Borshchiv folk embroidery

Borshchiv folk embroidery has deep roots and still remains relevant through the ages!

The peculiarity of Borshchiv vyshyvanka, which is more than five centuries old, is the black color of its embroidery, which was chosen for a reason. The emergence of this embroidery technique is associated with tragic events that once happened in this region. According to legend, in the 15th–18th centuries, the Borshchyv region was constantly attacked by Turks and Tatars, who brought death with them. So, during one of the raids, all the men were killed in several villages of the Borshchiv district in the Ternopil region. The girls and women had a hard time coping with the loss and, mourning their bitter fate, vowed to mourn the dead for several generations. They vowed to wear vyshyvankas with black embroidery for weddings and other holidays, and they kept their promise. Those women who embroidered such shirts in the 20s and 30s of the last century were the last generation associated with this oath.

After that, women began to use colored, bright threads to embroider shirts instead of black wool.

There are several more interesting legends related to borscht embroidery. In particular, about the fact that once upon a time there was a terrible disease in these parts from which only women suffered. To protect themselves from the disease, they heavily embroidered their shirts with black threads, because they believed that this way they could cheat death.

Ancient borscht embroidery is highly valued both in Ukraine and abroad. This is not surprising, because it is unique: almost no two shirts are exactly the same