Thekokoshnik (Russian:коко́шник,IPA:[kɐˈkoʂnʲɪk]) is atraditionalRussian headdress worn by women and girls to accompany thesarafan. The kokoshnik tradition has existed since the 10th century in the city ofVeliky Novgorod.[1] It spread primarily in the northern regions of Russia and was very popular from 16th to 19th centuries. It is still to this day an important feature of Russian dance ensembles and folk culture and inspired theKokoshnik style of architecture.
Historically a kokoshnik[2] is a headdress worn by married women, though maidens also wore a headdress very similar to a kokoshnik, but open in the back, named apovyazka.[3] The wordkokoshnik describes a great variety of headdresses worn throughout Russia, including the cylindrical hats ofVeliky Novgorod, two-pointed nimbuskika of Vladimir, triangularkika ofKostroma, small pearl hats ofKargopol, and scarlet kokoshniks ofMoscow.
While in the past kokoshnik styles varied greatly, currently a kokoshnik is generally associated with a tall, nimbus or crest shaped headdress which is tied at the back of the head with long thick ribbons in a large bow. The crest can be embroidered with pearls andgoldwork or simple applique, usually using plant and flower motifs. The forehead area is frequently decorated with pearl netting. While wearing a kokoshnik the woman usually wears her hair in aplait. The kokoshnik were often also combined with theRussian braid.
_01a_by_shakko.jpg)
The wordkokoshnik first appears in 16th-century documents, and comes from theOld Slavickokosh, which means "hen" or "cockerel". However, the earliest head-dress pieces of similar type (rigid cylindrical hat which completely covered the hair) were found in the 10th- to 12th-century burials inVeliky Novgorod.[4]
Thekokoshnik gave its name to the decorativecorbel arch that became a distinctive element of traditionalRussian architecture from the 16th century onwards (seekokoshnik architecture).
During the revival of Russian national culture in the early 19th century, diadem-shapedtiaras became part of the officialcourt dress for royalty and for ladies-in-waiting. These "kokoshniks" were inspired just as much by Italian Renaissance fashions and by thefrench hood as by the authentic Russian kokoshniks still worn by the middle class and wealthy peasants of the time. In this period both unmarried and married women wore the variety used traditionally by unmarried women: showing the front part of the hair, and with a translucent veil falling down the back.
After the 1917 Revolution, Russianémigrés popularized the kokoshnik within Europeanfashion. The style had previously appeared in the 1893 wedding headdress ofMary of Teck, the futureQueen consort of the United Kingdom.
Queen Marie of Romania wore aCartier tiara created to resemble the Russian kokoshnik for her 1924 portrait painted byPhilip de László.[5] The tiara was among the jewels on display in the "Cartier: Style and History" exhibition at theGrand Palais in Paris from December 4 through February 16, 2014.[6]
One of the costumes of SenatorPadmé Amidala in theStar Wars saga, theGold Travel Costume, was based on the Russian national costume with kokoshnik,[7] known in the rest of Europe from the photographs taken during the1903 Ball in the Winter Palace.
Some fans of Russia at the2018 FIFA World Cup wore simple versions of kokoshniki.[8] In recent years[timeframe?] kokoshniki made out of flowers have become popular.[9] Kokoshniki are a popular Russian souvenir.[10]
.jpg)
_2.jpg)
_Girl_with_Kokoshnik.jpg)
.jpg)
_04.jpg)
