Asia
Mongolian clothing traditions are very ancient, diverse (because every ethnic group has its own peculiarities), and closely connected with the local lifestyle and climate. The traditional costume of Mongolia is unique and original. You won’t confuse it with any other folk dress. There are, of course, a lot of variations of the national attire according to the region of the country. The greatest diversity is in the shape of a headdress. Some hats are so elaborate and odd that they can easily impress and surprise just about anyone.
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- Category: Mongolia
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Traditional clothing of many Southeast Asian countries includes wrap-around skirts instead of pants and shorts. The climate here is very hot and humid, so extra airing is comfy for the body and people often use loose clothes. In Myanmar (Burma), both men and women wear a wrap-around cloth around their lower body called “longyi” (lon chee). There are various ways of draping it and, sometimes, longyi is sewn into a tube for convenience.
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- Category: Myanmar
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The women of Kayan tribes have an odd and even dangerous tradition to lengthen their necks with special brass neck rings. They’ve been doing it for centuries. That’s how these women identify themselves – by their attire, jewelry, and this eye-catching physiological peculiarity. The outsiders have different attitudes to this unusual tradition, but one thing truly is a fact – Kayan women’s necks attract attention and are unique on this planet.
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- Category: Myanmar
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The national costumes of Nepal are deeply connected to the local religious beliefs. Even the number of fastenings or color of the piece can be explained from the point of view of the symbolism. Let’s take a closer look at the main Nepalese male and female garments – daura-suruwal, gunyou cholo, and Dhaka topi. These are not the only traditional pieces worn in Nepal, far from it, but they are among the most popular and often serve as the ceremonial garments.
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Nepal is a multicultural and multiethnic country because it was formed in the 18th century from several small kingdoms: Mustang, Madhesh, Videha (Mithila), and Limbuwan. Each of the ethnic groups – and there are more than a 100 of them in Nepal – has its own clothing traditions, folk costume and accessories, traditional jewelry pieces, and etc. The more interesting it is to learn about the traditional clothing of Nepal. Though, in this article, we’ll only tell you about the main garments included to the national costume of Nepal.
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The tradition of block printing on fabric exists in Pakistan for 5,000 years. Such traditional garments as an ajrak shawl decorated with unimaginably beautiful patterns are one of the symbols of Pakistani clothing culture. Of course, modern Pakistanis prefer to wear contemporary clothes in daily life, cheap and easily industrially made. Although, there are still manufacturers in this country who produce handmade ajrak shawls and other garments embellished with block-printed traditional designs. How do they do it? Let’s find out.
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- Category: Pakistan
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In Pakistan, a lot of men use traditional topi skull-caps in daily life and for religious ceremonies. This ornate prayer cap looks charming and graceful. But at the same time, it’s not just a meaningless accessory worn for style – by his topi, you can usually tell the religion of a man, his origin, and possibly some other features. Anyway, it’s a really nice headdress. And a Sindhi topi might impress you with its beauty – such a sparkly and eye-catching piece!
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- Category: Pakistan
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In Pakistan, there are two main types of traditional shoes worn by men and women. They are Peshawari chappal and khussa. Both are rather unusually shaped and can be extremely decorative. And what’s interesting about such footwear is that these folk shoes appeared centuries ago but are still used in modern Pakistan. Today, Peshawari chappal and khussa are as widely popular among the Pakistani people as they were in the past. We can say this about not so many traditional shoes. But also, Peshawari chappal and khussa are still often handmade using the same techniques as centuries ago, and they are so ornate and lovely.
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In Pakistan, a lot of people still wear traditional clothes in daily life today. Their folk costumes changed and developed year after year to stay up to fashion. And by far not every country around the planet can say that about its national clothing. Why do people in Pakistan dress in folk attire when there are so many modern high-tech fabrics and pieces of clothes? Many Pakistani folk garments are made from silk or cotton, which are perfect materials for the local hot and humid climate, just as their cut and style are. So, why not use them in modern life?!
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The pakol hat is not a headwear of terrorists, as some people think. It is an ancient piece that was worn by men millenniums ago. This headgear is very curious because of its unusual shape and its convenience. Let’s find out some more about the pakol and traditional ways of manufacturing it by hand. It turns out, the process is not as simple as you would have thought.
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Barong Tagalog is the official national garment in the Philippines. This male shirt (or rather garment for the upper body, as it’s not really a shirt) was originally made from pineapple fabric called “piña” (pineapple fibers are woven into cloth). This menswear has a centuries-old history and originates from the local aboriginal attire. Unlike many folk garments around the world, Barong Tagalog is still worn by the Filipino men in the 21st century. And the outlanders still fall in love with it because it’s not only pretty but also very comfy in the tropical climate.
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The culture of the Philippines is rich and diverse. Today, we’ll talk about the traditional clothing of the Philippines and, in particular, about each garment separately. Let’s find out what did the Filipinos wear in the past and which folk garments they prefer today. Also, we’ll touch upon such topics as the traditional attire of Filipino Muslims, local tribal outfits, and other interesting folk clothes.
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The Tboli people who live in the Philippines have their own very curious and even a little bit odd for an outlander, traditions. For instance, they create their traditional embroidery and weaving patterns not in their mind, as everybody else does, but in their dreams. The Tboli people believe that the design must come to the craftswoman in her dream. And then, she wakes up and draws or keeps in mind the pattern, which she will embody in her work afterward. No other ethnic group in the world has similar traditions.
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- Category: Philippines
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In the Philippines, there is a curious ethnic group – the Tboli people. They have beautiful traditional costumes, decorated with embroidery, beading, woven patterns, and extraordinary jewelry pieces. Let’s have a look at their folk outfits and also find out how some items of their clothes are made. Another interesting part of this article is an interview with Tboli craftswomen who will talk about their cultural peculiarities, the tnalak fabric – historically made on the island, and the craft of weaving in the Philippines.
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Folk dance clothing tells a lot about the culture and traditions of a country. In the Philippines, there is a dance called “singkil” that shows us the traditional costumes of the Maranao people and their local folklore. It is a tiny part of the Filipino clothing culture but nevertheless, a very significant, colorful, and bright part. The dance itself is beautiful and the dancers’ outfits make it exceptional.
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Filipino national costume is rather colorful, ornate and beautiful. Filipino people lived under the occupation of other countries for centuries. That's why their national attire was formed under the influence of different cultures and got some of their features. The US, Spain, and Japan had the biggest impact on the traditional clothing of the Philippines. But nevertheless, Filipino folk dress is very unique, authentic and even tribal, if we can say so.
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Sri Lanka is one of the rare countries where the groom’s attire is often more eye-catching and ornate than the bride’s wedding dress. For example, Sri Lankan grooms wear exclusive velvet sets consisting of a short jacket and a 4-corner hat of unusual design, both richly adorned with gold embroidery. The symbols depicted on these garments are traditional and have a deep meaning. Sri Lankan brides are very feminine and beautiful in their sarees, but as for me, the grooms outshine them seriously, and then some.
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- Category: Sri Lanka
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We’ve been asked about Sri Lankan traditional pieces of clothing, other than the world-famous sarong and sari. Of course, there are a few other folk garments. And this article is dedicated to them. If you can add more, feel free to do it in the comment section. These unique authentic pieces are worth talking about and they represent the rich traditional culture of Sri Lanka. Lama sariya, dhoti, pancha, redda and hatte, kabakuruttu, and other local folk garments.
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- Category: Sri Lanka
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How much do you know about Sri Lankan traditional attire? The majority of people hardly know that sari and sarong are the most widespread folk garments in Sri Lanka. But not much more. We’ve prepared a few interesting facts about this country’s folk costume. The locals are lucky to have such comfy and good-looking folk clothing, suitable for the climate of Sri Lanka and pretty modest at the same time.
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- Category: Sri Lanka
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There is no official national costume in Sri Lanka. But the most popular items are sari for women and sarong for men. The traditions in men's clothing are simpler and clearer – men of any age wear sarongs or trousers. It is a little bit more complicated with women. Their national costumes depend on the age, marital status and the event. Mostly women use sari or half sari. But there are different regional peculiarities.
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- Category: Sri Lanka
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Taiwan is a country that’s considered to be the place of origin for Austronesian people. 14 different tribes live in Taiwan, each preserving its ancient traditions, including the clothing traditions. Some of their folk costumes differ dramatically from others, but all of them are colorful, rich in adornments, and unique. We’d like to convince you in this by showing you the traditional outfits of several Taiwanese tribes.
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Central Asian countries take pride in their traditional footwear, and rightfully so because these shoes are so ornate, decorative, and comfy. Most people around the world know little to nothing about the folk costume of Tajikistan, including Tajik traditional shoes. It’s time to fix this, as Tajik folk footwear looks really unusual and curious. Here are the 3 most popular and offbeat Tajik folk shoes for any occasion.
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- Category: Tajikistan
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Tajikistan is one of the Central Asian countries with a rich culture and centuries-old traditions, including the clothing traditions and folk crafts. The outfits worn by local men and women in the past were flamboyant, multilayered, and beautifully adorned. It’s a pity, these costumes are so rarely used in daily life now – only such simpler pieces like a skull-cap or kerchief are still worn by a lot of Tajiks. Also, the local women sometimes wear modified folk dresses – they are made from the same fabric with the same patterns on it, though the design may be pretty contemporary. But let’s learn more about the authentic Tajik clothing.
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Embroidering is one of the favorite and most popular folk crafts in Tajikistan. Locals embellish their national clothing, traditional textile, and decorative carpets found in almost any house with embroidery. For instance, Tajik embroidered wall carpets called “suzane” is an ancient-old tradition in this country. The craftswomen use silk and cotton threads, gold and silver threads, gems, etc. Similar patterns and techniques are also used to decorate folk clothes and accessories. So, here you are some photos of Tajik traditional embroidery designs.
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The kalfak headdress used by Tatar women is one of the most popular women’s accessories in Tatarstan. This cap remained in use even when most ladies switched their folk outfits with modern “city clothing” in the early-mid 20th century. Traditional kalfaks became smaller but just as ornate and cute, although the shape of this hat might seem a bit unusual to strangers. And despite the Russian gradual depersonalization of invaded nations (Tatarstan was invaded by Russia in the mid-16th century), some elements of Tatar national dress, such as a kalfak cap, are still alive, barely.
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- Category: Tatarstan
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The folk dress of Tatarstan is outstanding – ornate, multilayered, and richly adorned with jewelry, embroidery, and other decorations. But unfortunately, the traditional Tatar clothing is long since out of fashion. In the mid-19th century, Tatars mostly wore folk garments for any occasion (everyday attire, festive clothes, indoor and outdoor garments, winter wear, etc.), but today, you can see these costumes only during some folk festivals, historical reenactments, in museums, and worn by very few people in real life. Though, Tatar national costumes deserve to be well-known and preserved.
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- Category: Tatarstan
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