National costume of the Karelians

We are talking about the type of costume that was found in the southern and western parts of the Karelian Isthmus. The Finns called this type of costume Rekko, because of the particular kind of embroidery on the shirt. This embroidery is done in the front under the collar as you can see in the image.

Karelia is a continuous region, but it is divided into three political parts. Here is a map showing the different regions of Karelia.

The regions of South and North Karelia are within the current borders of the Finnish state. The regions of White Karelia, Olonets Karelia and Ladoga Karelia are located within the Republic of Karelia in Russia.

This also includes the Zaonezhye region, which lies east of Lake Onega and is inhabited exclusively by Russians in order to dilute the percentage of Karelians within the Republic. The Karelian Isthmus is currently part of the Leningrad Region in Russia, along with Ingria.

The Karelians are closely related to the Finns, they speak the Karelian dialect, Finnish and are closely related to the original language. Typically, areas east of the border and Lake Ladoga speak pure Karelian.

And in the region of Finland, the Karelian Isthmus and north of Lake Ladoga, Karelian dialects of the Finnish language are spoken.

There is also a community of Orthodox Karelians living in the Tver region in Russia.

They moved there to avoid religious persecution by the Lutherans, but they were mostly assimilated by the Russian population. The Karelian Isthmus with a part of the territory north of Lake Ladoga was annexed by the Soviet Union from Finland in the 40s. This land is still displayed on Finnish maps.

The costume in question was found in various parts of southern Finland, on the Karelian Isthmus, and in Ingria, south of the previous border. This women's costume is still supported by a small community of Karelians and Ingrians, as well as by those who now live within the current borders of Finland.

The Karelian Isthmus with a part of the territory north of Lake Ladoga was annexed by the Soviet Union from Finland in the 40s. This land is still displayed on Finnish maps.

As you can see from this map, in addition to Tuuteri, suits with Rekko are found in the areas of Koivisto, Kuolemayaarvi, Uusikirkko, Muolaa, and others. They have, of course, now all Russian names. There are differences in the detailing of the costumes of different areas. This costume was also found south of the border, in parts of Ingria, especially in areas north of St. Petersburg.

In Karelia, people lived in tense and difficult circumstances. The fabric was used more sparingly than in western Finland, but offset by lavish and colorful embroidery with traditional lace.

Rekko is the centerpiece at the front of the shirt. The design, color and degree of embroidery vary by area. Valkjärvi is made of orange, blue and white wool. In apparantle, the original color of the rekko embroidery was golden yellow. Some shades of yellow-orange are still the main colors. The open side is held closed with an engraved silver or pewter brooch mainly for married women.

Rekko can be seen in the image taken from a Finnish woman's blog. She is an amazing seamstress and also makes sundresses. Her name is Soya.

Sometimes there are suits with fake rekko, It is simply sewn into a shirt. This photo is from the catalog of a company that mass-produced suits. This is much easier to do.

In addition to rekko, a narrow strip of the collar, cuffs, and shoulders is decorated with embroidery. In Ingria, the sleeves are often gathered at the top of the shoulder.

On the Karelian Isthmus, women's sundresses were worn in the east and south, and skirts in the north and west. Rekko suits come in any type, depending on the area.

On the western side of the isthmus, the skirt is worn in one color, as in Muolaa. A blanket of striped cloth was sewn on the hem, as in Koivisto and Kuolemaajärvi.

In Ingria, the rekko costume is also sometimes worn with a skirt.

Women's aprons made of wool or linen, usually with sewn on and / or embroidery.

Linen aprons often have nyytinki inserts, bobbins, lace, and / or piping, like this example from Saccola.

Tan - leather casual shoes, which are typical for Karelia. They are similar to those worn by the Sami (Lapps), but shorter. They have a characteristic sharp toe.

In Ingria, the ribbon is often decorated with beading and metal plates. Here's an example from Tyro.

Married women wear a headdress called sorokka, which is made from embroidered fabric and / or decorated with ribbons around the head.

National costumes for men include long-sleeved white linen or cotton shirts and woolen trousers called luukkuhousut.

There's no lightning bolt in front, but a panel with buttons. At weddings, it was customary for men to tie their shoulders with scarlet scarves.

Pants can be long or cropped. The costumes also include vests and short jackets called roijy or coats. In some suits, men wear belts, scarves and hats.

• Lippalakki - a cap with a hard peak in the front;
• Pellilakki - a cap made of several pieces;
• Varraslakki - knitted, pointed hat;

• Silinteri - classic hat
• Kairalakki - a round, six-piece hat without a lance;
• Huopalääppä - tall felt hat with ribbon and pewter

• Hylkeenpyytäjän laaki - "hunter's cap", knitted hat.

The men also wore a leather belt and a sheathed knife.

Shoes were woven from birch bark, and boots from rawhide. Winter shoes were koibi - boots made of reindeer skin.