Belarus Gold BELTS OF SLUTSK 1 ruble 2013 Lot of 5 coins Copper-Nickel BOX

Description

Commemorative Coins "The Belts of Slutsk."
Put in circulation: November 21, 2013
Design: S. Nekrasova (Belarus)
Minting: JSC "Lithuanian Mint", Vilnius, Lithuania
The set includes 5 commemorative coins
The Belts of Slutsk. Markings
The Belts of Slutsk. Collecting
The Belts of Slutsk. Nobleman’s dress
The Belts of Slutsk. The Radziwills
The Belts of Slutsk. Weaving
The coins are packed in 5-places box.
Copper–nickel
Denomination: 1 ruble
Weight of coin, g: 19.5
Quality: "proof–like"
Diameter, mm: 37.00
Mintage, pcs.: 49 (7000)
We do not combine lots when shipping. Shipping of each lot is charged separately.
Attention! The goods are dispatched from Belarus.
A LITTLE HISTORY ...
Throughout history, the belt has been an obligatory part of the costume of all peoples of the world. Its appearance, style and function have changed over the centuries.
It is believed that the fashion for long, wide, silk patterned-woven belts came to the Belarusian lands thanks to the ideology of Sarmatism, which was based on genealogical legends about the origin of the aristocracy of the Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth from the ancient warlike tribes of the Sarmatians. Under the influence of legends widespread in the state in the XVI-XVIII centuries. representatives of the country's upper class strove in everything to be like "glorious ancestors".
The Slutsk belt did not have a seamy side, all sides were front. Belts were made one-sided (with a reverse side), two-sided (both front sides or one double-sided with one wrong side). The most valuable were the four-sided Slutsk belts - each side of the belt was divided into two parts with different colors, the belt was folded in half. When participating in the holidays, the belt was tied outward with the gold, red part of the belt; when mourning, the black side of the belt was used; in everyday wear, as a rule, green, gray.
Slutsk belts became a model for other weaving manufactories that opened in other cities and towns: in Gorodnitsa, Lososna, Stanislav, Kobylki, Lipkov, Krakow, and also in Lyon.
The belt in the traditional culture of Belarusians was a significant and extremely multifunctional item. It was a necessary component of clothing, performed various symbolic and ritual functions, and was also used in everyday life for various purposes.
In the traditional Belarusian costume, which was generally distinguished by restraint and laconic decor, a very great importance was attached to the belt. The belt performed several functions at once: practical, symbolic, magical, apotropic (protective), ethical, symbolic, aesthetic.
The first belt as a gift to the child was brought by the midwife, who took delivery. Such a belt acted as a talisman. This is confirmed by the fact that he was tied on the most vulnerable part of the body - the stomach (stomach - life).
The belt was an important attribute of the wedding ceremony. The bride gave belts to the groom and the matchmaker on the bindings, which signified consent to marriage; the belt was put on the towel on which the young people stood during the wedding; the groom's mother met the newlyweds with a cake and a belt.
During matchmaking and weddings, belts were one of the obligatory gifts from the bride to the groom and his family, and from the groom to the bride and her family. In addition, the bride presented with belts matchmakers, boyfriends, musicians and other participants in the ceremony. Naturally, the Belarusians tried to prepare as many belts as possible for the wedding, so girls from 9-12 years old began to weave them.
After the wedding, the newlywed left the belts in those places from which she expected prosperity: so that there was a lot of bread, the belt was hung in the barn, cattle - in the barn, property - on chests. The young woman also left a belt on the stove, which was the center of the dwelling, on the frame of the well; I tied a broom with a belt, which I used to sweep a hut in my husband's house for the first time. In this case, the belt became a symbolic sacrifice to the spirits of the new place of residence.
The belt was also present in the funeral rite: in this case, its role was to establish a symbolic connection between the human world and the afterlife.
The belt was also used in divination, love magic. During the bachelorette party, the girl gave the groom a belt, which protected him from evil slander. The process of belting is often mentioned in conspiracies for illness and fear.
The belt also played the role of a kind of sign that distinguished a person in a social environment. The belts varied according to gender, age, place of residence, etc. Like the entire set of clothing as a whole, the belt and the way it was worn gave information about where a person came from. In different regions of Belarus, the belt was tied in different ways - in front, behind, on the side (left or right), or in such a way that the ends descended along the legs on both sides. The method of tying often indicated marital status - after the wedding, it could change. Children and young people traditionally wore narrower and more modest ornamental belts than adults. In general, the features of the use of belts were due to local traditions and could differ significantly even in neighboring areas.
Among other things, the belt was an adornment, giving completeness and integrity to the costume complex.
The belts used in folk costume on the territory of Belarus were mostly homemade - woven or wicker. They were very diverse: each region, and sometimes even a small area, had its own unique ways of decoration. Wool and linen were used as materials.
Nowadays, patterned belts, made in traditional weaving and weaving techniques, are widely used in stage and ceremonial dress. Folk craftsmen, handicraft enterprises, and lovers of traditional culture continue to make them. The belt is one of the most popular modern Belarusian souvenirs.
Today the Slutsk belt has the significance of the national symbol of Belarus and is estimated as the greatest achievement of the Belarusian and European arts and crafts.