Folk costumes

A great example of Seto women’s handicraft is folk costume. Many Seto women wore folk costume right up to the time of World War II. Wearing folk costume has once again become more common, above all on festive days and village fetes. A definite set of rules applies to clothing – they show the wearer’s age, social and economic position. But in modern times, this is no longer necessarily the case.

The basic colours of Seto folk costume are white and red, and in later times, black has also been used as a colour. Red used to be considered the colour of life. Married women always wear a special head covering, over a braid from hair or flax fibres, which gives the woman’s head a special shape. A set of silver jewellery has always been a part of Seto women’s ensemble. A married woman’s jewellery centres on a large disc-shaped brooch, which is worn until the end of her child-bearing years. Besides the brooch, women wear silver and chains made from tsarist-era coins. As to men’s folk costume, the beautifully patterned wool socks and grand white wool jacket stand out the most.

About Seto folk costume (in Estonian):
www.rahvakultuur.ee