UA-1314118 Traditional costumes of Ukraine

UA-1314118 Postcard from Dina of Kiev

The above postcard came from Dina (21 July 2015) Postcrossing.

This lovely postcard from Nataliia shows an Ukrainian couple in traditional costumes.

The traditional dress of Ukraine is full of ornamental designs and beautiful embroidery. The national dress of Ukraine is always hand woven and fabulously decorated. The embroidery varies from region to region in the country.

The traditional dress for men in Ukraine is normally made with sheepskin and leather.  This garment is usually decorated with embroidery, cords, tassels and other accessories. The men also wear Kontusz, a long robe, which usually reach below the knees with a set of decorative buttons down the front. The elite and noble Ukrainian men also used to wear a long garment, which was known as Zupan. Similarly, a traditional pair of pants was also used.  This is known as Sharovary which is a garment free to the hips, often with assembly at the waist and collected at the bottom near the ankles.


The traditional dress for women in Ukraine is homemade linen with ethnic embroidery. In the cold winters, Kozhushankas are worn which are basically a sheepskin coat. The coats vary in colour from region to region. The edges of Kozhushankas are trimmed with black sheepskin or some other dyed material.  Married women would wear Ochipok, which is a traditional headdress that covered the entire head with a slit in the back and laces that pull it tightly around the head. Similarly, Namitka is a long, thin fabric wrapped around the head and tied at the back.

The traditional dress of Ukraine for unmarried girls is never complete without a circular head floral decoration. This is the Ukrainian flower wreath, which remains a part of the Ukrainian national attire, and is worn on festive occasions and on holy days. The fragrant flowers give an attractive and refreshing touch to the costume. Nowadays, dancers wear flower wreath during their performances.

Another part and parcel of the traditional dress of Ukraine is the artistic and handmade jewelry usually made with glass beads using strong synthetic threads. Bead work is extremely popular in the Carpathian Mountains area, but lots of artists make beaded jewelry in the cities of Lviv and Ternopil.