The Museum of Traditional Poozerye Weaving tells about the peculiarities of hand weaving of the late 19th - early 20th centuries in Glubokoye, Miory, Sharkovshchina, Verkhnedvinsk, Postavy, Dokshitsky, Polotsk districts of Vitebsk region. Through the calendar cycle of nature's transformation exhibitions of the museum show the process of creating fabric from planting flax to the finished product. Traditional weaving is one of the most ancient and widespread types of arts and crafts, directly related to the clothing and household items manufacturing such as towels, bedspreads, tablecloths.
The model of weaving craft is presented through the TREE OF LIFE that symbolizes eternity and infinity, acts as a link between the Universe and Man. The Roots of the Tree are the other world and the habitat of various mythical creatures. The Trunk is the space of human activity, life from birth to death. Krona is a connection with ancestors, the world of goodness and faith, belonging to God.
The first hall exhibition provides an opportunity to learn the secrets of growing flax and its primary processing. These are the roots of the TREE OF LIFE. According to legend, our ancestors considered the main female goddess MAKOSH the mother of the harvest, the keeper of female labor, the strict mistress of spinning and weaving, whose image occupies a central place in the exhibition of this hall.
SECOND HALL - symbolizes the trunk of the Tree of Life, the sphere of human life. The loom appeared in Belarus in the 10th – 12th centuries, and horizontal crosses became widespread. Since the earliest times, work on the cross has been an exclusively female occupation. Sophisticated weaving technology has always been combined with high artistic skill. Moreover, the degree of mastery of this weaving skill depended on the degree of technological complexity. Everything that was needed on the farm was weaved on the crochets: towels, bed linen, tablecloths, rugs, etc., as well as the fabric from which the clothes were sewn.
CLOTHING has evolved over the centuries. The Belarusian national costume was formed in the 14th-16th centuries, when its main features stood out: austerity, unity of composition, the predominance of white, its combination with red in the ornament. The complete set of the Belarusian traditional women's costume was practically the same throughout Belarus: it was the presence of a shirt, skirt, belt, apron, headdress. However, almost every village or several neighboring villages had its own special differences. The originality and uniqueness of local versions of costumes was determined by how they were worn and how the decor was placed on clothes. Such local versions of the Belarusian costume are called "stroy". The costume seems to be built in accordance with the laws of the area to which it belongs. A particularly high level of imagination and skill can be seen in the women's costume.
THE THIRD HALL - the krona of the WORLD TREE - the spirit of human existence. The art of folk weavers, their imagination and taste, the ability to achieve decorativeness and beauty by simple means is most clearly manifested in the weaving of MANUALS. A MANUAL is a piece of fabric for ritual, decorative, household purposes. It is always next to a person, both in important holiday events and in everyday worries. The handbrake in all its forms - for the red corner, for everyday needs, headwear - carries the same deep meaning - protection, help, favor. The handbrake is a symbol of the family, its patron, protector. The handcuffs, like songs, accompanied the Belarusians from birth to death.
Thus, traditional hand weaving is an inexhaustible source of knowledge encoded in the ornaments of woven products, as well as the secret of higher meanings hidden by our ancestors. Each of us should strive to preserve the history that has been created over the centuries, because without the past, a person like a rootless tree will not be able to continue his existence.
Every modern person should know who he is, what is his language, people and land, what is his history. From an early age, we must be able to answer the simplest question: WHO ARE WE? WE ARE BELARUSIANS!