the heavenly, the desire for a simple, everyday life and a talent for female magic.

And here it is already impossible to understand this "intrigue" without digging deeper into the difficult relationship between the two most important female patronesses. Mother Earth Cheese patronizes joy in a simple everyday life, and Makosh, the Goddess of Fate- a mysterious companion of female magic, divination and divination.

Russian folk pattern "horned" is associated with Makosh, as its influence is enhanced along with the moon. The Goddess Makosh herself was depicted in a "horned" headdress, and a traditional headdress Slavic women- "kichka" was beautiful decoration, which had pronounced horns in honor of Makosh, the Goddess of Fate and Magic.

• If you want to know more about it, read the article« »

So, interacting "in Heaven", the two Goddesses came here to give the owner of this garment their power.

In general, on In the scheme of the Slavic pattern of this hem, we see the strong influence of Svarog and Makosh, the Gods of Rule, and the light influence of the First Ancestor sign is so strong that it is enough to support the “horned” sign, made in a red, earthly version.

In order to hold and even resist this luminous energy, the sign of the Earth Goddess is repeated twice on this ornament, in white and red, which generally creates a warm protective field for the mistress of this wonderful clothes.

The central field of this pattern is framed by two stripes with a “wave” pattern - this is a symbol of water, life, movement.

Earth (border between Yavu and Naviu)

Nav is the lower world into which the righteous Soul goes, joining his relatives and becoming a guardian next generations. The soul is in the world of Navi until its new incarnation. Unfortunately, the Souls of those who lived incorrectly and died unjustly also go to Nav. Their existence in Navi regenerates them into dark and terrible Navi, striving to return to the manifest world. The meaning of the ornaments in this place of clothing is very simple - it was believed that the patterns on the sleeves do not allow evil, dark navyas to penetrate into a person.

What a magical action takes place right before our eyes, under the enchanting eyes of miraculousSlavic patterns?

We look closely at the ornament with white, heavenly energy and see the “sprouting grain» Goddesses of the Earth. This sign was "in Heaven", and now appeared here, "on Earth".Such mastery of the entire space of this sign promises the owner of this sweater health and an increase in wealth.

The appearance of "orepia", of course, is also not accidental. This is the sign of Ognedeva, who embodies strength and vital energy of the entire manifest world. And here, on the “territory of the Earth”, it appears in the form of a variant of the drawing, which was called the “labyrinth”. It is said that one who walks through the spirals of the Hyperborean stone labyrinth, keeping in mind the obvious intention to see the future,while moving, he can feel a hidden, but powerful force coming from ancient stones. The walker, as it were, goes through mirages, at first rather blurry, but leaving a tangible vibration in the whole body, an inaudible powerful hum in the ears, a flicker of light in the eyes, an unprecedented concentration in thoughts. A measured step, circles, soft turns, merging in the consciousness into some new path according to all conceivable sensations, lead the questioner to the center. A forced stop - and a bright flash will sparkle before the mind's eye of the traveler divine illumination, penetration through time and space.

Perhaps such an impression will be received by a connoisseur of connoisseurs, considering thisslavic patternon this sweater.

Much is said about labyrinths as doors to another world. It is dangerous when these doors are open, special rites are needed to welcome the Ancestors and protect themselves from the Navi. In this pattern, Ognedeva's labyrinth is tightly sealed with four locks and securely keeps its owner.

• If you want to know more about labyrinths, read the article

The dark, red pattern, which has maximum strength here, includes a "lattice" - gives us new meaning what is happening. Here Ognedeva, who sealed the passage to the lower world with celestial energy, appears in the form of a luminous Goddess rushing in a cart drawn by the Pribogs. As Marina Kachaeva writes, “she rushes in a fiery chariot drawn by a pair of Gemini - swans or horses. This image of the Virgin corresponds to the lunar cults associated with love magic. An attentive connoisseur of the meaning of Slavic patterns will, of course, remember the energy of Makosh, the Goddess of Fate and Magic, which fills the ornament of the hem.

And, of course, the power and tranquility of the "ringed cross" that bears the age-old protection of the First Ancestor.

Here, on the border of the world of Reveal and Navi, it is made with threads of red, earth, female color, it reigns here, radiant with its protective energy. All Mothers of your kind are on guard, protecting the unwanted penetration of dark navi.

Let us consider the meaning of the Slavic pattern as a whole. The scheme is this. Connecting and protecting, the sign of Ognedeva in the form of a white labyrinth and the red sign of the First Ancestor block unwanted energy from both principles - male and female.

At the same time, here lies the growth of the female spiritual principle (white sprout) and the ability to influence men (the red Ognedeva, which gives strength in love magic).

Third: look at the patterns guarding the wrist and throat

On the women's sweater from Severnaya Skazka, as well as on the men's, there is the famous "Russian cross". The patterns in this place are extremely important, they hold the Soul in the body. The Russian cross is a pattern consisting of female "rhombuses" and male "crosses", and it is in the correct color scheme - a dark female rhombus and a light male cross. What is there to say for a long time - it turns out that this pattern, harmonizing the feminine and masculine, holds the Soul precisely by the power of Love, which is such an attractive part of our Explicit life.

Fourth: look at the world of Reveal

Between the hem and sleeves-collar there is a space symbolizing our explicit world in which we exist on the physical plane. In Slavic clothes, there were patterns on the chest and back, and, importantly, all clothes were girded with a belt, preferably also patterned.

On the sweater from the artel "Northern Fairy Tale" in the area of ​​\u200b\u200bthe belt, a patterned protective strip has already been made. Let's take a closer look at her treasures.

On a wave of white, masculine energy, Ognedeva is located here - in the form of a “orepia” protecting the hostess from unnecessary ill-wishers of the obvious, physical world, and she, on a white chariotin a lattice pattern giving strength to love and be loved.

And look at female powers, bestowed by these patterns - the red "horned", Makosh, the Goddess of the Moon, the Goddess of Fate and Magic, repeated twice (in a direct and mirror version) promises an easy, bright fate in this obvious life.

The patterns made on clothes, tablecloths, towels by unknown craftswomen of past centuries still sparkle brightly, shimmer with iridescent colors. These symbolic images, according to our great-grandfathers, were supposed to bring good luck and prosperity to their owners, save “from famine and pestilence”, avert the influence of evil forces, protect the warrior from wounds on the battlefield, and promote procreation.

Until the middle of the 19th century, “decorations” did not change, so as not to violate or distort the ancient sacred meaning, passed down from generation to generation, carefully observing the "canons". Ornaments are akin to ancient writings and, like them, can tell a lot about the worldview of a person of those distant eras. For a long time, people remembered the purpose of ornaments. Back in the 20-30s of the XX century, residents of some northern Russian villages demonstrated their knowledge of the meaning of the depicted patterns in front of the oldest craftswoman of the village on special “readings”: young girls brought to gatherings finished works and told about them in front of "the whole world."

In some places in the outback you can still hear the ancient names of patterns: “vodyanik”, “Perun”, although the master is most often not able to explain their meaning. And yet, the ancient patterns live on. They live and enjoy their beauty. They sometimes live contrary to the beliefs of society or its individual groups, contrary to the guidelines of this or that state regime. Somehow, while working in the archives of the Ryazan Historical and Architectural Museum-Reserve, I laughed a lot when reading the correspondence between the Ryazan mayor and the Skopinsky bishop (XIX century): both correspondents subtly scolded the “lecherous” Russian women, who, despite the great church holidays, stubbornly walked around around the city in "obscenely" embroidered "underwear" - a folk shirt with embroideries along the hem. The custom demanded that the embroideries be put on display, and the craftswomen depicted on them either a woman giving birth, or even “patterns of the first night”.

But it was not at all funny to recall the stories of the old people heard on expeditions about how, during the years of the Great patriotic war, and sometimes - and quite recently, hundreds of folk "decorations" with the image of a swastika - one of the most beloved Slavic ornaments - were barbarously destroyed. And the advanced technologies of the 21st century threaten to completely wipe out Russian folk crafts with their low productivity and primitive technologies from the face of the Earth.

And yet, in spite of everything, the ornament lives on. To this day, there are people who know how to decorate and who want to wear traditional Russian clothes. Long winter evenings Slavic girls and women embroidered and wove patterns with a torch - one more intricate than the other, decorating their “row” with them, so that later, at a holiday, they could flaunt before the “obschestvo”. Did they only feel beauty? Was it only the desire for creative self-expression that guided them? Or was there and continues to exist today in ancient symbols something very important - unknown to us, the current ones?

For the first time I had to deal with the unusual properties of folk ornament in my youth, when I worked in the Ryazan Historical and Architectural Museum-Reserve. It was necessary to take a picture in an old folk dress. In the cathedral where the filming took place, because of the cold, I had to wear a fur undershirt, but ... as soon as I put on embroidered linen clothes, it suddenly became warm: the thin fabric warmed! In an inconceivable way! Later, while waiting for the birth of a child, I realized that the folk patterns that Russian women made, in addition to beauty, gave the expectant mother peace and patience. When I drew ornaments for the planned works, my state of health miraculously improved, swelling disappeared. Later, having mastered the craft of hand weaving, I began to notice how my mood changes in the process of making variously ornamented products.

Surprisingly, the folk ornament, “decoration” is the same all over the world: graphics are somewhat different, colors and shades change, but the appearance, rhythm, meaning are quite recognizable. There is a known case when a Mexican weaver recognized the zero pattern of a women's shirt in the Arkhangelsk province as her national pattern. What's this? Accident? Or based on different folk traditions lie the same deep knowledge, sometimes inaccessible to us, because they are presented in an unusual language for us - harmony, beauty and love - and before understanding them, it is necessary to master the language itself?

This book is the result of my desire to raise questions related to the meaning of folk textile ornament and the peculiarities of its effect on the “carrier” of the clothes decorated with them or the person looking at the patterns. It uses information from many, sometimes non-traditional sources: history, ethnography, mythology, bioenergetics, modern alternative medicine, etc. Maybe this is not entirely correct: is it possible to embrace the immensity? But Russian folk culture has always seemed to me so comprehensive and multifaceted that, in my opinion, it is only necessary to study it comprehensively, having felt the very way of thinking of our ancestors.

I believe that the process of drawing folk textile patterns best of all illustrates what has been said. At first, I spent a month to complete such a drawing while maintaining all the design features (and this is with lined paper, a pencil, and corrective means). And every time the question arose: how could it be without them? On a weaving loom? And not from the middle, from where the pattern clearly unfolds, but from the edge? And instead of a drawing, at best, a diagram scratched on a plank with a nail. What kind of spatial imagination, what kind of coordinated interhemispheric connections of the brain do you need to have in order to do this? Must see! But after all, this ordinary weaver could do it ...

And further. I really want to ancient art the ornament was preserved, did not disappear, so that the skills, traditions and beauty of folk culture continued to live, delight and benefit people. After all, this beauty has incredible good energy (I would like to say - the soul), capable of helping people. I would like to believe that the topics covered in my story will be of interest to new researchers, and then such an amazing phenomenon as Russian folk textile ornament can really be comprehended from different angles. In the meantime, the ancient images-writings continue to wait for their full reading. Well, let's get started, shall we?

The study of folk "decorations" began in XIX century. The first descriptions of textile patterns and attempts to find the meaning hidden in them were made by famous people: members of the Imperial Archaeological Society and numerous scholars of archival commissions Russian Empire. They managed to record invaluable material, now - alas! - lost irretrievably: primordial folk names individual elements of the ornament, more or less not yet distorted by the disappearance of the patriarchal peasant life. In the 1920s, their work was continued by regional societies of local historians. Relatively systematized materials were published in regional publications or settled in archives. Of the available ones, the works of the Smolensk ethnographer E.N. Klet-nova, Ryazan ethnographer N.I. Lebedeva, the famous archaeologist V.A. Gorodtsov (I.001) and materials of a unique study of the Sapozhkovsky local historians P. and S. Stakhanov.

A lot of literature devoted to the description of patterns of folk embroidery and weaving throughout the territory of the USSR was published in the 1950s-1970s. A number of art albums and catalogs are published folk costume. Studying the ornaments of the peoples of Siberia, S. Ivanov developed schemes for the formation of ornamental forms, depending on the type of symmetry used. The interest of historians, archaeologists, and art critics in the meaning of images is growing: special studies are being undertaken by G.P. Durasov, G.S.

Maslova, B.A. Rybakov (I.002), A. Ambrose.

In the 1990s, study materials reappeared local traditions. New researchers of museum collections and amateur collectors drew attention to previously missed details of jewelry folk clothes, which made it possible to trace the reflection of the Slavic pagan culture and social and tribal information about the owner in the folk costume. There was an opportunity to study the history of the ancient and widespread symbol among the Slavs - the swastika. Numerous attempts at a practical reconstruction of the use and meaning of folk ornament were made by supporters of the resurgent paganism. A. Golan in his major work traced a single mythological basis symbols of ornament among the peoples of the world, and the work of M.F. Parmon exhaustively illuminated the features of the cut and form of folk clothing.

Studies are being published that raise the issues of the perception of symbols by the human mind, as well as the impact of the sign on our physical condition - from this point of view, V.I. Loshilov. Psychologists and representatives of alternative medicine have accumulated considerable experience in assessing the impact of certain non-material factors on human body, and our understanding of the properties of consciousness is constantly expanding. But no one has yet tried to consider folk ornament from this point of view.

Few people know that the first country in the world to spread the swastika is ... Russia. This is the key ornament of embroidery and weaving in the Russian North, we even overtake India, where amulets swastikas still adorn city houses. Agree, given the ideological context of the events of the 20th century, this is perceived, at least, as an irony of fate.

It is on our lands that polysyllabic solar motifs have been preserved, which, at times, are maternal even in relation to Indian motifs (you can read about this in the works of S.V. Zharnikova). This is a dizzying archaic.

“feather grass” (Tula province), “horse”, “horse shank” (Ryazan province), “hare” (Pechora), “saffron milk cap” (Nizhny Novgorod province), “loach” (Tver province), “bowleg "(Voronezh province.), etc. On the territory of the Vologda lands, the name of the swastika was even more diverse. “Hook”, “kryukovets”, “hook” (Syamzhensky, Verkhovazhsky districts), “flint”, “fire flint”, “horse fire” (horse-fire?) (Tarnogsky, Nyuksensky districts), “verify”, “cricket” ( Velikoustyugsky district), “leader”, “leader”, “zhgun”, (Kichm.-Gorodetsky, Nikolsky districts), “brightly”, “shaggy brightly”, “kosmach” (Totemsky district), “geese”, “chertogon” (Babushkinsky district), "mower", "kosovik" (Sokolsky district), "cross", "gate" (Vologda, Gryazovets districts), "rotator", "rotator", "rotator" (Sheksninsky, Cherepovets districts), " corner" (Babaevsky district), "miller" (Chagodoshchensky district), "krutyak" (Belozersky, Kirillovsky districts), "flaming" (Vytegorsky district). The most archaic of them, of course, is the fire pit. This name reflects the original meaning of the magical symbol of the swastika: “living fire” - “fire” - “tinderbox” - “firelighter”.

“The Russian name for the swastika is “kolovrat”, i.e. “solstice” (“kolo” - old Russian name sun, "gates" - rotation, return). Kolovrat symbolized the victory of light (the sun) over darkness, life over death, bring it to life over Navi. The swastika, directed in the opposite direction, was called "salting". According to one version, “Kolovrat” meant the increase in daylight hours or the rising spring sun, while “salting” meant the decrease in daylight and the setting autumn sun. The existing confusion in the names is generated by an incorrect understanding of the direction of the rotational movement of the Russian swastika. The “right” or “straight” swastika is often called a cross with the ends bent to the right side. However, in Russian pagan tradition meaning The swastika is as close as possible to the most ancient one (the symbol of “living fire”), and therefore its bent ends should be considered precisely as tongues of flame, which naturally deviate to the left when the cross rotates to the right, and to the right when it rotates to the left. The deflection of the flames in both cases occurs under the influence of the oncoming air flow. Therefore, a “kolovrat”, or “left-sided”, swastika in Russia is called a cross, the ends of which (“tongues of flame”) are bent to the right side, and vice versa, a cross with ends bent to the left is called a “salting”, or “right-sided”, swastika ( in this case, the swastika rotates clockwise, according to the sun, hence its name - “salting”). In the Old Believer "salting" - a ritual walk around the churches in the sun - an ancient pagan ritual is easily guessed. (M.V. Surov “Everything and everyone will return”)”

The ornament of clothes, of course, should decorate it, but it turns out that initially it also performed a different function. The ornament in the Russian folk costume was a kind of protector from evil forces, a talisman, a kind of talisman. That is why the pattern of the ornament is not located anywhere, but in places where the edges of the clothes pass into the open surface of the skin, so to speak, unprotected. This is the collar, cuffs, hem. In this ornament, embroiderers concluded secret signs, ideograms that they selected for each owner individually. These signs were supposed to protect the wearer from an external enemy and from accidental misfortune. Hence and popular expression"He won't spare his shirt either." So they talked about an extremely generous person who is ready to give up his shirt, and with it all his protection.

The meaning of patterns

The word "pattern" itself is derived from the word "dawn" - obsolete Russian word, meaning the sunset and the moment the stars appear in the sky. All those depicted on the ornament of the folk costume very symbolically reflected the vision of the world of the people of that time. The way they perceived the cosmos, the sun, the stars, and their place in it all. For example, often depicted running White horse against the background of the stars. The horse symbolized the sun, which is why he was surrounded by stars. Also, images of the spring god of the sun Lado are not uncommon.

The rituals that existed among the peoples at that time were also reflected in the ornament of the folk costume. For example, the spring rite - the rainbow, the holiday of Ivan Kupala and others. The ornamental pattern also changed depending on where it was located. If it was a hem, that is, a piece of clothing located closer to the ground, then it depicted rhombo- and cruciform compositions, meaning earth, fertility, fire. If these were patterns on headdresses, that is, closer to the sky, then they embroidered signs that personified the sun, sky, birds, and so on.

All these facts give grounds to conclude that there is a strong relationship past culture, understanding of the world with the cult of nature. And also the ornament reflects the ideas of the people of this culture about their existence. In fact, it was a kind of product folk art, attitudes and thoughts. Ornamental embroidery was one of the first magic of mankind, which is passed down from generation to generation and thus does not allow the current generation to forget about their ancestors and how they lived, felt and believed.

Ornament is the language of millennia. The word "ornament" comes from the Latin ornare and literally means "decoration, pattern". Academician B. A. Rybakov said this about the content of the ornament: “Looking at intricate patterns, we rarely think about their symbolism, we rarely look for meaning in the ornament. It often seems to us that there is no more thoughtless, light and meaningless field of art than ornament. Meanwhile, in the folk ornament, as in ancient writings, the thousand-year-old wisdom of the people, the rudiments of its worldview and the first attempts of man to influence the forces of nature, mysterious to him, were deposited by means of art. However, it would be wrong, speaking of ornaments, to reduce everything to decoration (14).

The ornament is special kind artistic creativity, which, according to many researchers, does not exist in the form of an independent work, it only decorates this or that thing. Many researchers note that the ornament is a rather complex artistic structure, for the creation of which various expressive means are used. Among them are color, texture and mathematical foundations ornamental composition - rhythm, symmetry; graphic expression of ornamental lines, their elasticity and mobility, flexibility or angularity; plastic - in relief ornaments; and, finally, the expressive qualities of the natural motifs used, the beauty of the painted flower, the bending of the stem, the patterning of the leaf. Almost always simple signs that are perceived by our enlightened eye as circles, wavy lines, zigzags or crosses, actually had a completely different meaning for the creators of these compositions. The artistic, figurative language of the ornament is diverse. Performing the task of decorative significance, it often plays the role of a social, gender and age mark, ethnicity, and is a means of expressing the people's worldview (6).

The winding line was often a symbol of water - an unusual substance with mysterious properties, one of the first elements of the world. The circle was a solar (solar) sign. The cross was often a talisman against the forces of evil. An ornament with such signs gave a special meaning to a thing, as if immersing it in the fabric of complex relationships between man and the world within a certain picture of the world (16).

However, humanity is “growing up” and the time of faith in the mystical meaning of ancient symbols and in their real power has passed. We know about ancient myths, but we do not believe in them. With the loss of faith in the magical power of signs, their innermost meaning began to disappear from the ornaments, and they really began to turn into one of the decorative elements. Nevertheless, there are still places on Earth, including Russia, where the picture of the world “recorded” with ornaments is still reproduced, lives in people and objects, which means that the ornaments created within the framework of this picture of the world have not lost their strength, their innermost meaning. and meaning. One of these places is settlements. small peoples North, Siberia and the Far East of Russia (16).

Russian ornament is rightly called one of the most interesting phenomena in world art culture.

It is a unique world artistic images. Over the centuries, Russian ornament has changed, transformed, but invariably struck the imagination of contemporaries with its poetics and the beauty of lines and colors. The ornament accompanied the man in his Everyday life. Plant, geometric, zoomorphic and other motifs adorned the human dwelling, cult and household items, clothes, handwritten books. The patterns applied to the object carried the foundations of the universe. The artist comprehended the world around him and sought to express his attitude towards it, combining different elements by varying the line or color ratio. The ornament could fill everything with a solid carpet. free space or decorate only some parts of the product, emphasizing their artistic and plastic expressiveness (1).

The ornament is built on the rhythmic alternation of depicted motifs, a derivative of the form and a structure subordinate to it. The ornament cannot be calculated mathematically; it covers the surface of an object, repeating its curves, emphasizing or hiding them. It is impossible to calculate what the curl will be, which is laid by the master. The internal structure of the ornament has a pictorial, applied and semantic origin. The pattern always has an applied side, it is rigidly connected with the function of the object on which it is applied, with its shape, material. And, finally, any ornament has one or another meaning. It can have the direct meaning of writing, reflect with its rhythms in a complex-mediated form the real rhythms of life, carry symbolic meanings anchored in tradition. All ornaments have their own names, which are very stable, if we take into account the vast territory of their distribution. To decipher the meaning of the ornaments, both explanations of craftswomen and religious and mythological representations, as well as stable folklore and everyday expressions, are involved, since they are based on the same system of representation of the world. Ideas about the picture of the world are passed on from generation to generation, and it is only partially realized (see Appendix 6).

The time of the appearance of the first ornamental compositions in Russian art is unknown, but it can be assumed that interest in decorating objects developed simultaneously with the development of the surrounding world (4, p.6).

Researchers, Russian and foreign, made attempts to study the art of constructing ornamental compositions. Archaeologists, ethnographers, historians, art critics wrote about Russian ornament. First of all, the attention of the scientific world was drawn to the study of the art of the XI-XVII centuries. Among the most famous scientists who dealt with the issue of ornament were F. G. Solntsev, F. I. Buslaev, I. M. Snegirev, V. I. Butovsky, V. V. Stasov, the famous French scientist E. Viollet-le-Duc . They were engaged in the study of Russian ornament in all its manifestations - not only as a unique phenomenon, but also as an integral part of the form and decor of various objects. Everything was decorated with an ornament, from large works of architecture to small household utensils. And most brightly, the ornament manifested itself in Russian embroidery (1, p. 9).

According to the motifs used in the ornament, it is divided into: geometric, consisting of abstract forms (points, straight lines, broken, zigzag, mesh intersecting lines; circles, rhombuses, polyhedrons, stars, crosses, spirals; more complex specific ornamental motifs - meander, etc. . P.); vegetable, stylizing leaves, flowers, fruits, etc. (lotus, papyrus, palmette, acanthus, etc.); zoomorphic, or animal, stylizing figures or parts of figures of real or fantastic animals. Human figures, architectural fragments, weapons, various signs and emblems (coats of arms) are also used as motifs; anthropomorphic, subdivided into two large groups: a) archaic, reflecting ancient mythological ideas, b) everyday (or genre). A special kind of ornament is represented by stylized inscriptions on architectural structures (for example, on Central Asian medieval mosques) or in books (the so-called ligature). Complex combinations of various motifs are not uncommon (geometric and animal forms - the so-called teratology, geometric and plant - arabesques) (5).

Russian ornament is a little-studied area, much in it remains unexplored and unclear. Folk traditions, Christian doctrine, the heritage of Eastern and Western European countries - all this influenced the formation of Russian ornament.

Russian ornaments perceived dissimilar elements enriched and transformed into new forms. The richness and variety of forms and types of Russian ornamentation testifies to the creative thinking of the masters and their high artistic taste (1, p. 7).