Latvian Folk Dress - Latvijas InstitÅ«ts

Latvian 

Folk 

Dress



Dress 

Folk dress in Latvia has played and still plays an important symbolic role in the 

preservation of national values and cultural heritage and in the creation of a 

feeling of unity of the people. This occurred in the 1920s and 1930s, when the 

independent Latvian nation was founded for the first time and interest in folk 

dress was born; during the years of Soviet occupation; and after the renewal of 

Latvian independence in 1991. Today folk dress has a different application than 

in earlier centuries and now it is worn only on festive occasions or during performances. 

Nevertheless the great amount of interest that Latvians express in 

folk dress has helped to preserve, research and popularise it. 

Ancient Latvian 


7th-13th century 


Latvian Ethnic 



Regional differences 

Vidzeme 

Kurzeme 

Zemgale 

Sēlija 

Latgale 

Postethnographic 

period 

1




Aizkraukle hillfort, populated in the 1st millennium AD. 

Ancient 




There are two popular historic periods of specific traditions that 

characterise Latvian dress: costume of the 7th-13th century that is often 

referred to as “ancient dress” and clothing worn in the 19th century and 

referred to as “ethnic” or “ethnographic dress”. 

The Late Iron Age (9th-13th century) saw five main tribal realms 

established in Latvia. The Baltic peoples comprised Sēļi (Selonians), 

Zemgaļi (Semigallians), Latgaļi (Latgallians), and Kurši (Couronians). In 

addition the Finno-Ugric Lībieši (Livs) were divided into Livs inhabiting 

the shores of the country’s principle rivers, the Daugava and the Gauja; 

and Livs in north-west Latvia, who differed in dress from the other two 

Livonian peoples. Latvia’s five modern regions take their names from the 

dominant tribal group to form Sēlija, later Augšzeme, in the south-east, 

Zemgale in the mid-south, and Latgale in the east. Kurzeme in the west 

and Vidzeme [Middle Land] in the central and northern parts are the 

two regions where the local Baltic people assimilated the Liv people and 

their traditions. A certain cultural exchange always existed among the 

regions. 

During the 7th-13th centuries, the territory known today as Latvia was 

already inhabited by its indigenous people: Baltic and Finno-Ugric tribes. 

This was a period of freedom and relative prosperity. During this time, no 

written or drawn records of people’s dress were created. Therefore the 

only evidence of dress can be found through the help of archaeological 

excavations. 

In the 7th-13th centuries there was a tradition of decorating people’s 

dress with bronze rings and spirals and of wearing bronze jewellery. This 

tradition spread from Finland in the north to Prussia in the south but 

had its most developed forms in the eastern part of the current Latvian 

territory. The richest and most ornate garments and jewellery date from 

the 11th and 12th centuries. Bronze helps to conserve the cloth that it 

lies alongside, and therefore thanks to this tradition, many parts of cloth 

have been comparatively well preserved and thus allow the researchers 

to reconstruct festive apparel with a great deal of credibility. 

From the 7th-13th centuries both men and women wore clothing that 

was made from locally grown flax and fleece; shoes, belts, caps etc. were 

made from leather and furs of domestic and wild animals. All clothing 

was made at home while some of the jewellery was imported from 

Scandinavia, ancient Rus and even the Arabic world. Cloth was most often 

Ancient Latgallian dress of the 11th – 12th centuries. 

2 3




Ancient Latgallian and 

Semigallian bronze jewellery, 

10th – 12th centuries. 

made in plain weave or twill. 

The primary piece of clothing for both sexes was a collarless shirt made 

from linen in the form of a long-sleeved tunic, long for women, shorter 

for men, slit and fastened at the neck with a brooch. Sleeves of the shirt 

and other garments did not end in cuffs. Bracelets worn over the shirt 

held the sleeves around the arm tightly instead. Men’s graves offer an 

alternative practice, showing thin leather thongs up to a metre long 

strung with bronze spirals. These laces tied several times around the 

sleeves (more often on the left arm) and thus had the same function 

as bracelets. 

Men would also wear linen trousers while women would wear a woollen 

skirt that was just a rectangular piece of cloth wrapped around the body 

and fastened with a tablet-woven sash. 

Above these primary garments both men and women wore a woollen 

tunic-shaped coat with a V-neck. A woven sash for women and a leather 

belt for men were worn over the coat. The most prosperous men’s belts 

were richly decorated with bronze, with pendants added, and such a 

belt was the most exclusive piece of men’s jewellery. 

People walked with bare legs on regular days, while for festive occasions 

they wrapped their legs with linen or woollen cloth starting from the 

foot and up to the knee. Woollen leg-wraps were sometimes decorated 

with bronze. Footwear consisted of leather shoes (with a sole), boots or 

simple one-piece shoes tied with laces. For keeping themselves warm, 

people would also wear capes that could reach 2,2 m in length. Capes 

were usually fastened with large fibulas, mostly in the form of a horseshoe. 

A special cape or shawl for women was a woollen piece of cloth, 

approximately 0,7-1,2 m in size. This was often ornamented with bronze 

rings and spirals and tablet-woven bands with picked ornaments which 

made this shawl the most exclusive garment for women in eastern 

Latvia. It was fastened over the chest with a horse-shoe fibula or a pin. 

People’s head coverings included linen/woollen scarves or bronze 

crowns for women and linen, woollen or fur caps for men. Head 

coverings were often decorated with bronze spirals. The most popular 

form of women’s metal crowns was composed of wire spirals threaded 

onto lengths of spun wool, held together at intervals with figured metal 

plaques. The multiple strands of wool separate and form dividing tails to 

increase the decorative area. Ancient costume researcher Anna Zarina 

suggests that metal crowns were worn by young girls and women of all 

ages, also after marriage. This pre-Christian tradition can be observed in 

archaeological excavations where crowns are found in most women’s 

graves irrespective of their age. 

As there were no pockets in the clothing of the time, one of the 

most important accessories was the belt or sash, which not only held 

garments in place, but was also used to attach the small necessary items 

that people carried with them (knife, purse, keys, tablets, drinking horn, 

etc.). 

Children’s clothing followed the adult principles however it is most likely 

that small boys did not have trousers. In addition the jewellery worn 

by small children usually did not contain certain types, i.e. crowns, neck 

rings and pins. 

As to the colours of the dress, the garments were usually monochromatic 

with the exception of the rich women’s blue and white tartan shawls of 

the 12th and 13th centuries. Linen garments were natural grey or white, 

while woollen garments were seldom left white, with an exception 

of some female shawls. Natural dyes of local origin – barks, leaves, 

grasses and roots that were gathered in the wild – were used for dyeing 

woollen yarn. Brown was probably achieved with the same plants as in 

the nineteenth century – namely various tree barks (oak, alder, juniper), 

other plants like various species of Potentilla, St John’s Wort (Hypericum 

perforatum L.) and broad beans, amongst others. Folklore texts suggest 

4 5

of protection, fertility, and well-being. 

There were no remarkable regional differences between the dress of the 

local Baltic tribes, while more variation could be observed in jewellery. 

The most typical Semigallian item was pins with cross-shaped heads 

for women and silver neck rings for both women and men. One of 

the characteristic pieces of Couronian jewellery was a richly decorated 

drinking horn attached to the belt of men, women and even children. 

Latgallian women used a neck ring with plated overlapping ends, and 

later added flat pendants. Other kinds of jewellery included: the typical 

Latgallian male “warrior’s” bracelet; groups of different fibulas; pins; 

bracelets; necklaces, multiple chains, or cowry and glass beads were also 

popular for women. Rings for both men and women - especially the 

very popular spiral rings - appeared through the 3rd to 16th centuries. 

Graves between the 10th and 13th centuries reveal rings worn on all 

ten fingers. 




the use of brown might have had a mythological meaning of protection 

and healing. Red was coloured by the lady’s bedstraw plant (Galium 

verum L.) and marjoram (Oreganum vulgaris L.), traditional and important 

dye plants for red. The most popular plant for yellow was Stag’s-horn 

Stubmoss (Lycopodium clavatum L.) and Yellow Chamomile (Anthemis 

tinctoria L.). Green was most often dyed with yarrow (Achillea millefolium 

L.) and leaves of silver birch (Betula pendula Roth syn. B. verrucosa Ehrh.). 

For the colour blue, a specially grown plant, woad (Isatis tinctoria L.), 

was used. The most popular colours for woollen garments were brown 

and blue. According to the archaeological record, most women’s skirts 

were coloured brown and most shawls, especially those decorated with 

bronze, were coloured blue. Men’s and women’s coats were most often 

either brown or blue; the same can be said for men’s capes. A natural 

grey colour was more popular for everyday clothing. Other colours – red, 

green, yellow – were mostly used for small decorations and in tabletwoven 

sashes and bands. 

All ornamentation in every material is geometric, starting with simple lines 

and crosses and ending with advanced geometric – and almost always 

symmetrical - patterns. The most complex design in ornamentation is in 

tablet-woven sashes worn by females, especially advanced in Liv tribes, 

and shawl borders. The most complex bronze ornaments also appear 

on shawls, and the front decoration of high status men’s coats. It is fairly 

evident that ornamentation had some kind of meaning and was not 

purely decorative. The signs so far interpreted mostly incorporate ideas 

The Livs, a Finno-Ugric tribe that inhabited the lands around the Gulf of 

Rīga in the Baltic Sea, developed a distinctive tradition in women’s dress 

and in clothing decoration. The most common form of the Liv women’s 

skirt was similar to that of the Vikings, namely – a pinafore or apron dress, 

usually coloured blue. It was held together on the shoulders with the so 

called tortoise brooches or pins which were connected with chains and 

various pendants added. The most popular pendants were in the form 

of a bird; however bear’s fangs were also common. Richly decorated 

knives were also used as jewellery and added to the brooch chains. The 

tradition of decorating their clothing, especially women’s shawls with 

tin buttons in addition to bronze is also unique in this area. Liv women 

did not wear crowns as they usually wore a head cloth that could be 

decorated with bronze spirals and rings or tin buttons. Liv men’s clothing 

does not show as much variation from that of other local tribes. 

To keep themselves warm in winter, people wore fur coats, felt capes and 

most probably also woollen underwear. Woollen leg-wraps were worn 

together with leather boots or bast shoes. Both men and women wore 

fur caps. Wealthy people could afford naalbinded mittens and socks. 

In the 12th and 13th centuries a new form of women’s crown appeared 

– it was made of red or brown woollen cloth and ornamented with 

glass beads. This form of crown for young girls survived until the 19th 

century. 

Ancient Liv dress of 

the 11th century. 

6 7


German crusaders arrived in the first half of the 13th century and the 

Latvian territories were gradually conquered. Germans remained the 

ruling class in Latvia until the early 20th century, thus influencing the 

dress of local people. Under German rule the living conditions of local 

people worsened and the tradition of decorating clothing with bronze 

disappeared. The use of bronze jewellery also diminished significantly. 

This led to the consequence that very little clothing was preserved in 

gravesites. Therefore our knowledge of people’s clothing in the 14th- 

17th centuries is limited. 

However, written and drawn records gradually started to appear, 

reflecting local dress in the 17th and 18th centuries. From these drawings 

we can see that the traditions of ancient dress survived to a great extent, 

as many garments are very similar. Linen tunics remained of the same 

cut, as did woollen coats, however a front opening fastened with hooks 

became more prevalent, especially in men’s clothing. Women’s skirts, 

in addition to the older style of just a rectangular piece of fabric, were 

now also fixed to the sash in small folds. Most of the garments were still 

monochromatic, and stripes were rare. Knitwear began to appear in the 

15th century, evidenced by the first knitted woman’s cap. Naalbinded 

items gradually disappeared and the tradition of knitted mittens, gloves 

and socks developed to perfection, reflecting 

regional differences in ornament and taste in colour. 

Starting from the 16th century, imported European broadcloth 

reached Latvian peasants, and clothes made from it were considered 

to be a sign of wealth. However there is much less jewellery from this 

period, and we can observe that its old forms had mostly disappeared. 

The only exception is the girls’ crowns that continued to be made either 

of bronze plate or red fabric that was ornamented with glass beads of 

various colours. These crowns had coloured pendants fastened at the 

back of them, but slowly these pendants disappeared and were worn 

in only a few parishes in the 19th century. Rings and beads made by 

guild craftsmen in feudal towns are frequently observed, as are various 

pendants (small animal figurines, coins, animal teeth); unfortunately the 

significance of these pendants is unclear. The older types of fibulas that 

were usually in the shape of a horseshoe were superseded by circular 

or heart-shaped brooches. One of the most popular items of women’s 

jewellery was a string of cowrie shell beads. During this period, the 

most creative aspect and largest regional variations can be observed in 

women’s head coverings, while other parts of clothing remained fairly 

uniform. 

8 9





Ethnic 


Alsunga dress from 

Kurzeme, 19th century. 

10 11




Latvian peasants in the drawings of J. C. Brotze, 

end of the 18th century. 


We have most knowledge of Latvian ethnic dress of the late 18th and 

19th centuries as most records and items of festive clothing have been 

preserved from this period. This also helps to understand the traditions 

of previous generations, as a large part of 19th century festive clothing 

was not created during the lifetime of just one generation. 

Written records from the 18th century affirm that the most common 

colour of Latvian peasant’s dress was the natural white and grey of 

linen and wool. The records suggest that the favourite colours of 

Latvians and Lithuanians were white or light grey, and thus they could 

be distinguished from their neighbours, as Russians preferred bright 

colours, while Estonians dressed in black. Until the beginning of the 

19th century, when natural dyes were still used, most Latvians’ clothes 

were natural grey, while for decoration they kept to the century-old 

traditional four-colour scheme of blue, red, yellow, and green. 

The most significant source of information on Latvian peasants’ dress 

in the late 18th and early 19th centuries is drawings and descriptions 

by Johan Christoff Brotze (1742-1823). In his drawings he depicts local 

people, showing not only festive clothing, but also work clothing. 

•During the 19th century, linen tunic-shaped shirts were still the main 

garment worn. Work shirts still looked very similar to the ancient ones. 

For festive occasions, however, there were now variations of collars, cuts, 

and embroidery (most often in white, sometimes red and very rarely, 

black). Shirts were pinned with small smooth or relief ring-shaped or 

heart-shaped brooches. Sometimes there was a row of brooches down 

the front opening of the shirt. Women’s linen shirts usually consisted of 

two parts. The visible upper part was made of fine linen cloth, but the 

lower part that was hidden under the skirt was made of crude linen. 

Above the shirt, Latvian women wore long skirts, coats of various length 

(longer in the 18th century and waist-length coats or vests in the 19th 

century), and woollen shawls instead of cloaks. 

Often the only jewellery worn by Latvian women were silver brooches 

with thimble-like bubbles, red glass “stones” or beads and numerous 

tiny silver “leaves”. These were worn on the chest, usually as fasteners for 

shawls. Young girls wore crowns that were made of cardboard covered 

in cloth and embroidered with glass beads, tinsel, and thin brass rings. 

Latvians did not often wear amber beads although the material was 

easily accessible on the shores of the Baltic Sea. Rather they preferred 

glass beads and silver coins. There was no tradition of wearing earrings 

in the entire territory of Latvia. 

At the turn or the 19th century, men wore homespun coats, mostly of 

a natural grey colour, that were decorated with red, green or blue cord 

and matching appliqué on the sleeves. Buttons were used for fastening 

the coat. 

In summer, linen overcoats were worn. 

Men’s clothes of dark blue, brown or natural black appeared in the 

second half of the 19th century when industrially-made cloth was used 

for festive clothing. Men wore vests for special occasions. Both long and 

down-to-the knee trousers were in use. 

12 13




Winter dress from Vidzeme, 19th century. 

In winter both men and women wore long, homespun woollen or fur 

coats. 

When festive dress was no longer new, it was used for daily wear. 

A distinctive place was assigned to mittens and gloves, which were 

probably not used in such great quantities by any other people. Mittens 

were commonly given as gifts, especially at weddings when a bride 

would present them to all the relatives of the groom, and also at funerals, 

to those who dug the grave and took part in the ceremony. Ornamented 

mittens were such an integral part of men’s festive clothing that they 

would be placed behind the belt even in summer. 

Latvian ethnic dress shows a great variety of ornamentation or “raksts” (in 

Latvian – writing). Gloves, mittens, socks, sashes, coats, shawls and shirts 

were adorned with woven, knitted or embroidered ornamentation. 

These patterns do not display such abundant regional variety as does 

the clothing as a whole. The ornamentation of the 17th-19th century has 

a closer link with the town jeweller than with ancient tradition. However, 

the ancient symbols or fertility and wellbeing – the sun, moon, cross, 

swastika, snake, double-eared stalk and others, were integrated into 

ornamentation in later centuries. The most vivid use of ornamentation 

was usually on a white background with red, blue, green and yellow 

– natural dyes obtained form plants. Mittens and sashes had the most 

diverse ornamental compositions as they were produced in great 

numbers and had to differ from each other. Ornamentation grew more 

vivid in colour with the introduction of chemical dyes in the second half 

of the 19th century. 

Bast and leather footwear was similar all over Latvia. When working or 

travelling, people bound linen wraps around their feet and calves. Their 

shoes were sandals made of a simple piece of leather that was drawn 

together by strings through small holes. Footwear, especially that which 

was worn in winter, could also be made from linden or willow bast. 

Only on Sundays and festive occasions women sometimes wore real 

shoes with a hard sole and men wore leather boots. Shoes and boots 

were made of black leather and worn very carefully on festive occasions 

or to church. One pair could therefore almost last a lifetime. Woollen 

ornamented socks, and later cotton stockings were worn with festive 

clothes. Woollen socks or stockings for winter were either white or 

decorated with coloured ornaments or stripes. Each parish developed 

a particular ornament and adopted a set of colours. Both men and 

women tied their stockings under the knee with woven bands. 

14 15




Valka 

Ventspils 

Talsi 

Limbaži 

Valmiera 

VIDZEME 

Cēsis 

Launkalne 

Trikāta 

Gulbene 

Alūksne 

Abrene 

Balvi 

Regional diferences 

There are five regions in Latvia with their own specific traditions in dialect, 

housing, and dress. These regions are Kurzeme in the west, Zemgale in 

the mid-south, Selija in the south-east, Latgale in the east and Vidzeme 

in the central and northern parts of Latvia. Kurzeme and Vidzeme are 

the two regions where the local Baltic people assimilated the Liv people 

and their traditions. Yet regional borders were not strictly marked and 

a certain cultural exchange always existed. Regional variations were 

the most pronounced in women’s dress: in their cuts and the colourschemes, 

embroidery techniques and compositions, and the decoration 

of sashes, shawls, mittens and socks. Everyday clothing, footwear and 

men’s head coverings were relatively similar all over Latvia. Headgear 

and men’s outdoor clothes were the first to undergo the influence of 

town fashion and that of military uniforms. There were few regional 

differences in men’s clothing, and the main variations manifested in 

details. 

Alsunga 

Kuldīga 

KURZEME 

Saldus 

Liepāja 

Nīca 

Jūrmala 

Tukums 

Jelgava 

Dobele 

Rīga 

ZEMGALE 

Bauska 

Ogre 

Aizkraukle 

Vecpiebalga 

Cesvaine 

Madona 

Ludza 

Rēzekne 

Jēkabpils 

Līvāni 

LATGALE 

Preiļi 

Krāslava 

Daugavpils 

16 17




18 19




Vidzeme 

The brightest garment of women’s dress in Vidzeme was the skirt, 

which was multicoloured, and existed in many different variations: 

most frequently they were striped, but occasionally were also tartan 

or patterned. Stripes were characteristic for the first half of the 19th 

century, while tartan became popular in the second half. When stripes 

predominated, they even adorned men’s trousers and vests. Despite 

the bright colours, the overall effect was rather subdued because of 

the balance between the bright stripes and grey, brown and black 

ones. The white woollen shawls were richly embroidered and reached 

halfway to the wearer’s calf. In summer they were substituted with 

white patterned linen shawls of the same size. In cold weather, women 

sheltered themselves under felt capes or tartan scarves. The white 

festive shawls were held in place with silver brooches while the capes 

and scarves were never pinned. In most parts of Vidzeme, bodices and 

coats, as well as waist-length vests were very popular. They were made 

of dark wool in blue, green, brown, grey, black and sometimes also in 

white. Throughout Vidzeme, married women covered their heads with 

so-called tower-caps, usually of white linen and sometimes tied with a 

silk scarf. 

Launkalne and Piebalga dress, 19th century. 

20 21




Kurzeme 

Apart from the traditions of Latvians and Livs – the indigenous people 

– the dress of Kurzeme reflects the traditions of two neighbouring 

peoples: Lithuanians and Estonians. A Polish influence can also be seen 

in the dress of Alsunga, from Polish peasants who worked there in the 

17th century. 

Until the middle of the 19th century, women wore a dark monocolured 

skirt (often green, grey, or black), and a white shawl embroidered around 

the edges. In some areas dark blue shawls were popular with small 

jingling bronze leaves attached to the lower edge of the shawl, so that 

the wearer could be heard when approaching. An apron belonged to 

the festive dress, but its use died out in the 19th century, remaining only 

as a part of Liv women’s festive clothing. A widespread tradition in some 

parts of Kurzeme was for both men and women to wear bronze belts. 

In the seaside districts, people adorned their clothes with small amber 

brooches and strings of beads made from pieces of amber collected on 

the sea-shore. Women usually wore head cloths or wife’s caps; in several 

areas young girls still had the tradition of wearing bronze crowns. 

In the 1850s and 60s the dress of Kurzeme underwent radical changes. In 

many areas bright chemical-dye colours superseded the previous colour 

scheme for skirts, as bright stripes appeared in the north and east of 

Kurzeme and bright red in the southwest. A characteristic feature for the 

bright monochrome skirts was the ornamented lower edge, sometimes 

made from a band of a different colour. Vests and jackets were also often 

decorated with bands of various colours, trimmings, embroidery and 

decorative buttons. In south-western Kurzeme shawls were worn around 

the body and fastened with a silver brooch on the right shoulder. Wives’ 

caps went out of use and various industrially-produced silk scarves 

and wraps became popular. The women of Kurzeme never wore just 

one scarf. In winter they covered their 

heads with a linen scarf and layered 

a home-made tartan scarf on top. 

The corners of the scarf were then 

crossed in front and tied at the 

back. 

The clothing of Kurzeme, more than in other regions, 

contains industrially-produced textiles and clothing 

accessories – silk, velvet, brocade, glass, metal – either 

imported or produced by local manufacturers. 

Nīca and Tukums dress, 19th century. 

22 23




Zemgale 

Zemgale dress bears some traits of Finno-Ugric traditions, especially 

in the earliest examples of its garments. Atypical for a border region, 

it does not show any resemblance to Lithuanian clothing. Zemgale is 

the region which was most industrialised and economically developed 

during the 17th and 18th centuries. Many peasants were employed in 

manufacturing and learned advanced techniques of patterned textile 

production. This influenced Zemgale dress: its typical skirt has vertical 

weft-patterned stripes. The most common is the rose motif; while 

zigzags, diamonds and triangles also appear. A wide woven sash was 

worn above the skirt – it was usually patterned with red suns and 

crosses alternating on a white background, and with a thin thread of 

blue or green along the centre line. 

The economic prosperity of the region led to the earlier loss of national 

dress. The first items to vanish in the 19th century were the maiden’s 

crown and wife’s head cloth, as well as the white woollen shawls and 

their brooches. Silk scarves came into use instead of crowns and head 

cloths. However, homemade white linen scarves with coloured threads 

were everyday headwear for married women and girls alike. Skirts 

remained in production for the longest period, as they were often made 

by professional weavers. 

Zemgale dress, 19th century. 

24 25




Sēlija 

Selija or Augszeme is the smallest ethnic region as most of the Selonians 

actually live in the current territory of Lithuania. This is also why many 

traits similar to that of Lithuanian dress can be observed here. The 

most unique garment is the linen shirt - tunic-shaped with sewed-in 

shoulderpieces – which demonstrates an ancient tradition which is 

not known anywhere else in the Baltic. The most typical Selija skirt has 

vertical stripes with tiny patterns or batiked yarn. The band of patterning 

has most often herringbone motifs, zigzags or twisted bicoloured yarn. 

In addition, brightly striped or tartan skirts were also worn. The most 

elaborate garment was the white woollen shawl, richly embroidered 

along the edges. These were the same as the Latgale shawls. The married 

women’s head cloth resembled similar garments from Lithuania – they 

were very long (up to 3.5m), made of fine linen and tied around the head 

in various sophisticated ways. Also similar to Lithuanian dress, a white 

linen apron could be added to Selija female festive clothes. Similarly to 

Zemgale, Selija traditional dress became obsolete in the 1860s. 

Sēlija dress, 19th century. 

26 27




Latgale 

Northern and southern Latgale dress, 

19th century. 

Latgale is the region that demonstrates the most international 

influences in traditional dress, due to the close ties with neighbouring 

peoples: Estonians and Russians in the north and Belarussians, Selonians 

and Lithuanians in the south. Latgale dress therefore reflects northern 

and southern traditions through the cut, colours and decoration of the 

clothing. In the north, linen garments were usually not made in plain 

weave, as was the norm in the rest of Latvia. Bird’s eye twill was used 

for the upper section of the shirt, sometimes also satin weave. Shirts 

also had red inlaid or woven patterns on the shoulders and on the 

shoulderpieces. Skirts were usually white with a red-patterned lining on 

the lower edge. In the south, linen tunic shirts were of more traditional 

cut, sometimes with a very narrow red-decorated shoulderpiece. The 

skirt had vertical stripes of naturally dyed, but bright colours. The white 

woollen shawls of this area of Latvia can be distinguished by their size 

and their richly embroidered ornaments in dark blue, yellow, green and 

red. Shawls that reflected the traditions of the 12th century – made 

of blue and white tartan linen – were quite common components of 

summer attire. 

Characteristic throughout Latgale was the intense use of linen in clothing, 

as garments such as shawls and skirts for summer festive dress were often 

made from linen. In colder weather, large tartan woollen scarves were 

tied around the wearer’s head and shoulders. Aprons were often a part 

of the festive dress of Latgale, however they were 

never worn together with woven sashes. Jackets 

were seldom part of festive dress but when they 

were used they, too, excluded a sash. Later tartan 

skirts of various colours became popular in all of 

Latgale, but generally the use of the traditional 

dress ceased in the 1870s and 80s. Latgale was 

the region where industrially-produced clothes were 

seldom used by peasants: all garments were usually homemade. 

In Latgale, bast footwear from linden bark or tow cord 

was more popular than in other regions. 

28 29




Post-etnographic 

period 

The Song and Dance Festival takes place every four years. 

Tens of thousands participate. 

For centuries the craft of making clothes for the whole family was 

women’s business. Men took part in making footwear. This continued 

until the second part of the 19th century, when the job of making 

outdoor clothing was taken over by professional tailors. In the beginning, 

they also produced hand-made clothes but soon sewing machines 

appeared and became widely used throughout Latvia. However, shirts 

and skirts remained hand-made until the beginning of the 20th century, 

especially in remote areas. 

Industrial growth, migration and contacts between people of different 

parishes, regions and even countries led to more rapid changes in 

people’s dress. The influence of the town grew in the latter half of the 

19th century and town clothing gradually superseded ethnic dress as 

daily attire. Regretfully, by the end of the 19th century, ethnic dress had 

30 31




almost completely disappeared. However in some remote districts with 

strong national awareness and traditions, such as Alsunga, Rucava and 

Nīca (in Kurzeme), ethnic dress continued to be worn as festive clothing 

until the 1940s. 

The revival of folk dress as dress for festive occasions occurred during 

the first era of the Republic of Latvia in the 1920s and 1930s. There 

was great interest in the newly established nation and the history and 

culture of its people. Partly this was because earlier, the popularisation 

of Latvian values was prohibited, and partly this was because people 

had to work on lifting their own level of self-confidence after 700 years 

of oppression. From the mid-1920s, ethnographic expeditions began 

to travel throughout Latvia as ordered by the Monuments Authority, 

gathering all possible remaining evidence about the traditional life of the 

people, including folk dress. In this way a large collection of elements of 

authentic folk dress was established, which ended up in the collection 

of the National Museum of History. One of the most active folk dress 

researchers and promoters was Ādolfs Karnups and Elga Kivicka, who in 

1938 published an overview of the ethnographic costumes of Latvian 

regions, identifying the characteristic features of each. The publication 

was created based on folk dress elements from each district which were 

A photo from the film Latvian Wedding in Nīca, produced in 1931, 

shows local people wearing their original dresses. 

held by the museum. Using the place of origin as the main principle 

of composition, unfortunately ensembles were created using elements 

of dress which had rarely been worn by the same person – that is, 

there could be an interval of around 100 years in the dating of various 

elements of dress in the ensembles. Nevertheless the influence of this 

publication was huge, and it influenced a majority of folk dress makers. 

These costumes were made for choir singers, theatre performances and 

individual wearers. In the 1930s interest in folk dress was so great that 

not only the society ladies in Rīga, but even women in the outermost 

corners of Latvia strove to get a self-made or pre-ordered folk costume. 

The making of folk dress for the needs of choirs and dancing ensembles 

was preserved also during the period of Soviet occupation after the 

Second World War, a rarely-permitted expression of patriotism. 

When the folklore movement began in the late 1970s, with the aim of 

reviving ancient folk songs and traditions, all participants in folkloric 

groups acquired folk dress. A majority of Latvian choirs, dance ensembles 

and participants in folkloric groups still wear ethnographic folk dress 

when performing. However, during the time of occupation some choirs 

attempted to make themselves ancient dress. The wearing of ancient 

costumes in the folklore movement was begun by the men’s group 

32 33




“Vilki” in the 1990s. Since then the making and wearing of ancient dress 

has become fairly popular and is particularly practised by those who are 

interested in Latvia’s more ancient and often romanticized past. 

In the 21st century, folk dress – both ethnographic and ancient – can be 

seen in Latvia in a number of contexts. A large collection of ethnographic 

and ancient dress and their replicas is found in the collection of the 

Latvian National History Museum and part of this is able to be viewed 

in the museum exhibition. The dresses which can be seen there are 

as authentic as possible, taking into account not only the place of 

origin, but also the dating of the garments. On special occasions folk 

dress can also be seen worn by contemporary people. The largest folk 

costume parade in Latvia is once every four years in the Latvian Song 

and Dance Celebration. During this celebration, even the leaders of the 

nation wear folk costume. Each summer also smaller-scale school and 

student song festivals are held, as well as regional festivals. Every three 

years the Folklore festival “Baltica” is held. A majority of Latvian choirs 

and dance ensembles, as well as all folklore ensembles wear folk dress 

when performing in concerts, events and city festivities. Ancient dress 

is worn by participants of living history and re-enactment groups at 

various festivals and city festivities. Individuals tend to also wear folk 

dress on midsummer night’s eve, called Jāņi, on 23 June and on the 

Latvian Independence Day on 18 November. Occasionally folk dress is 

also worn at weddings. 

Since the revival of folk dress one hundred years ago, the popular opinion 

has been adopted, that the person who is wearing folk dress has not just 

dressed up, but is also demonstrating all of the best they have to offer. 

The wearing of folk dress is therefore associated with goodness, purity, 

noble-mindedness and ceremony. Alongside Latvian folk songs and 

traditions, Latvian folk dress symbolises the national historical values 

which have been passed on from generation to generation. 

34 35




Further reading: 

1. Bremze, Zile, Velta Rozenberga and Ilze Zingite Latviesu tautas terpi. 

Vidzeme = Latvian National Costumes. Vidzeme Vol. I Latvijas Vestures muzejs, 

Riga, 1995. 


Kurzeme = Latvian National Costumes. Kurzeme Vol. II Latvijas Vestures muzejs, 

Riga, 1997. 


Zemgale, Augszeme, Latgale = Latvian National Costumes. Zemgale, Augszeme, 

Latgale Vol. III Latvijas Vestures muzejs, Riga, 2003. 

4. Zeiere, Irita Arheologiskas liecibas par apgerbu Latvija 13.-18. gadsimta. 

[Archaeological evidence of the 13th-18th century dress in Latvia.] Latvijas 

Nacionalais vestures muzejs, Riga, 2008. [Contains English summary.] 

© The Latvian Institute, 2009 

© Text and concept: Ieva Pīgozne, National History Museum of Latvia 

Consultant: Ilze Ziņģīte, National History Museum of Latvia 

Special thanks to people who dressed up in their personal folk costumes: 

Auza family, Kristīne Kārkle, Līga Kurpniece, Dagnija Kupča, Mirdza Pabērza, Dagnija Pārupe, 

Ieva Pīgozne, A.Pumpure, Laura Raipale, Iveta Rubīna, Tukums Museum 

Photo credits: V.Kleins „Fotobnaka”, M.Kudrjavcevs, I.Lazdiņa, A.Puriņš, A.Liepiņš, V.Poļakovs, 

I.Urtāns, I.Znotiņš 

Original drawings: J.C.Brotze (Latvian Academic Library) 

36

The Latvian Institute promotes knowledge about Latvia abroad. It produces 

publications in several languages on many aspects of Latvia. 

For further information please contact the Latvian Embassy or Consulate in your country, or the 

Latvian Institute: 

Latvijas institūts, Kaļķu iela 7, Rīga, LV 1050, Latvia. 

Phone: (+371) 6750-3663 

Fax: (+371) 6750-3669 

E-mail: info@li.lv 

Internet: www.li.lv, www.latvia.lv

Latvian Folk Dress - Latvijas InstitÅ«ts

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