In addition to those who are seriously interested in history, today it is rarely possible to find people who can confidently answer the question that this is zipun. Most likely, the answer will be limited to the fact that this is some kind of antique clothes. But which one? Information that this is a zipun will be presented in the article.
Dictionary Interpretation
Regarding the meaning of the word "zipun", the dictionary says that it is a peasant dress, having the appearance of a caftan, which does not have a collar. As a rule, it was sewn from crude home-made cloth.
Examples of the use of the word:
- The ancient zipun, which had mugs of woolen lace on its back, which no man and no woman could do without, completely disappeared by the end of the 19th century.
- The man was wearing a tattered zipun, his legs were wrapped in onuchi tied with ropes, and his head was covered with a white disheveled cap.
- In the summer, he usually weaved wallets from a bast, sitting at the outskirts, and in the winter he took a needle and scissors and went to sew short fur coats and zipuns.
- There is no need to be afraid of a rude zipun and a peasant hoodie, because often a good, warm, golden heart beats under them.
- According to the Slavs, the brownie is a tight little old man with a gray long beard, in a short zipoon and blue shirt, tied with a scarlet belt.
It seems that to understand what zipun is, it is important to familiarize yourself with the etymology of the term.
Origin
According to the researchers, the word has its roots in the Arabic language, where there is a noun جوبة, meaning "long caftan, bathrobe." It has not yet been possible to trace deeper the origin of the studied token.
From Arabic, the word “migrated” to the Venetian language. This ancient language is associated with the region of Venice, located in the north-east of Italy. It was used by the tribe of Venets and is one of the separate branches of the Indo-European languages. At the beginning of our era, the Venetian language was supplanted by Latin.
There is a noun zipón, which translates as "rustic caftan." Etymologists compare it with the Italian giubbone, which has the same meaning. In all likelihood, the Russian word "zipun" came to us from the Greek through borrowing. It is formed from the word ζιπούνι, meaning jacket, jacket.
Thus, a very ancient origin of the studied word is traced, which may indicate the antiquity of the very clothing bearing such a name, or its prototype.
In the 16-17th centuries
As already mentioned, zipong is a peasant clothing similar to a caftan without a collar. It was worn on top and made of bright cloth at home, finishing the stitches of contrasting color with cords.
The first references in written sources are found in Domostroy, which is a 16th-century Russian literature monument. The term gained wide popularity in the 17th century, they denote the outer clothing of men and women.
At that time, zipoon was called clothing resembling a jacket, which had narrow sleeves and a tight-fitting figure. She was worn under a caftan over a shirt. Perhaps the boyar estate at that time used it like a modern vest.
In the 18th - early 20th century
During this period, zipun is clothing that was part of the costume of the Don Cossacks. He was put under a beshmet on a shirt. As for the whole territory of Russia, at that time for the most part zipun was only outerwear. It was used by peasants on weekdays and on holidays, worn in both spring and autumn. Another zipun was worn on top of the upper basic clothing when they were going on the road, or during bad weather.
Holiday zipuns were made not from homemade, but from factory cloth, mainly black or blue. And everyday, homework, were white or gray.
Usually these clothes were double-breasted, had long sleeves. The collar, as a rule, was absent, and if there was one, it was small, upright. The zip was fastened from right to left with the help of hooks or leather buttons and leather loops.