What is “gorbatka” in Ukrainian costume?

[Violet]

You publish a lot of articles about Ukrainian folk dress. I’ve heard a word “gorbatka”. What does it mean? What piece of clothing is it? As I understand, it’s a skirt or smth… Thanks

[sofiya]

Thank you for your question, Violet. Horbatka (it is written like this) is a traditional garment used in the western part of Ukraine (particularly, Bukovyna). The other name is “obhortka” Indeed, it is a kind of wrap-around skirt. It is a rectangular piece of cloth wrapped around the woman’s body and belted. The length is from the waist to the middle of the calf. Horbatka can be very festive; it is woven from thin fine wool, sometimes also embroidered at the front. The back part of this garment is usually black, without embroidery or decorations. The front part is often striped (in this case, no embroidering is used).

horbatka.jpg (153.87 KiB) Viewed 1436 times

[Violet]

Thank you so much!