GalleryWOMEN'S NATIONAL COSTUME OF THE NITSA DISTRICT
The national costume of the Nitsa district was particularly picturesque and greatly differed from those of other districts.
The shawl, or "sagsha", was white with a broad border of embroidery along its lower edge, and narrow ones along its side edges. Red wool was used for a solid foundation on which the ornament was stitched in multi-coloured wool. The "sagsha" was draped from the right shoulder across the back under the left arm and up to the right shoulder again, where it was fixed with large brooches ("saktas"). These were usually arranged in "piles", i. e. smaller ones on top of larger ones, and tied together with red worsted yarn.
The blouse was made of fine white linen. The turn-down collar was embroidered in a special design ("grieztie raksti"), the inset yoke and cuffs—in satin-stitch. The embroidery was made in black and white. A small silver brooch, or "sakta", fastened the blouse at the neck. A bodice made of white figured linen was worn on top of the blouse. It finished a little lower than the waist line and was slightly gathered in loose folds at the sides. The bodice was very richly embroidered in dark blue wool. In winter both young girls and married women wore grey or green woollen jackets trimmed with velvet ribbon. The bodice was sometimes made of the same material as the jacket, but trimmed with brocade ribbon.
The skirt was bright red with narrow yellow, green, and blue stripes woven into it, or with colourful designs arranged in stripes. The skirt was very wide and gathered round the waist, and attached to a belt of the same material. In order to make it fall in full rounded flares it was hemmed in with string.
A tall, very decorative coronet was the young girls' headdress. It was decked with silver brocade ribbons and motley glass beads and tiny glass tubes. The brim was edged with large diamond-shaped glass beads.
