AN AMAZING HISTORY OF BRAIDS. FROM ANCIENT TIMES TO MODERN BRAID WEAVING

The history of braiding. Modern braiding. A selection of video lessons: weaving braids for long hair

INNA CODRU , JULY 14, 2018

The ever-evolving world of beauty gives birth to more and more new trends every day. It's often impossible to keep up with all the different hair styles that have come and gone over the past decades. But one thing has always been in vogue - BRIDING. Braiding has been a staple style throughout the history of hairstyles, going so far back that it seems like they've always been around.

But in fact, the history of the scythe dates back to around 3500 BC. In other words, they too have their history. It is safe to say that this style still maintains its historical legacy. From classic crowns and simple three jet braids to Dutch braids , waterfalls, French braids and more. Various weaving of braids, in former times, served as a sign of social status, ethnicity, religion, etc.

There are almost 5 million videos on YouTube on how to braid, and in the major cities of the modern world, whether it be Moscow or New York, London or Paris, Beijing or Tokyo, every day you can see a parade of all kinds of braiding styles. However, they all have their own history.

ORIGIN OF THE BRIDGES

The origin of braids originates, according to some scientists in North Africa, according to others, the origins of braids originate in the Sumerian civilization. In any case, this is approximately 3500 BC.

In many ancient tribes, braided hairstyles were a unique way to identify each tribe. Models and hairstyles were a sign of a person's family affiliation, his age, marital status, financial status, power and religion. Weaving was and remains a social art.

The ancient Egyptians are reputed to be the inventors of paper, toothpaste, the calendar, mathematics, etc. And while they may not have invented weaving, their style of weaving left a mark. The Egyptians, although they despised the hair on the body, loved the hair on the head and decorated it with precious stones, beads and even lengthened with other braids.

Egyptian children usually had shaved heads, but sometimes they kept a tuft of hair on the right side of their head, which they braided and curled. Young girls often wore their hair in several braids before pulling it all back into a ponytail. The royal family wore braided wigs, as did the elderly, to hide the absence of hair or gray hair. Braids were decorated with berries, petals, bright ribbons or gold tips. Braids were often used to lengthen or add volume to hair.

To contrast with the Egyptians, classical Greek women grew their hair longer and folded it into chignons. Many styles of the time included braids attached to the head and adorned with flowers, headbands, ribbons, and pieces of precious metal. Braids were a sign of wealth or fortune, their owner; the more complex they were, the more wealthy their owner was considered.

During the reign of the Roman emperor Augustus, detailed hairstyles also came into fashion in the Apennine Peninsula, as an expression of wealth and status. Braids were also used, which made the hair thicker and longer. Complex braids and knots were decorated with pearls and precious pins.

In Native American tradition, hair was part of their spiritual and religious practices. The combination of certain rituals and braiding represented a unity with nature. Collecting hair in small bundles is an internal unity, and weaving braids from them is ensuring unity with the outside world.

Small strands of hair were considered individually weak, but when joined into braids, they show strength in unity. Their loose hair showed harmony with the flow of life, and weaving indicated unity with nature.

The ancient Celts, inhabitants of what is now the British Isles and Western Europe, whose history can be traced back over the past 25 centuries, reached their maximum power around 750 BC. There are many myths and legends about these tall, fair-skinned people known for their colorful clothing and hair. (Even the Greeks and Romans did not have such extravagance in dress)

Celtic men and women grew their hair long, and the noble class had elaborate braids that were often embellished. For the working class, braids had a simple function: to keep the hair in such a way that it did not interfere with their work.

During the early and late Middle Ages, modesty was a virtue, and was demonstrated by high and even fancy headdresses (unless you were a girl or a very young woman), going without a headdress was an unspoken ban. In fact, if elderly women of a noble caste went out to "people" without a headdress, then they could be declared a witch (and we know what they did with them later 😁).

As a result, even popular medieval braiding styles such as the double braid, braided crown, double braided bun, or braided ponytails were commonly covered with headdresses.

Here we are in Asia. The Chinese braid came into fashion in Manchuria during China's last imperial dynasty, the Qing Dynasty (1644-1912). Men shaved off all hair above the temples and tied the remaining hair into a long pigtail that ran down the back, often topped with a hat. It was a real betrayal if someone did not wear such a hairstyle, and people who did not obey such a command were even executed.

After the Qing dynasty fell, Chinese men were no longer required to wear a braid. Some of them still carried out the tradition, but most people stopped wearing the braid, especially when China's last emperor, Puyi, cut off his braid in 1922.

Modern African Americans have long worn braids, but in the 1970s, the "Black Is Beautiful" movement encouraged blacks to embrace their roots and natural hair texture by wearing Afro or cornrow-sporting instead of chemical straightening. Popular styles included the Senegalese twist or Guinea weave (as well as box weave, zigzag weave, micro weave, and classic crown weave).

Of course, what story of the braid would be complete without mentioning some of the dubious cases associated with "cornrow-sporting" weaving. In 1979, director Blake Edwards directed the film 10, in which Bo Derek, in a wet swimsuit with a cornrow-sporting haircut, runs down the beach in slow motion. And the following decades showed how many celebrities began to copy this hairstyle and braiding style: Juliette Lewis, Madonna, K-Fed, Justin Timberlake, Axl Rose ... all followed suit.

Not so long ago, in 2005, a modest and very small video site called YouTube appeared. (Maybe you've heard of it? 😃😃😃) Eight years later, it has over a million tutorial videos for braiding. That's not counting the thousands of tutorials, blogs, and Instagram shots of beautiful braids. The Internet has made braids even more famous and easier to do - so watch the video below and get a new skill for yourself!