Braiding in Ukraine

Ukraine is a country which population is famous for their skillful hands. The Ukrainian people can make necessary and beautiful products from things by which they are surrounded. It was the main reason of the development of braiding from the flexible material.

The braiding from willow and from straw has become very popular in the second part of XIX century. A round, fractured and turned willow were used in braiding. The rind was cut off or left depending on the kind of product. Some products were painted.

It started to sell the braided products in the Russian empire, where they were very popular.

The shops of the basketwork were organized in the villages. Children took part in this braided work. Children from 7 till 12 weaved on the machine tool and adult persons did more hard work.

People wattled the baskets for travelling and easy baskets with two handholds for women from the willow. Furniture, toys, wooden cradles, fishing tackles were also weaved from willow. The bast shoes were weaved from the rind of the young lime tree. The bast shoes were popular among the peasants. The walls and fences were also weaved from willow.

The braiding from straw was spread in the central part of Ukraine. People prepared the straw of oats and of wheat in advance. The hat for men (bryl) was braided from it. They wore this hat during the harvest when the weather was hot and also in the bee-garden and the pasture. The making of one (bryl) took a week.

Nowadays, the braiding doesn’t lose its actuality. The various types of braided headgears are sold at the seaside. The bast shoes are used as decorations in the house, the bast shoes are rarely used according to its intended purpose. By the way, Ukraine is famous for its talismans, decorative vases and baskets made from straw.

If you are going to have a rest in the countryside, don’t lose the chance to learn something new. The national masters are waiting for you in our villages. In a hot summer day our masters will give you a lesson of the national braiding.

Our specialists will show you the main techniques of working with the flexible material. Under the guidance of our specialists you could make the beautiful souvenirs for you and your relatives.