National costumes of England and Ossetia Хугаева А.Я. – учитель английского языка МБОУ гимназия №5 г. Владикавказ

The traditional costumes in Ossetia were formed by the influence of nature and way of life in this country. Every man was a warrior, a farmer and a shepherd at the same time. And every woman was (and still is) a housewife, but there are very strict rules to the behaviour of Ossetian women. They must be modest and devout. Traditionally they couldn't show their body to strange men, only to their husbands. That's why national men costumes tend to be comfortable and warm, and women costumes in Ossetian tend to be hooded and modest, but very beautiful and feminine. Nowadays these rules are not so strict, but national clothing still displays Ossetian traditions and laws.

Dress The main elements of men’s dress is chokha (long sleeve dress), tunic and boots. During the cold winter days men used coat made of sheepskin, woolen socks and boots. Every man used to have a dagger as a decoration. Women dress before 19th century was identically the same, but with influence from Russia, it became more diverse. Festive dress, silk skirts and jewelry became part of the traditional clothing. Today, Ossetian costumes are usually used on weddings or cultural events. In daily life, people dress in regular clothes.

England The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland is situated on the British Isles. The British Isles are separated from Europe by the English Channel. The British Isles are washed by the North Sea in the East and the Atlantic Ocean in the West. The territory of Great Britain is divided into four parts: England, Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland. So when we speak about the traditional English Costumes, we mean the national costumes of the English , the Irish, the Welsh and the Scots

Traditional dress of Scotland, which is also called highland dress, changes our understanding of men's costume. Women's outfit is more familiar for us unlike men's kilt. No matter what, Scottish national dress is interesting and extraordinary. And also it is rather hard to put on a kilt and all the accessories correctly, especially when to talk about the phillabeg style of kilt. You'll need some practice and knowledge for that.

The traditional Welsh costume is a costume worn by rural women in Wales. The costume was identified as being different from that worn by the rural women of England by many of the English visitors who toured Wales during the late 18th and early 19th centuries. It is very likely that what they wore was a survival of a pan-European costume worn by working rural women. This included a version of the bedgown, originally worn by the gentry in the 17th and 18th centuries. The bedgown survived in Wales for longer than elsewhere in Britain. The unique Welsh hat, which first made its appearance in the 1830s was used as an icon of Wales from the 1840s.[1] It is likely that the Welsh costume began as a rural costume (with regional variations in Wales) and became recognized as a traditional costume by the wives and daughters of the better off farmers who wore it for special occasions and when going to market to sell their produce. From the 1880s, when the traditional costume had gone out of general use, selected elements of it became adopted as a National Costume. From then on it was worn by women at events such as Royal visits, by choirs, at church and chapel, for photographs and occasionally at eisteddfodau. It was first worn by girls as a celebration on Saint David's Day just before the First World War. The costume is now recognised as the national dress of Wales.[2]

Irish clothing

If you've ever been to a St If you've ever been to a St. Patrick's Day parade, you've seen traditional Irish pipe and drum bands with their kilts, short black jackets and knee stockings. If you travel to Ireland today, however, you would see that the Irish dress much the same as Europeans or North Americans. Though they borrowed from their Scottish neighbours, Irish clothing has its own story and tradition.