Aryan hairstyles. What types of men's hairstyles are there? Long hair among the Slavs Why did the Slavs wear long hair

In the times of princes and princesses, kings and queens, the hair of the Slavs personified vital energy and health. A long braid was considered the standard of beauty among girls and married ladies. Men also did not cut their hair, believing that strength and inner power were concentrated in the hair. Hairstyles of Ancient Rus' were not distinguished by their complexity and intricacy. It is about them that we will talk further, we will consider popular options, models that are relevant today.

Features of the Old Russian style

The clothing style and hair styling methods of Russian girls were completely opposite to the airy decorations and images of oriental beauties. It was believed that a woman of Ancient Rus' should have a stately, strong figure, strong and courageous.

A long shirt, shushun (elongated sundress), massive fur coats or jackets, warm vests (bugai) or short caftans (shugai) were made of thick and heavy fabrics. Sometimes the outfit of an ancient Russian young lady reached 20 kg.

The young lady's head was necessarily covered with a headdress (mortuary, kika, kokoshnik, scarf, etc.). Bright, intricate patterns, scarves decorated with gold and silver threads and precious stones looked harmonious with simple styling.

Over time, the style of dressing partially changed, but the weightiness and multi-layered nature of the outfit remained unchanged.

Among cosmetics, natural products were welcomed: beets replaced blush and lipstick, and black coals emphasized the beauty of the shape of the eyes. Slavic girls were distinguished by their beautiful appearance, so a large arsenal of cosmetics was not used.

Short haircuts were not performed in Ancient Rus'. It was believed that as the length of hair shortens, health decreases. That's why Russian beauties wore long hair. Men also did not neglect the tradition of growing hair and beard.

Characteristic features of hairstyles

An invariable attribute of the hairstyle of Ancient Rus' was. By the weaving it was possible to determine whether the beauty was married or not, or whether there was a groom. For example, married ladies braided 2 symmetrical braids, and unmarried girls wore one braid. If a beauty had a betrothed, a ribbon was woven into her braid. , you can find out on our website.

To prevent long braids from interfering with housework, they were styled.

Ancient Russian women's heads were necessarily covered with a headdress. It could be a kokoshnik, a high hat, a cap, a scarf, decorated with gold and precious stones. The headdress had a bright and beautiful pattern and was embroidered with gold and silver threads. Only married ladies were required to cover their heads; free beauties were allowed to appear on the street without a headdress.

In Ancient Rus', girls rarely let their hair down. As a rule, Ukrainian beauties used this style; the parting was done in the center. Additionally, the head was decorated with a bright ribbon, which was wrapped around the head (like a headband). For a festive occasion, a wreath of flowers, meadow grass and spikelets was additionally used as decoration.

For convenience, the hair was divided in half and alternately entangled around a special ring-frame. The ring was made of rope or cord and placed on top of the hair.

How relevant are hairstyles these days?

Over time, weaving has not lost its relevance, many variations have been added (5 strands, and others). Modern beauties do not need to adhere to ancient Russian canons, preferring only.

If nature has not rewarded a beauty with chic hair, stylists recommend paying attention to. Girls with long and thick hair can safely experiment with.

Don't forget to consider your face shape when choosing a hairstyle. Additional volume at the top of your hair will help balance out a narrow forehead and full cheeks; try wide bangs. To hide a wide forehead, on the contrary, concentrate attention on the lower part of your hair. Two symmetrical openwork ones will come in handy in this case.

Hairstyles with scarves and ribbons look stylish, elegant, discreet and original. They are suitable for all ages and are not demanding on face type and hair structure.

It is worth noting, that the beauty's clothing style plays an insignificant role. Old Russian styling options are definitely suitable for romantic and business personalities. They are used for festive, special occasions, for every day, for going to the cinema or on a date.

Old Russian hairstyles were not distinguished by the complexity and intricacy of execution techniques, therefore Anyone can do them without the help of a professional. It is enough to arm yourself with a comb, a hairpin or an elastic band, hairpins, bobby pins, as well as additional accessories and decorations.

The advice of experienced craftsmen will help you turn your planned image into reality:

Carry out styling on clean and dried hair; for frizzy, unruly hair, it is recommended to additionally apply an oil fluid, conditioner or leave-in balm.
When choosing a hairstyle, be sure to take into account your face type, appearance features, and chosen outfit.
Experiment with the technique and placement of the weave. This will help you look new and interesting every time.
Use jewelry in moderation, especially if your outfit is already bright and dazzling.
Have you decided to do your own hair styling for the celebration? Take the time to practice doing it before the scheduled event, watch the thematic video.
In Ancient Rus', strands of horsehair were used to give hair additional thickness. Nowadays, Kanekalon extensions and weaving are popular.
To make the image as close as possible to the ancient Russian style, give preference to natural hair shades.
Don’t overdo it with makeup, pay attention to nude makeup.

Modern Russian styling

In their original form, ancient Russian hairstyles have practically not been preserved; modern beauties are in a hurry to add charm to their styling, complicating the task. Let's look at approximate options for women's hairstyles:

- easy and quick to do, suitable for absolutely everyone. You can make the weave more interesting, romantic and sophisticated if you braid it on its side and fluff it up a little, thereby giving the image a casual, natural look.

- will serve as a decoration for hair of any length. The weaving technique is simple; unlike a regular braid, tacks are used.

- looks impressive and unusual, easy to perform. Suitable for medium to long hair.

- suitable for the office, school, walks in the park, a date or a festive dinner. Performed on hair of various lengths, even on bobs. You can use flowers, ribbon, or lace as decoration. In this case, you can use all of your hair or part of it, the rest.

Loose hair, framed with a ribbon, a bandage to match the clothes, They look fresh, original, plus comfortable in windy weather. Use the available tools (scarf, homemade curlers, etc.), curlers, curling iron to help curl your curls.

Knots, bundles of braids- a convenient and beautiful styling option in the manner of ancient Russian beauties. To perform this you will need long hair. The hairstyle looks elegant and stylish.

Advantages and disadvantages

Versatility, along with simplicity and speed of execution, captivates many modern beauties. Hairstyles can be done at home, look interesting and harmonious, are comfortable, and can be combined with any style.

The absence of restrictions on hair length, type, and age is another significant advantage of styling in the Old Russian style.

Disadvantage - more suitable for office, study, as an everyday option. For a festive celebration, an ordinary braid may seem too simple and uncomplicated.

Stellar examples

World-class celebrities and foreign pop divas have recently been increasingly seen with similar hairstyles, in particular with a regular braid braided on the side or in the center.

Miley Cyrus, Eva Longoria, Isla Fisher, Lucy Hale with a side braid they look natural and feminine.

Miley Cyrus and Eva Longoria

Lea Michele often decorates the head with a classic version of the braid.

Discreet and elegant options demonstrate Kim Kardashian, Nicky Hilton, Tulisa Contostavlos, Felicity Jones. They decided to replace the usual weaving with a fishtail. It looks no less impressive and harmonious.

Kim Kardashian and Felicity Jones

The braid plays a significant, dominant role in the history of Russian hairstyles. Over time, many variations and weaving techniques have appeared, but the usual, classic version of the Russian braid is still relevant.

Useful videos

Weaving a Russian braid.

An easy way to make a braid for yourself. A braid with elastic bands.

Introduction

Quite a lot of material has already been written on this topic. Our task now is to highlight little-known facts that are not mentioned in other research articles.
Let's start with a statement of fact. Hair, both for men and women, is sacred, deep and completely incomprehensible to today’s generation. Previously, neither women nor men had their hair cut short. Losing hair and even parts of it was considered a great shame. The hair and hairstyles were like a certain image, deep and thoughtful. It was part of the culture. It is precisely this layer that we will try to reveal in our article today.

The meaning of hair for a Slavic man

Our contemporaries will start a song that boils down to the fact that long hair was inconvenient for a man. They say that he is practical and does not have time to look after and monitor them, and in battle, the presence of long hair can be a help to his opponent. This is wrong. A well-prepared and trained warrior knows how to tidy up his hair in such a way that it does not get in the way both in battle and in everyday life. Indeed, they can become a hindrance in contact sports. But in fist games it was not customary to pull an opponent’s hair, as this would be a mortal insult that could easily lead to the shedding of blood. Fist fights had certain rules, and it was not Slavic to engage in such nonsense as pulling each other’s hair. And in battles with the enemy, the hair was removed and hidden. Well, in sword fighting, and in any other fight, there is a distance and the opponent is hit with a weapon from a distance. So hair is not a problem.

And the opinion that men couldn’t take care of their hair is all nonsense and comes from simple ignorance or laziness. But this does not mean that the man had hair up to his fifth point. Usually the hair length was shoulder length or slightly lower. How the hair reached this length was further controlled. All cut hair was sacredly burned in a stove or on a fire; under no circumstances was it thrown away. In this sacred method, the ancestors passed on a part of themselves to eternity. Hair was considered as a custodian of knowledge and experience, it was a measure of honor, and therefore it is not surprising that cut hair could tell a knowledgeable person a lot of information. Even 20-30 years ago, grandmothers advised young people in villages to burn their cut hair. But without explaining the full depth of the sacred meaning.

We need to talk a little about hair decoration. Most often, hair was tied into a ponytail for everyday wear. Although there were various methods of hair decoration. The most popular in Rus' were ochelya. Ochelye is a head amulet and in everyday life it collects hair so that it does not get into the eyes. After all, constantly wearing your hair in a bun tightens your hair and makes your head somewhat tired. In addition, ochelya is a powerful amulet that the Slavs used for several years and believed that it took away negative energy. Therefore, on Maslenitsa, when the time comes, it was customary to burn the veil. When the time comes for the headband, its wearer must understand for himself. Ochelye protects from bad thoughts, the evil eye, and provides a person with various protections from negative influences. This is a barrier to your clarity of thinking.

In addition, the hair was decorated in every possible way. For example, thin braids, at the end of such a thin braid there was a special knot. But not everyone knows the purpose of such decorations. This is an important sacred code. Or a symbol, if that’s more convenient. Such braids with knots were knitted as a keepsake. It’s like today’s youth carry strings on their hands. The principle is the same, and its legs grow from the same place. Only hair, as we wrote above, is a repository of memory, a spiritual center in the minds of the Slavs. And through this prism, it becomes clear why our ancestors did not particularly like cutting their hair.

Men often walked with their heads uncovered. There was no need for them to traditionally hide their hair. There is also an ancient rudiment (a remnant of an old tradition) when it is customary for Christians to take off their hats when entering a church. So this is what has happened since the days of dual faith. Since the Slavs believed that through their hair they received a connection with the Gods. This is a deep meaning.

The meaning of hair for women

The meaning of hair for Slavic women is somewhat different. There is no need to explain why they had hair down to their toes. This is the norm and a Slavic woman is always depicted either with long hair or in a headscarf. This is the first sacred meaning. Before marriage, girls could sport long hair and not cover their heads. Married women could walk bareheaded at home, but only wear a headscarf in public. This is like a marker of a married/unmarried Slavic woman. The appearance of a married Slavic woman in public was considered unacceptable, and anyone who dared to jump out into the street with his head uncovered could hear from people the phrase “goofing off”, which meant making a mistake in behavioral etiquette. But this tradition also has a deeper meaning. The fact is that a married woman should no longer absorb social negativity with her hair. That is, a covered head protected more than a headband. Although girls used headbands on an equal basis with men. Just like men, girls wove flowers into their hair and made sacred knots - nauzs. The only thing is that for girls, hair is not just a family memory - it is also a special pride. When she was a girl, villages often held shows of girls' hair. It’s not for nothing that fairy tales contain the phrase “Barbara’s beauty is a long braid.” This tradition also has a wedding connotation. Since hair was considered the most important and significant decoration of a girl. Potential suitors were also present at these viewings. For whom the girl’s braid conveyed a lot of information. Accuracy, perseverance, ability to take care of yourself and much more.
The ritual of combing is very important and sacred. Before marriage, combing hair was entrusted only to the mother or maternal grandmother. After marriage, the girl had to comb her hair herself. A husband could comb a woman’s hair, and according to sacred meaning, this was supposed to give him special powers. Since combing women's hair is a special sacrament. And a man must do it correctly with changing combs. Anyone who has combed long braids will understand this. Only after completing the entire ritual did the man receive the boost of energy and strength that he needed.

conclusions

It seems like hair and hair, but no, they played a huge role in the lives of our ancestors and we should at least understand how they treated such a phenomenon then, what secret meaning and even magic people invested in the meaning of hair in their lives. This article once again shows how important such little things are and how little we still know about our ancestors.

I’ve long wanted to write, or rather ask, but I kept putting it off.

So, in the picture above we see two diametrical hairstyles, what is this for?

Brief information:

Oseledets:

A long mustache and a slightly graying Oseledets adorned his face with signs of experience and peace, and the silver mace, which shone in his strong hand, reminded everyone of the great power of the Zaporozhye Koshe chieftain...

Oseledets, whatever you say, is not just an attribute, not medieval fashion - it is a sign of distinction, of a certain status.

another option - a braid on the head - is a sign that the warrior is in a state of holy war and is ready at any moment to die for his land and family.

Chub (Oseledets) is not a Turkic and not a typical Slovenian-Norman frizure, because the Varangians did not shave their heads and even braided their hair, and if the Chinese and Japanese are Turks (they also shaved their heads), then I am the Almighty Messiah buda-alakh-yarilo. Where did the forelock come from? Let's try to figure it out

But some Normans also had forelocks! But which Normans? Usually among those who communicated with the Slavs. On the Normans' heads, such a hairstyle was a sign of nobility - jarls. The Normans who conquered England had shaved heads and a wide forelock at the front. This hairstyle was common among the Celts. The latter considered long locks of hair as a sign of divinity. In the 9th century, during the Carolingian dynasty, Frankish warriors wore a hairstyle that resembled a forelock.

They fed on the Cossacks: “What is the reason,

Why is your head bare, and the beast chuprin?”

"And the reason is this: I died in the war

- An angel carried me

To the sky for chuprina."
Forelocks were also worn by the ancient Germans - the Goths (Ostgoths), who lived in the steppes of modern Ukraine, Russia and Belarus, which is why this hairstyle was common among the Scandinavians and Russians.
Slavic pagan idolography practically does not know long-bearded gods and does not know long-haired ones at all. Slavic tribes depicted their idols with mustaches, but without beards (Perun, who has a “golden mustache”). In the miniatures of the Radzill Chronicle, Perun’s mustache and beard are not visible. But the oseledets forelock is expressively noticeable, flowing down to the left ear in a completely Zaporozhye style. Historians claim that the Rus (Scandinavians) of Kievan Rus IX-XI centuries. shaved beards and heads. Adhering to the princely military tradition, the Cossacks, as well as the army of the Varangian Svyatoslav, shaved their heads and beards, leaving a mustache and forelock.
It must be said here that in medieval Europe the Christian Church opposed the custom of “growing stubble on the face”, unlike the Orthodox Church. Kozma of Prague, describing a noble Czech from the time of Boleslav the Terrible, notes the double forelock on his shaved head. The “Great Chronicle”, describing the last representative of the family nobility to the Polish throne - Kotishko, says that his head was bare, with the exception of one tuft of hair on the crown - a complete analogy with Svyatoslav. Prince Wenceslas has a similar hairstyle in the miniatures of the Wolfenbüttel manuscript. Almost relatives, the Slavs and Balts, were also not inclined to grow hair and beards. In medieval images of Prussians we see shaved beards, long mustaches and short-cropped hair (sometimes forelocks are recognizable). In the iconographic tradition of Lithuania, the image of Jagiello (Jagiello) is very much based on Prince Svyatoslav. The general appearance of the Lithuanian gentry of that time was the same.
On the island of Malta in the Aragon Chapel there is an interesting tombstone of the Grand Master of the Knights of Malta Nicolo Cotonera, made by the sculptor Domenico Guidi (1628-1701). One of the Atlases that supports this tombstone, similar to a Cossack who breaks his bonds. Art historians agree that this is an image of the Lithuanian prince Radivil (see picture), who was a galley rower in Turkish captivity, and who was later freed by the Knights of Malta. And again the question: why does the prince have a Cossack hairstyle?

That is, we came to the conclusion that the forelock was somehow a sign of a class of people among different nations, but which one?

The Swedish historian Johann Gerbinius, in his description of the ancient world, recalls the Borysthenite-Kosonos (inhabitants of the Borysthenes-Dnieper basin). Unknown Persian author of the 9th century AD. in the work “The Book of the Boundaries of the World” he describes the Rus: “the people of the Rus are warlike. They fight with all infidels and always emerge victorious, among them there is a group of Morovat (knights). They sew bloomers from about 100 pieces of fabric, which they put on and rotate above the knee...they sew hats from wool with a tail (shlyk).” Full description of a Cossack in trousers and a hat with a shlyk. In general, traces of the spread of selenium in the world are noticeable as Aryan tribes settled from the Naddnepryan region.
In Mizin, on the banks of the Ros River, Ukrainian archaeologists found the world's oldest anthropomorphic image with a forelock, carved on a mammoth bone. The age of the image is 20 thousand years. But historiography does not even want to remember this image. After all, this find convincingly proves that these lands were the homeland of the Aryan tribes.
Among the Aryan tribes who migrated to India in ancient times, this hairstyle was a sign of the military caste - the Kshatriyas. Kshatriyas wore it four thousand years ago. They had the name “shikhandaka” and it was characteristic of the Indian god of the wind, Krishna (as a symbol of the army). It is believed that this hairstyle symbolized a ray of sunshine, a sign of the sun. In addition, the forelock, which is shaped like a shlyk on a Cossack hat, testified to the kshatriya's disdain for death, because through his forelock his immortal soul will rise to the sun.
To deprive a Cossack of his forelock was considered the greatest disgrace. The extremely high status of this hairstyle among the Cossacks is evidenced by the strictly regulated way of wearing a forelock, twisted precisely behind the left ear.
The forelock was certainly worn behind the left ear, like all distinctions and awards, - explained the former Cossack Antin Golovasty to Grand Duke Konstantin Pavlovich, - a saber, sword, orders, etc. are worn on the left, then the forelock, as a sign of a zealous and brave Cossack, should also be worn on the left." In Ukraine, there was even a special term “chuprindir” - brave, like a Cossack who wears a forelock on his head.
There is not a single doubt that the first Cossacks were pagans, but then, under unknown circumstances, some converted to Christianity. And one more thought that constantly bothers my head - the State of our ancestors, which the Europeans called Rus', no one could conquer, then they decided to split it internally and introduced Christianity, which tells us from childhood that we are God's servants!...
The most famous pagan characterist is Sirko.

Voluntary slave or master of your destiny? Who do you want to be? Decide.

Does this remind you of something?:
The working day ended, and the slaves who worked on the plantation dispersed to their homes. During dinner they started talking: “We need to do something with the owner.” He'll drive us to the grave! - So, if I could lose it from him... And so he said towards nightfall. And when he had said everything, they went to bed, happy, and gain strength. After all, tomorrow we need to go to the plantation to continue working...

Photos of forelocks of other nationalities:

Svyatoslav the Conqueror. Prince of Rus' in the years 964-972.

Varangian from the army of Svyatoslav the Brave

Most Frankish, Saka, Vandals and other warriors of medieval Europe braided their hair and shaved the back of their heads

Slovenian-Norman forelock hairstyle of a Kievan Rus warrior from the time of Prince Svyatoslav.

Russian warrior

Wide variety of Norman forelock

The warriors of the Germanic tribe of the Angles wore a hairstyle that resembled an asshole. (Stills from the Scottish historical film “Winter Warrior” Palm Tree UK Ltd.)

You can easily say it like this: tonsure- This is a specially shaved bald spot on the crown of Catholic monks. Actually tonsura is translated from Latin as haircut or shaving. The tonsure appeared in Christianity long before the split into Catholicism and Orthodoxy, and in Orthodoxy sometimes the crown of the head was shaved - it was called gumence. Here's what Dahl says about this:

Humentse is also the very crown of the head, the crown, the crown, cut off by clergy and clergy at their dedication; in old times it was cut off at tonsure, when the youth became generally mature; now peasants prone to Old Belief, esp. lower cut off the humence.

The most complete description of the different forms of tonsure is given below:

Tonsura (lat. tonsura) is a shorn place on the top of the head of Catholic clergy, a symbol of their renunciation of worldly interests. For a long time there was a custom according to which penitents shaved their heads bald; then this custom was adopted by the monks, and in the 6th century. and all Christian clergy; this was legalized by the Fourth Council of Toledo in 633. T. differed in two types: T. of the Apostle Paul, when the front of the head was shaved bald, and T. of the Apostle Peter, made on the top of the head in the shape of a circle. The first kind of T. was common in the Greek church, and in a slightly modified form (T. apostle James) - also among the British and Irish; the second kind of T. is generally accepted in the Western Church among monks and priests. Currently, T. is usually performed simultaneously with initiation into a lower clergy, and it is the size of a small coin; for priests it is the size of a host, for bishops it is even larger, and for the pope only a narrow strip of hair is left above the forehead.

There is somehow no consensus on the origin of tonsure. It seems that a variety of customs for taming hair on the head, which came to Christianity from different cultures, have merged into the current form of tonsure. Here, Comrade Bondarenko writes:

The tonsure of the Irish (and British BC 9th century) monks, which also caused irritation in Rome (the front of the head was shaved to a line from one ear to the other, the hair on the rest of the head was not cut) was, judging by a passage from the Book from Armagh, borrowed from the Druids...

This is what Comrade Blavatsky writes about this ( THE ROOTS OF RITUALISM IN THE CHURCH AND FREEMASONRY):

The top of the heads of the priests of Anubis /Egyptian deity with the head of a dog and the body of a man, the guide of the soul to the kingdom of the dead - approx. DM/ was shaved (Juvenal) - hence the tonsure...

However, if you believe Blavatsky, in general everything at least somewhat mystical here comes from Egypt:::) In general, what does tonsure symbolize? http://mirslovarei.com/content_sim/Tonz ura-874.html quite light and mystical:

Shaving hair symbolizes the rejection of the fertile forces of nature, spiritual transformation, the nakedness of a newborn child, ascetic life, entering the spiritual path of self-denial and denial of the world, concentration. The tonsure can share the symbolism of the solar disk, crown and dome of the temple. In Christianity, it symbolizes the crown of thorns and the renunciation of the flesh.

However, the Masons, for example, draw a parallel here with the light window in the roof of the temple - in their interpretation of the tonsure there is a readiness to immediately perceive the descending grace. It seems that if we trace the historical roots, it will be possible to get to the point that this is simply shaving the hair over the Sahasrara chakra...

Men's Slavic hairstyles are sharply different from the haircuts of other nations; they express Russia itself, which unites the traditions and culture of East and West.

In Rus', it was believed that a haircut primarily reflects a person’s spirituality and morality. That is why the hair was carefully monitored and the style was not changed depending on fashion trends. The hairstyle was intended to channel a person’s inner strength in the right direction.

Men's Slavic haircuts were not particularly original. Most often, men preferred medium-length hairs. People believed that a short haircut deprived one of heroic strength, and a person with too long hair could be mistaken for an outcast - a person betraying his country. Slavic haircuts for men of high and low classes did not differ; most often they wore medium-length hair, tied with a braid on the forehead. This is quite symbolic, because every man in Rus' is a hero, ready for heroism and defense of his country. To make it more comfortable to wear a helmet, warriors grew a forelock on the top of their heads, folding it in a special way to soften friction on the head.

Hair care

The Slavs always took care of their hair, washing their hair often, preventing dirty hair from becoming untidy. Most often, natural ingredients were used for care, namely:

curdled milk,
egg yolk or bread, specially soaked.
They washed their hair with decoctions of various herbs; by the way, these same herbs helped lighten the hair if gray hair appeared.

The hair was always carefully combed with combs, and ribbons were used to create hairstyles.

In the Slavic tradition (among the Eastern Slavs), the hairstyles of girls and married women differed significantly from each other.

Girls did not cover their hair with a headdress, but married women carefully hid it.

The oldest girl's hairstyle among the Eastern Slavs was loose hair.

Girls in Arkhangelsk province. in the 1880s, they usually wore one braid down the back, with bright ribbons woven into it, but when they put on a headband or bangs on a holiday, then, according to the old custom, the hair was not braided, but loosened.

Girls were also married and buried with their hair down. During mourning, as well as when performing certain rituals, such as fanning, girls let their hair down.

Associated with this is a special type of girl’s headdress in the form of a bandage made of fabric, a hoop made of bast or other material, a wreath, a crown, and the like, as if holding back loose hair. The top of the head remained open.

Braiding hair in one or two braids is a later East Slavic hairstyle. Among the Russians, a girl's hairstyle in one braid prevailed (that's why the girl was called “one-braid”). Weaving a braid in four to seven strands was the custom among southern Great Russian women.

The girl's first braiding of her hair meant her transition to a new age category. While her hair was being cut, she was a “lady,” and as soon as her hair was braided, she became a “lady,” a girl of marriageable age. Braiding the first braid coincided with changing into “women's clothing”, with putting a wreath on her head when the girl reached marriageable age, i.e. 13 - 16 years old.

In some places, after the birth of a girl, they wove a braid out of straw, put a coin in it and hung it on a tree in front of the house so that the girl would live happily until girlhood.

For a five-year-old girl, they braided their hair “in a cross”, taking strands from the front, from the back of the head, then from the right and left ears, tying them in the middle, saying: “ the way the hair is tied is how the boys would knit it".

The braid symbolizes the girl's readiness for marriage; the ribbon in the braid was a sign that the girl was of marriageable age. From the day of betrothal, the ribbon was braided only in half braids, and a sign of betrothal was attached to it - a long wide ribbon. A long braid is a source of pride and special care for a girl, her decoration. They carefully looked after their hair, believing that the longer the braid, the better the girl.

The usual hairstyle of Slavic married women (especially Russians) back in the 19th century, and in some places at the beginning of the 20th century, was two braids, braided on the sides and laid on the head, and often this resulted in a prominence in front - horns.

Among Belarusians and Ukrainians, there was often a custom of styling hair by wrapping it around a hoop rather than braiding it.

The Eastern Slavs had a custom of cutting and even shaving the hair of a married woman. The latter was practiced in ancient Novgorod, but was not approved by the church.

In the western regions of Ukraine, from Volyn to the Carpathians, there was a custom to cut the hair of married women to the level of the ear hole.

Married women always carefully hid their hair under a headdress. Walking with your head uncovered and even “showing your hair”—that is, putting your hair out—was considered a disgrace for a married woman among all Eastern Slavs; “cossify” it, i.e. To tear off a headdress by force was an insult and even a crime back in the second half of the 19th century. The woman could then go to court, demanding monetary compensation for the “dishonor.”

Among the Russians (Tver province), a woman was forbidden to go out bare-haired into the yard, among the cattle, since there was a belief that "The yard servant will be angry" and cattle" will not be found". “If the father-in-law sees that the young woman has left without a collection,” the old women say, remembering the past, “he will whip him.”

Ukrainians also had a belief that if a married woman goes out into the hallway without covering her head with a scarf, then the brownie will " will pull her to the attic"According to popular beliefs, a bare-haired married woman caused crop failures and illnesses of people and livestock.