The main symbol of Bulgarian tradition and history is embroidery. Its meaning comes from the composition of its figures and colors , in which our ancestors embedded a lot of meaning and symbolism. Bulgarian folk costumes are colorful and beautiful, thanks to their embroideries, and Vezba strives to carry this very tradition into modern times in order to preserve it.
The founder of the National Ethnographic Museum Dimitar Marinov writes: "These patterns express joy or sorrow, these patterns show what is being prayed for: fertility, strength, prosperity, life, health, joy, love. They represent a prayer written in symbolic marks”.
Each embroidery is a story, in the colors and stitches of which there is a hidden message. Embroideries can best be interpreted after familiarizing yourself with the symbolism of the primary colors in them.
Red
The color red symbolizes blood and fire, life and fertility. Protects against bad forces and animals waking up at the beginning of spring (with the warming of the weather), protects against lessons and spells. Red is associated with masculine strength and bravery, and for women, fertility and vitality. Because of this, during weddings in some regions of Bulgaria, the bride wore a red veil. In the rituals of the ancient Eastern peoples, reproducing the "sacred marriage" between heaven and earth, red was used to represent the earth. For many ancient peoples such as the Romans, Greeks and Egyptians, red was also the leading color in rituals and rites.
Green
The color green is a symbol of nature, of freshness, of health and youth, of reviving nature and of hope. The color green is also associated with the Tree of Life – the universal human symbol for the Universe, with immortality and eternity. It is a known fact that contemplating the color green calms the psyche.
Yellow
Yellow or "golden" is a symbol of the Sun and light, of the divine and sacred, of moral purity and charity, of prosperity and wealth. Studies show that the color yellow helps boost brain activity and improve memory. In the Christian world, "gold" symbolizes God and the holy.
Son
The color blue represents the sky, space and water. He personifies truth and trust, purity, tranquility and contemplation. Blue is the angelic color of the high spiritual levels. It is often used in combination with its "opposite" warm red color. Most often this happens through the juxtaposition or "merging" of heaven (blue) and earth (red, as mentioned above).
White
Most cultures associate white with purity, truth and innocence. In different Bulgarian regions, white can be interpreted in several ways. In the Eastern Rhodopes, it is customary to make a wedding mask for the bride with white paint and colored beads. On the other hand, though rarely, white was also associated with death. In Strandzha, for centuries, mourning was in white, because the outlaws who went to the gallows were dressed in white shirts. White is also a symbol of wisdom, knowledge and infinity.
We at Vezba use the symbolism of colors as a language, because in our opinion, every garment should not only look good, but also "speak" to its wearer. To speak to him of the manners, customs and understandings of his forefathers.
Look at the clothes