Tibetan traditional art costumes

 

Tibetan traditional art costumes

When it comes to Tibetan clothing, people's first impression is probably the Tibetan robes and Tibetan hats worn by Tibetans.

When the wise man Agudengba and the caravan leader Latso traveled in Tibet, Tibetan clothing became one of the topics.

Agudemba said:

Tibetan clothing is the most common Tibetan robe. Urban residents like to use high-grade wool to make Tibetan robes, Pulu are used in agricultural areas, and furs are used in pastoral areas.

This kind of robe is worn by men, women and children of all ages. It is long and has a leather sleeve with edges. It has neither pockets nor buttons. On weekdays, men's robes are mostly plain and trimmed with wide black borders, while festive attire requires colorful trims. The trimmings of women's robes are more colorful. The most representative trimming material is a kind of wool fabric. The colors and patterns are very particular. Especially the trimmings of herdsmen's Tibetan robes are often blue, green, purple, cyan and orange. Vertical stripes of , yellow, beige and other colors form a five-color belt.

The shoulders, hem and cuffs of women's leather robes often have yellow, red, green and purple stripes nearly 10 cm wide, and complementary colors such as red and green, white and black, red and blue, yellow and purple are often boldly used. Sometimes gold and silver threads are also used in the strong contrast. The bright and harmonious artistic effect gives people a strong artistic appeal.

Tibetans like to wear hats. The main types of hats include felt hats, leather hats, golden flower hats and top hats.

Felt hat is the oldest Tibetan hat. It is made of white wool felt. It is tall, pointed and has a small brim. It is simple to make.

Fur hats are made from a whole piece of high-quality fox skin, with the fur completely exposed to show prowess and wealth. Some use brocade as the outer surface of the hat, and the brim is decorated with fox skin.

The golden flower hat is also a relatively common hat. The hat has a cylindrical body and four lugs protruding outwards from the bottom. It is made of felt, woolen and fur as raw materials, and decorated with golden satin and gold ribbons.

Agudengpa also talked about the "bangdian" in Tibetan clothing. What is "bangdian"? Lacuo hesitated.

Agudengba explained to Lacuo:

  "Bang" means "Hua" in Tibetan, "Dian" means "mat" in Tibetan, and "Bangdian" means the mat that protects the front of the bosom. Apron is called an apron in Chinese and is an accessory worn around the waist by Tibetan women.

Lacuo understood, it turned out that "bangdian" was an apron.

The "Bangdian" in Tibetan clothing is based on the splicing of colorful and non-colored horizontal stripes as its basic style. Some are supplemented by vertical stripes of decorative color strips or auspicious patterns on the edges. The styles are basically fixed, and they are all in the range of 0.5x18cm. Large or small rectangular horizontally woven silk or wool fabric. There are two thin silk-wool webbings at the horizontal width of the waist. When wearing, the thin straps can be wrapped around the waist to fix it and outline the female curves.

Bangdian is an important part of Tibetan women's clothing. According to Tibetan customs, a girl is considered an adult when she reaches 15 years old, and her family holds a formal coming-of-age ceremony for her. An important ceremony is to tie a beautiful bangdian around her waist.

Agudengba told Latsosu about the historical origins of Tibetan clothing.

Tibetans are one of the oldest ethnic groups in China and South Asia and mainly live on the Qinghai-Tibet Plateau. It was called "Tubo" in the Tang and Song dynasties, "Tubo" and "Xibo" in the Yuan Dynasty, and "Xibo", "Tibet", "Tanggute", "Tibet", "Tibetans", etc. in the Ming and Qing Dynasties. .

In the development of thousands of years, the Tibetan people have formed their own unique clothing culture, which is as long-standing, colorful and unique as its history.

Looking back at the history of Tibetan clothing, we have to start from the Tubo era. The close exchanges between Tubo and the Central Plains have injected fresh blood into the development of Tibetan costumes. Tibetan clothing represents identity and belief, which is quite unique.

During the Yuan Dynasty in China, the influence of Tibetan religious beliefs on clothing gradually increased. Specific patterns or symbols were used to express a specific meaning. Tibetan robes imitating the color of cassocks and decorations printed with religious symbols and Buddhist treasures appeared. etc.

During the Ming Dynasty, the art of Tibetan opera entered a new era. In addition to the daily costumes of nobles in history, Tibetan opera costumes also developed another type of highly exaggerated costumes and a large number of masks. These costumes were gorgeous, exaggerated, and focused on expression. With its powerful and strong decorative effect, it successfully put Tibetan costumes on the drama stage after artistic treatment, adding new blood to Tibetan costume culture. At the same time, it has greatly promoted the development of Tibetan drama, dance, fine arts and other arts.

During the Qing Dynasty, Tibetan clothing culture developed tremendously and became increasingly stereotyped, and is most closely related to today.

Agudengba said to Lacuo again:

Due to different natural conditions and production methods, Tibetan costumes are rich and colorful, with many differences, too numerous to mention. In some areas, there are great differences between counties and townships. There are more than 200 types of clothing discovered so far, ranking first among ethnic minorities in China.

The most basic characteristics of Tibetan costumes are fat waist, long sleeves, large lapel, right hem, long skirt, long boots, braided hair, gold, silver, pearls and jade jewelry, etc. A complete set of Tibetan clothing consists of hats, shirts, robes, trousers, boots, belts, etc. Except for belts, they are divided into three categories: winter clothing, summer clothing, and spring and autumn clothing. The material used for winter clothing is fur, summer clothing is mostly made of cotton and satin, and spring and autumn clothing is made of Pulu or blanket noodles.

Tibetan dance has distinctive national characteristics and a long history. Tibetans are widely spread in Tibet, Sichuan, Qinghai, Gansu, Yunnan and other places. Their costumes are colorful, and the men's costumes are vigorous and bold; the women's costumes are elegant and unrestrained, especially jewelry, gold and jade as accessories, forming a The unique style of plateau women. During every theatrical performance and festival, all kinds of brightly colored Tibetan performance costumes will become the focus. Headdresses decorated with various jewelry and waist coats are the most distinctive parts of Tibetan clothing.

Tibetan men and women pay special attention to ornaments. The textures of the ornaments include silver, gold, pearls, agate, jade, jade, coral, amber, etc. They are widely used in headwear, hair accessories, earrings, necklaces, waist ornaments and rings. They are beautiful in shape, mostly in natural shapes, and can be said to be the finishing touch in Tibetan costumes.

The more distinctive ones are the "Bazhu" on the head of the Tibetan woman, the silver coins decorated in the braid, the "Gawu" protective Buddha box hanging on the chest, and the long string of metal coins, waist knives, and fire sickle boxes worn on the waist. .

Young women comb two braids and use bright wool to braid their hair. Women in pastoral areas will comb many small braids on their backs. Some braids are intertwined to form a braid network, and some add 10 cm wide braids on the braids. Ribbons decorated with agate, jewels and jade.

Headdresses and accessories play an important role in Tibetan dance costumes. The waist coat is the most distinctive. The accessories are mostly related to ancient life and production. The most exquisite ones are also inlaid with gold and silver jewelry. The texture of the headdress includes copper, silver, gold carved objects and jade, coral, pearls and other treasures.

Agudengpa also talked about the differences between men’s and women’s performance attire in Tibet:

Tibetan men's clothing is basically the same everywhere, with fatness being its characteristic. Wear a short coat inside, and a buttonless robe with a large collar and open right lapel, called "Chuba" in Tibetan. The waist is tied with a wide wool belt, and some are beautifully decorated wide belts with pockets; underneath are long trousers. Slip on leather or Pulu-sewn boots.

The characteristics of Tibetan women's dance performance costumes are long sleeves, large lapels, and wide waists. Tibetan robes are the main style of Tibetan performance costumes. There are many types of Tibetan robes, and the pattern decoration is very particular. The styles of Tibetan robes can be divided into long-sleeved leather robes, workcloth wide robes, Sleeveless shoulder and sleeveless gown with ruffled collar.

Agudengpa again talked about Tibetan hada:

"Ha" in Tibetan means "mouth", and "Da" means "horse". The literal translation of the word "Hada" is: a horse in the mouth, which means that this kind of gift is equivalent to a horse. value. Because when people meet, they can’t just bring horses anywhere; but they can’t just use their mouths to replace a horse with this silk “hada”.

Hada is the most popular gift for Tibetan people of any class when they come and go. Hada is similar to the ancient Han ritual silk. This custom is found in areas where Tibetan culture is popular, including Nepal, Bhutan, and Buryatia in Russia.

Hada is the most important decoration in Tibetan costumes and the most common ceremonial item in Tibet. Its main function is to express prayer, respect, friendship and sincerity.

The texture, specification, color, and length of Hada are different. In the past, the materials used to weave Hada were mostly raw silk or linen. In recent years, more and more artificial fibers are used to weave Hada. There are many ways to fold hada, depending on the grade and use, and contain different meanings.

Tibetans value whiteness, and white symbolizes holiness, sincerity, and frankness, so the common Hadado is white. In addition, there are colorful hadas woven in blue, white, yellow, green and red, each with its own meaning. White represents white clouds, blue represents the blue sky, green represents river water, red represents the space protector, and yellow represents the earth. Colorful hadas are used as colorful arrows when presented to Bodhisattvas and close relatives. They are the most precious gifts. Buddhist teachings explain that the colorful khata is the costume of Bodhisattva. Therefore, colorful hada is only used under certain circumstances.

The movements of presenting a hada vary from person to person. Generally speaking, you need to hold the hada with both hands and hold it up to shoulder level, then stretch it forward and bend down to give it to the other party. At this time, the hada is at the same level as the top of your head, showing respect and kindness to the other party. The greatest blessing - good luck and good luck. The other party received it with both hands in a respectful manner. When offering hada to the venerables and elders, you should raise your hands above your head, lean forward slightly, and hold the hada in front of the seat or at your feet; for peers or subordinates, you can tie it around their necks. Offering hada is very common in Tibet, and even when people write to each other, they also include a small hada in the envelope to express blessings and greetings. What is particularly interesting is that Tibetans also take a few hadas with them when they go out, in case they meet long-lost relatives or friends on the way. Hada represents different meanings in different situations. On festive days, people offer khatas to each other to express congratulations on a happy trip and a happy life; presenting khatas at weddings means wishing the newlyweds to be in love and grow old together; offering khatas when welcoming guests to express their piety and pray for the blessings of Bodhisattva; at funerals, khatas are presented to each other. Hada expresses condolences for the deceased and comfort to the family of the deceased. It is said that when Tibetans enter the temple gate, they first offer a hada, then pay homage to the Buddha statues, visit various halls and sit there. When leaving, they also place a hada behind the seat where they have been sitting, which means that although the person has left, my heart is still there. Still here.

Nowadays, the style of Tibetan clothing has been continuously improved with the development of the times. While retaining the color style and pattern, it is combined with modern aesthetics, the fabric selection is more abundant, and the style is simpler.

The improved Tibetan clothing has even appeared on the international fashion stage, which represents the gradual internationalization of Tibetan clothing and shows the unique charm of Tibetan clothing culture to the world.

Tibetan clothing is the epitome of Tibetan culture and life. It condenses the essence of Tibetan traditional culture for thousands of years. Every stitch and thread contains the diligence and wisdom of our ancestors, and is worthy of respect and appreciation by each of us.

Agudengba impromptuly sang a song "Dedicated to My Hada":

 

I held the Hada with both hands,

Lift the hada up to shoulder level,

Then stretch the hada flat forward,

I bend down to offer you a hada,

Sending you my greatest blessings.

 

Wish the elders good luck and good luck,

I wish my relatives and friends good health and happiness,

I wish you a long life and endless life,

Bless the gods to protect all living beings,

Wish the motherland prosperity.

 

I present a beautiful hada,

Hada represents blue sky and white clouds,

Hada represents the green river,

Hada represents the yellow earth,

Hada represents the red protector.

 

I offer my holy hada,

That is Himalayan snow lotus,

That is the Gesang flower in the snowy land,

Let us reminisce about butter tea,

Let's drink highland barley wine together.

 

Hada is my pure heart,

I dedicated it to the gods of heaven and earth,

To my galloping horse,

Dedicated to my flying eagle,

Dedicated to the expectations in my heart.