Rushnyk Ukraine embroidered decorative towels

A rushnyk or rushnik (russian: рушник, ручник, uk, рушник, be, ручнік, ručnik, rue, ручник) is a decorative and ritual cloth. Made of linen or cotton it usually represents woven or embroidered designs,

symbols A symbol is a mark, sign, or word that indicates, signifies, or is understood as representing an idea, object, or relationship. Symbols allow people to go beyond what is known or seen by creating linkages between otherwise very different conc ...

and cryptograms of the ancient world. They have been used in sacred Eastern Slavic rituals, religious services and ceremonial events such as weddings and funerals. Each region has its own designs and patterns with hidden meaning, passed down from generation to generation and studied by ethnographers. There are many rushnyk collections in ethnographic museums. In Ukraine, the Rushnyk Museum is located in

Pereiaslav Pereiaslav ( uk, Перея́слав, translit=Pereiaslav, yi, פּרעיאַסלעוו, Periyoslov) is a historical city in the Boryspil Raion, Kyiv Oblast (Oblast, province) of central Ukraine, located near the confluence of Alta River, Alta ...

, Ukraine as part of The Museum of Folk Architecture and Way of Life of Central

Naddniprianshchyna The term Dnieper Ukraine (: "over Dnieper land"), usually refers to territory on either side of the middle course of the Dnieper River. The Ukrainian name derives from ''nad‑'' (prefix: "above, over") + ''Dnipró'' ("Dnieper") + ''‑shchyna'' ...

. A Russian rushnik collection is housed at the Hermitage Museum.

Meaning

The rectangular shape of the fabric indicates a life's journey and the ornamentation captures the cultural

ancestral memory In psychology, genetic memory is a theorized phenomenon in which certain kinds of memories could be inherited, being present at birth in the absence of any associated sensory experience, and that such memories could be incorporated into the genom ...

of the region. The material used is either

linen Linen () is a textile made from the fibers of the flax plant. Linen is very strong, absorbent, and dries faster than cotton. Because of these properties, linen is comfortable to wear in hot weather and is valued for use in garments. It also ...

hemp Hemp, or industrial hemp, is a botanical class of ''Cannabis sativa'' cultivars grown specifically for industrial or medicinal use. It can be used to make a wide range of products. Along with bamboo, hemp is among the fastest growing plants o ...

. The act of spinning thread and the process of weaving linen embodies spiritual power dating back to the ancient

deity A deity or god is a supernatural being who is considered divine or sacred. The ''Oxford Dictionary of English'' defines deity as a god or goddess, or anything revered as divine. C. Scott Littleton defines a deity as "a being with powers greate ...

Mokosh who is often represented in embroidery. The needle has its own energy, an idea similar to acupuncture, and the color of the thread has sacred meaning. Red represents life and is the main color used. A rushnyk is given to a baby at birth, it follows the person throughout life and is used in the funeral service after death.

Uses

A Rushnyk has many uses. The very basic rushnik is colloquially called the ''utyralnyk'' or wiper and serves as a towel. The utyralnyk either has no designs on it or it has very narrow strip on the edges. In contrast, a ''nabozhnyk'' is a highly decorated Rushnyk composing of embroidery and of lace. ''Nabozhnyks'', also called ''nabraznyks'' or ''nakutnyks'' are used to decorate icons and icon corners in homes.

Wedding rushnyks and motifs

Colour plays a very important symbolic role in traditional Slavic embroidery. Red is the colour of life, the sun, fertility and health. The majority of rushnyks are embroidered with red threads. The very word "red" means "beautiful" and "splendid" in

Old Russian Old East Slavic (traditionally also Old Russian; be, старажытнаруская мова; russian: древнерусский язык; uk, давньоруська мова) was a language used during the 9th–15th centuries by East ...

and Ruthenian: a red girl, a red sun or a red spring. The phrase ''Krasnaya devitsa'' in Old Russian language for example is an old idiomatic expression which means beautiful girl, the word ''Krasnaya'' translates in Russian language also into red. The diamond-shaped design of the rushnyk is an ancient agricultural symbol, which means a sown field, or the sun, and expresses the idea of fertility and protection against evil. Ducks, in the centre of the rushnyk, symbolize the element of life-giving water. In wedding folklore a duck and a drake symbolize a bride and a groom, in other words a pair of ducks is a symbol of family life. Another common symbol on rushniks are birds. During a wedding ceremony, the bride and

groom A bridegroom (often shortened to groom) is a man who is about to be married or who is newlywed. When marrying, the bridegroom's future spouse (if female) is usually referred to as the bride. A bridegroom is typically attended by a best man an ...

are standing on a Rushnyk called a ''pidnozhnyk,'' which translates as step-on towel. What happens to the pidnozhnyk is that the bride will drag the towel behind her, and her bridesmaids follow behind her. Tradition has it that when the bridesmaids follow behind the pidnozhnyk, they are following the path of the bride and will hopefully be married.

Etymology

Words with the common suffix " -nyk" ("-nik"), denoting agent nouns, indicate a general association of the new word with the base one. *Rushnyk: from ''ruka'',

hand A hand is a prehensile, multi-fingered appendage located at the end of the forearm or forelimb of primates such as humans, chimpanzees, monkeys, and lemurs. A few other vertebrates such as the koala (which has two opposable thumbs on each "h ...

*Na-: a prefix meaning "on", i.e., the thing is supposed to be put onto something **Nabozhnyk: from ''Boh'', God **Naobraznyk: from ''obraz'', literally "

image An image is a visual representation of something. It can be two-dimensional, three-dimensional, or somehow otherwise feed into the visual system to convey information. An image can be an artifact, such as a photograph or other two-dimensiona ...

", meaning "God's image", i.e., icon **Nakutnyk: from ''kut'', corner, meaning the corner where an icon is hung (by East Slavic traditions). *Pidnozhnyk: from ''pid (=''under) and ''nohy'' (=feet)

References

External links