The Russian braid (

Russian Russian(s) refers to anything related to Russia, including: *Russians (, ''russkiye''), an ethnic group of the East Slavic peoples, primarily living in Russia and neighboring countries *Rossiyane (), Russian language term for all citizens and peo ...

: Русская коса, Russkaya kosa) is a national

traditional A tradition is a belief or behavior (folk custom) passed down within a group or society with symbolic meaning or special significance with origins in the past. A component of cultural expressions and folklore, common examples include holidays ...

hairstyle in

Russia Russia (, , ), or the Russian Federation, is a transcontinental country spanning Eastern Europe and Northern Asia. It is the largest country in the world, with its internationally recognised territory covering , and encompassing one-eigh ...

. It has an ancient history since the times of the Rus'. In modern Russia the

hairstyle A hairstyle, hairdo, haircut or coiffure refers to the fashion, styling of hair, usually on the human scalp. Sometimes, this could also mean an editing of facial or body hair. The fashioning of hair can be considered an aspect of personal ...

is still widespread among girls and women, while the symbolism behind the Russian braid is no longer so strong in modern Russia. It also plays an important role in

Russian folk dance Russian folk dance (russian: Русский народный танец) is an important part of Russian culture. Some of the unique characteristics suggest that many elements were developed by the early Russian population. History Many Russian ...

and

Russian folk song Russian folk music specifically deals with the folk music traditions of the ethnic Russian people. Ethnic styles in the modern era The performance and promulgation of ethnic music in Russia has a long tradition. Initially it was intertwined with ...

ensembles. In Rus it was uncommon for women to cut their hair, so they would grow it for a long period of time and braid their long hair. The Russian braid symbolized honor and pride and had several meanings in Old Russia. One large and long braid was worn by girls in active search for a groom, while two braids which were tied around the head meant the girl was in marriage. If a colourful ribbon was woven into a braid, it meant that the girl is for marriage, when two ribbons appeared, it meant that the official groom was found. The end of a long braid was often adorned by a kosnik, a piece of jewelry that was made of

birch A birch is a thin-leaved deciduous hardwood tree of the genus ''Betula'' (), in the family Betulaceae, which also includes alders, hazels, and hornbeams. It is closely related to the beech- oak family Fagaceae. The genus ''Betula'' contains 3 ...

bark.

References

{{Reflist

External links

BABE , be a beauty everyday
Braid hairstyles Russian culture