| Revision as of 11:34, 13 July 2009 editAvaza (talk | contribs)77 edits there was wrong information that chokha originated from Circessia, I linked the reference of USA encyclopedia which is very relieble sourse tellin me that the dress originated in Georgia← Previous edit | Revision as of 11:37, 13 July 2009 edit undoAvaza (talk | contribs)77 edits added definicion of Chokha, or known as Scwakh in Cherkessian LanguageNext edit → | ||
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| A '''chokha''' ({{lang-ka|ჩოხა}}; {{lang-az|çuxa}}; {{lang-ru|''черкеска''}}) is part of the traditional male dress of the ]. It has been in wide use among ] from 9th century until 1920s<ref>Abashidze, Irakli. Ed. Georgian Encyclopedia. Vol. IX. Tbilisi, Georgia: 1985. </ref> and among ] between the 17th and the 20th century.<ref>: The Azerbaijani Club at MGIMO</ref> Having originated in Georgia , the word "Chokha" means cover of the male in Georgian language, and the russians called it "Cherkesska". | A '''chokha''' ({{lang-ka|ჩოხა}}; {{lang-az|çuxa}}; {{lang-ru|''черкеска''}}) is part of the traditional male dress of the ]. It has been in wide use among ] from 9th century until 1920s<ref>Abashidze, Irakli. Ed. Georgian Encyclopedia. Vol. IX. Tbilisi, Georgia: 1985. </ref> and among ] between the 17th and the 20th century.<ref>: The Azerbaijani Club at MGIMO</ref> Having originated in Georgia , the word "Chokha" means cover of the male in Georgian language, and the russians called it "Cherkesska". Also in Cherkessian Language "chokha" is known as "scwakh" which meens cover of horseman. | ||
| Chokha originaly was created in around 9 century and had special role in Georgian life. Though the Dress people identified the person's age or his social status. Black chokha was reserved to the "Orden of Chokhosani" who represented the elite society of the citisens. These were people with special dedications such as: Great generals, Heroes or some of the famous poets and the people who had done some big service to the country. Not even all of Lords were allowed in "Chokhosani Orden" and those who did proudly represented this rank in their Gerbs. | Chokha originaly was created in around 9 century and had special role in Georgian life. Though the Dress people identified the person's age or his social status. Black chokha was reserved to the "Orden of Chokhosani" who represented the elite society of the citisens. These were people with special dedications such as: Great generals, Heroes or some of the famous poets and the people who had done some big service to the country. Not even all of Lords were allowed in "Chokhosani Orden" and those who did proudly represented this rank in their Gerbs. | ||
| сhokha is sawn of thick fabric and is tight on the waist and wide on the bottom. In some parts of the Caucasus there are also female chokhas. | сhokha is sawn of thick fabric and is tight on the waist and wide on the bottom. In some parts of the Caucasus there are also female chokhas. | ||
Revision as of 11:37, 13 July 2009
A chokha (Georgian: ჩოხა; Template:Lang-az; Template:Lang-ru) is part of the traditional male dress of the peoples of the Caucasus. It has been in wide use among Georgians from 9th century until 1920s and among Azeris between the 17th and the 20th century. Having originated in Georgia , the word "Chokha" means cover of the male in Georgian language, and the russians called it "Cherkesska". Also in Cherkessian Language "chokha" is known as "scwakh" which meens cover of horseman. Chokha originaly was created in around 9 century and had special role in Georgian life. Though the Dress people identified the person's age or his social status. Black chokha was reserved to the "Orden of Chokhosani" who represented the elite society of the citisens. These were people with special dedications such as: Great generals, Heroes or some of the famous poets and the people who had done some big service to the country. Not even all of Lords were allowed in "Chokhosani Orden" and those who did proudly represented this rank in their Gerbs. сhokha is sawn of thick fabric and is tight on the waist and wide on the bottom. In some parts of the Caucasus there are also female chokhas.
In the late 1800s and early 1900s there were three types of chokhas: the Khevsur chokha, the Kartl-Kakheti chokha and general Caucasian chokha.
Khevsur chokha
The Khevsur chokha was worn in the Khevsureti province of Georgia in the Greater Caucasus mountains. Khevsur chokha is considered to be the closest to the medieval version of chokha. It is mostly short with trapezoid shapes. The front side of the chokha has rich decorations and cuts on the sides, which extend to the waist. The Khevsur chokha has rich decorations made up of crosses and icons.
Kartl-Kakheti chokha
The Kartl-Kakheti chokha is longer than the Khevsur chokha and has triangle-like shapes on the chest exposing the inner cloth called arkhalukhi. The bottom sides usually had cuts on the sides and people wore it usually without belts. The Kartli-Kakheti chokha has long sleeves and mostly is black, dark red and blue.
General Caucasian chokha
The general Caucasian chokha shares similarities with the Kartl-Kakheti version, with the exception of having bandoliers sewn horizontally across both sides of the chest. In most cases different decorations are used to fill the bullet spaces. In the Russian language, chokha is called cherkeska and this type of chokha has black leather belts decorated with silver pieces.
The general Caucasian chokha is mostly made of black, grey, white, blue, red or brown fabric. Among Azeris, it is considered part of the traditional outfit for the performers of mugham, an Azeri folk music genre. A person's age defined the colour of the chokha he would wear.
Generally, the chokha outfit includes a khanjali (the sword), the akhalukhi (a shirt worn underneath the chokha), the masrebi (the bullets), and the kabalakhi (a hood, separate from the robe) or nabdis kudi (a tall fur hat).
Notes
- Abashidze, Irakli. Ed. Georgian Encyclopedia. Vol. IX. Tbilisi, Georgia: 1985.
- Azeri traditional dress: The Azerbaijani Club at MGIMO
References
- Abashidze, Irakli. Ed. Georgian Encyclopedia. Vol. IX. Tbilisi, Georgia: 1985.
External links
- Ruso Strelkova (August 31, 2007). To Wear or not to Wear (a Chokha)? That is the Question. Georgia Today Issue #372, 31.08.07-06.09.07.