Folk costume


Folk costume


A folk costume (also regional costume, national costume, traditional clothing, traditional garment or traditional regalia) expresses a national identity through clothing or costume, which is usually associated with a specific region or period of time in history. It can also indicate social, marital, or religious status. If the costume is used to represent the culture or identity of a specific ethnic group, it is usually known as ethnic costume (also ethnic dress, ethnic wear, ethnic clothing, traditional ethnic wear or traditional ethnic garment). Such costumes often come in two forms: one for everyday occasions, the other for traditional festivals and formal wear. The word "costume" in this context is sometimes considered pejorative due to the multiple senses of the word, and in such cases "clothing", "garments" or "regalia" can be substituted without offense.

Following the rise of romantic nationalism in parts of Europe, pre-industrial peasantry came to serve as models for all that appeared genuine and desirable. These garments may be made from traditional pre-industrial textiles, in regional styles.

In areas where Western dress codes have become typical, traditional garments are often worn during special events or celebrations, particularly those connected to cultural tradition, heritage, or pride. International events may cater to non-Western attendees with a compound dress code such as "business suit or national dress".

There are also contemporary societies in which traditional garments are required by sumptuary laws. In Bhutan, for example, the driglam namzha mandates what citizens should wear in public spaces. Bhutanese citizens must wear the traditional clothing of the Ngalop people, including a gho and kera for men and a kira and wonju for women, in or near "monastic fortresses (dzong), monasteries (gompa) and temples (lhakhang), and in government buildings, including when on official business, in schools and institutions, and at official occasions and assemblies". Karin Altmann states that the intent behind this law "was to prevent specific features of Bhutanese culture from disappearing," and "to emphasise national identity", but it has contributed to much conflict due to the sheer ethnic and cultural diversity of Bhutan.

Africa

Central Africa

  • Cameroon – pagne, kabba, head tie (female), toghu, boubou, kwa, gandura (male); dress is highly dependent on region and tribe
  • Central African Republic – Pagne, boubou
  • Chad – Boubou, jalabiya, pagne
  • Democratic Republic of the Congo – Pagne, Liputa style of dress, kuba cloth
  • Equatorial Guinea – Pano
  • Gabon – Pagne, boubou, Abacost suit
  • Republic of the Congo – Pagne, boubou
  • São Tomé and Príncipe – Pano, boubou

Eastern Africa

  • Burundi – Imvutano
  • Comoros – Lesso, shiromani, salouva, bwibwi (female), kandu, kofia (male)
  • Djibouti – Macawiis (male), Koofiyad (male), Dirac (female), Garbasaar (female); the Afar people have their style of traditional clothing.
  • Eritrea – Kidan Habesha (male), zuria or Habesha kemis (female)
  • Ethiopia – Ethiopian suit or Kidan Habesha (male), Habesha kemis (female); each ethnic group has a traditional style of dress.
  • Kenya – There is no national costume, per se, but leso (kanga) is worn throughout Kenya; kikoi, similar to kanga fabric, is also widespread. All tribes have their respective traditional garments, though; for example, the Maasai wear their traditional shuka and beadwork
  • Madagascar – Lamba
  • Mauritius and Réunion – Sega dress
  • Rwanda – Mushanana
  • Seychelles – Kanmtole dress
  • Somalia – Kanzu or Khamiis, Macawiis (male), Kitenge, Koofiyad (male), Dirac (female), Guntiino (female), Garbasaar (female)
  • Sudan – Jalabiyyah, Taqiyyah, and Turban (male), Toob, a cotton women's dress (female)
  • Tanzania – kanzu and kofia (male), kanga (female); varies by tribe
  • Uganda – Kanzu and Kofia (male), Gomesi (female), Mushanana (Female - South Western Uganda)

Northern Africa

  • Algeria – Burnous, ghlila, caftan, gandoura, haik, jellaba, m'laya, and sarouel
    • Northern Algeria – Karakou (Algiers); labsa Naïlia (Ouled Naïl); labsa M'zabia (Mozabite people)
      • Northeast – Gandoura Annabiya (Annaba); qashabiya, melhfa chaouïa (Chaoui people); labsa Kbaylia (Kabyle people); binouar Staifi (Sétif)
      • Northwest – Blouza (Oran); chedda of Tlemcen
    • Southern Algeria – Tagelmust, akhebay (Tuareg people)
    • Western Algeria – El-melhfa Sahraoui (Sahrawis)
  • Egypt – Galabeya
  • Libya – Jellabiya, farmla (embroidered vest), fouta
  • Morocco – Djellaba, fez, and balgha (male), takchita (female)
  • Sahrawi Arab Democratic Republic – Darra'a (male), el-melhfa Sahraoui (female)
  • Tunisia – Jebba, chechia, fouta

Southern Africa

  • Angola – Pano
  • Botswana – leteisi and Tshega
  • Lesotho – Shweshwe clothing and blankets, Mokorotlo
  • Malawi – Chitenje
  • Mozambique – Capulana
  • Namibia – Herero traditional clothing, like the ohorokova dress
  • South Africa –
    • Sotho – Shweshwe, basotho blankets, Mokorotlo
    • Xhosa – Umbhaco (men and women); faskoti, inxili (sling bag), ncebetha, iqhiya, ibhayi (women); ingqosha, isidanga, unngqa (men)
    • Zulu – Isicholo, isidwaba, umutsha, ibheshu
    • Afrikaners and Rooineks – slouch hat, safari shirt, veldskoen, knee-high socks, khaki Bermuda shorts or trousers.
  • Zambia – Chitenje
  • Zimbabwe – ibhetshu, isidwaba, isicholo, Chitenje

Western Africa

  • Benin – Dashiki suit and Aso Oke Hat (male), Buba and wrapper set (female)
  • Burkina Faso – Batakari (male), Kaftan (female)
  • Cape Verde – Pano de terra
  • Côte d'Ivoire – Kente cloth (male), Kente kaba and slit set (female)
  • Gambia – Boubou (male), Kaftan (female)
  • Ghana – Kente cloth or Ghanaian smock (called fugu or batakari) and kufi (male), Kente kaba and slit set (female), agbada (male)
  • Guinea – Boubou (male), Kaftan (female)
  • Guinea-Bissau – Ethnic clothes of Guinea-Bissau; for example: Fula: Boubou (male), Kaftan (female)
  • Liberia – Dashiki suit and Kufi (male), Buba and skirt set (female)
  • Mali – Grand boubou and Kufi (male), Kaftan (female), bogolan
  • Mauritania – Darra'a (male), Melhfa (female)
  • Niger – Souban cloth, Melhfa, Babban riga, Tagelmust, Alasho (male), Kaftan (female)
  • Nigeria – Agbada, Dashiki or Isiagu and Aso Oke Hat (male), Buba and wrapper set (female); every ethnic group has their style of traditional dress, worn mostly for special occasions such as weddings and national holidays.
  • Senegal – Senegalese kaftan and Kufi (male), Kaftan (female)
  • Togo – Batakari, Agbada or Ewe kente cloth (male), Pagne or kente kaba (female)

Asia

Central Asia

  • Tajikistan – Chapan, tubeteika, turban, paranja
  • Kazakhstan – Shapan, zhargak, zhegde, kalpak, jargaq shapa (male), saukele, kimeshek, koylek (female), shalbar, kupe (male and female)
  • Kyrgyzstan – Chapan, terishym (salwar), kalpak (male), saukele, beldemchi, koylek, elechek (female), koinok (male and female)
  • Turkmenistan – Chapan
  • Uzbekistan – Khalat, tubeteika, chapan, turban, paranja

East Asia

  • China –
    • Han Chinese – Hanfu (shenyi, ruqun, shanku), also Manchu-inspired clothing (tangzhuang, cheongsam, changshan). Many stereotypes that foreigners have regarding Chinese folk costume (as well as other customs) actually come just from the Han Chinese.
    • Manchus – Qizhuang (magua, tangzhuang), cheongsam, changshan
    • Mongols – Deel
    • Uyghurs, Hui and other Chinese Muslims – Tubeteika, khalat, chapan
    • Tibetan – Chuba
  • Japan – Wafuku: kimono, junihitoe, sokutai
    • Fukuoka Prefecture – Mizu happi and shime-komi
    • Hokkaido – Ainu clothing, such as a tepa, a sacred belt called raun kut or upsoro kut, a konci (hood), hos (leggings), and grass skin jackets like tetarabe and utarbe; ceremonial garments include a sapanpe and a matanpushi
    • Ryukyu – Ryusou
      • Okinawa – Kariyushi shirt
  • Korea – Hanbok (South Korea) or chosŏn-ot (North Korea)
  • Mongolia – Deel
  • Taiwan –
    • Han Taiwanese – Hanfu, cheongsam, changshan
    • Taiwanese indigenous peoples – traditional garments such as the ibibogo (men's daily jacket) and dalabu (women's daily top) (Rukai), the pearl-adorned shirts and skirts of the Tayal, and the hundred-pace viper design of the Bunun.

North Asia

  • Russia (Urals, Siberian Federal District, and Far Eastern Siberia) – Clothing of Siberian nationalities (Buryats, Yakuts, Altaians, amongst others)
    • Buryatia – Deel
    • Tuva – Deel
    • Altai Republic —
      • Southern Altaians – ton (fur coat), sürü bӧrük (cap), kaptal (overcoat), and the chegedek (Altai-Kizhi) or chedek (Telengits), a sleeveless cloak historically the daily and ceremonial wear of married women, now worn only as bridal attire or during festive occasions

South Asia

  • Afghanistan – Pashtun dress: pakul, lungee, chapan (khalat), shalwar kameez (male), and firaq partug, burqa, chador, niqab (female)
  • Bangladesh – Sherwani, kurta (panjabi), lungi, fotua, gamcha (male), and shari, long skirt, mexi, selwar kamiz, orna, kurtee (female)
  • Bhutan – Ngalop people: Gho, kera, toego, kabney (male) and kira, wonju, rachus (female)
  • India – Achkan, sherwani, dhoti, phiran, kurta, turban (male) and shalwar kameez, sari, patiala salwar, lehenga, choli, pathin, mundum neriyatum (Malayali people of Kerala), dupatta (female), churidar (men and women); traditional dress of the Monpa people
  • Maldives – Dhivehi libaas, feyli, buruga (women) and Dhivehi mundu (men)
  • Nepal – Daura-Suruwal and Dhaka topi, (male) and Gunyou Cholo (female); traditional Newar, Sunuwar, Rai, Limbu (bakku, chuwa) clothing
  • Pakistan – Peshawari turban, shalwar kameez, churidar (male), shalwar kameez and dupatta (female), pagri (men and women)
  • Sri Lanka – Lama Sariya, Kandyan saree (Sinhalese), Nivi draped saree (female) and jathika anduma, mul anduma, kavaniya (male)

Southeast Asia

  • Brunei – Baju Melayu, Songkok (male), Baju Kurung, Tudung (female)
  • Cambodia – Sampot, Apsara, Sabai, Krama, Chang kben
  • East Timor – Tais mane, tais feto
  • Indonesia – There are numerous national and regional clothing in Indonesia due to the diversity of cultures that make up the island nation; they include:
    • Batak tribe – Ulos (tenun fabric)
    • Javanese people – Beskap, Batik shirt, Blangkon, Songkok, Sarong (male), Kebaya, Tudung, Sarong (female).
    • Malay people – Baju Melayu, Baju Kurung, Songket
    • Papua – Koteka
  • Laos – xout lao, suea pat, pha hang, pha biang, sinh
  • Malaysia – Baju Melayu and Songkok (male), Baju Kurung, Baju Kebarung (Kebaya/Kurung hybrid), Tudung (female); every state has its style of baju including a special baju for the Federal Territories.
  • Myanmar – Longyi, gaung baung, taipon (male), thummy, eingyi (female)
  • Philippines – Barong (male) and Baro't saya; Maria Clara gown, Terno (female), Malong, Patadyong, Tapis, Salakot
  • Singapore –
    • Chinese Singaporeans – Hanfu, Cheongsam (female), Tangzhuang (male)，Changpao (male)
    • Indian Singaporeans – Sari (Female), Dhoti (Male), Kurta
    • Malay Singaporeans – Baju Melayu (Male), Baju Kurung (female), Sarong
    • Peranakans – Kebaya (female), Baju Lokchuan (male)
  • Thailand – Chut thai: Thai female: Thai Chakkri, Thai male: Suea Phraratchathan, Both genders: Chong kraben and Sabai
  • Vietnam – Việt phục: Áo giao lĩnh, Áo trực lĩnh, Áo viên lĩnh, Áo đối khâm, Áo tứ thân, Áo ngũ thân, Áo yếm, Áo nhật bình, Áo gấm, Áo tấc, Áo dài, Áo bà ba, Cổn miện

West Asia

  • Armenia – Armenian dress (taraz) includes the arkhalig (long jacket), arakhchin, burka, chokha, kalpak, papakha, shalvar
  • Azerbaijan – Azerbaijani traditional clothing include the arkhalig, chokha, kelaghayi, kalpak
  • Cyprus – Zimbouni (waistcoat), vraka (men's breeches), and saiya (women's formal festival dress)
    • Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus – Cepken (yelek) vest, salta, yazma, potur, boynuz kemer
  • Israel – A national symbol of Israel is the tembel hat; the sudra, gargush, the Hasidic rekel, the Sephardi kavese (hat); biblical sandals, see also Jewish religious clothing
  • Iran – Chador, turban, thawb (dishdasha/kameez), zardozi, battoulah; Kurdish clothing, including Sanjabi selte (jacket), chokho-raanak (trousers)
  • Iraq – Assyrian clothing, keffiyeh, Hashimi Dress, bisht, dishdasha, Kurdish clothing, agal
  • Jordan – Keffiyeh, bisht, thawb, Bedouin clothing
  • Lebanon – Tantour, labbade, sherwal, keffiyeh, taqiyah
  • Kuwait – Dishdasha, keffiyeh
  • Oman – Dishdasha, khanjar, keffiyeh
  • Palestine – The keffiyeh, a symbol of Palestinian identity. The thawb, its most popular styles being from Bethlehem and Ramallah decorated with traditional Palestinian embroidery.
  • Qatar – Thawb, keffiyeh
  • Saudi Arabia – Thawb, ghutrah, agal, bisht, abaya, jilbab, niqab, Hejazi turban
  • Syria – Dishdasha, sirwal, taqiyah, keffiyeh
  • Turkey – Kalpak, yazma, kaftan, turban, salvar, Çarık,Cepken-Yelek, Boynuz Kemer – Horn belt
  • United Arab Emirates – Kandura, thawb, abaya; older women would still wear the battoulah visor
  • Yemen – Thawb, izaar, turban, jambiya, niqab

Europe

Eastern Europe

  • Belarus – slutsk stash, the national type of wimple (namitka)
  • Georgia – chokha (every region has its own specific design of Chokha), Papakha
  • Ossetia – Chokha
  • Russia – many types, including bast shoes, Boyar hat, Ryasna, Sarafan, Kaftan, Kokoshnik, Kosovorotka, Ushanka, Valenki; (Sami) Gákti, Luhkka for colder weather
    • Caucasus republics (for example, Chechnya, North Ossetia-Alania and Adygea) – Chokha, Papakha, Ushanka in cold weather
    • Mordovia – Mordovian national costumes
  • Ukraine – national costumes of Ukraine include the Vyshyvanka, Sharovary, Żupan, and Ukrainian wreath

Central Europe

  • Austria – Each state has a specific design on national costume; the most famous is that of Tyrol, consisting of the characteristic Tyrolean tracht and dirndls.
  • Czech Republic – kroje
  • Germany – Every state has its own specific design of a regional costume (Tracht). For example, Bavaria's well-known tracht: Lederhosen and Dirndl. Many stereotypes that foreigners have regarding German folk costumes (as well as other customs) actually come from the state of Bavaria.
  • Hungary – elements of Hungarian folk costumes include pendely (linen underskirt), gatya (pleated skirt-like pants), elejbőr (sheepskin vest-like item), kacagány (fur pelt), and ködmön (sheepskin coat)
  • Liechtenstein – Tracht, Dirndl
  • Poland – czamara, żupan, kontusz, rogatywka; there are many regional styles, including those of Łowicz, Kurpie Zielone, Biłgoraj, Lachy Sądeckie, Kraków, Podhale, Szamotuły, and Kaszuby
  • Slovakia – kroje
  • Switzerland – Every canton has a specific design of national dress. The most famous Swiss costumes come mainly from the German-speaking cantons of Appenzell, Bern and Zug.

Northern Europe

  • Denmark – Folkedragt
    • Faroe Islands – Føroysk klæði
    • Greenland – Anorak
  • Estonia – Rahvarõivad, also known as rahvariided
  • Finland – Every region has its own specific design of national costume (kansallispuku, nationaldräkt). These vary widely. Many of them resemble Swedish costumes, but some take influences from Russian costumes as well. For the Sami in Finland, each place has its own Gákti or Luhkka for colder weather
  • Iceland – Þjóðbúningurinn
  • Ireland – Aran sweater, Irish walking hat, flat cap, Grandfather shirt, Galway shawl, brogue, Irish stepdance costume
  • Latvia – Latvian national costumes (tautastērpi) vary by region
  • Lithuania – Aukštaitija, Žemaitija, Dzūkija, Suvalkija, and Klaipėdos (Mažoji Lietuva) have related but distinguishable folk dress
  • Norway – Every county (including Svalbard, which isn't a county) has a designated style of folk costume, or Bunad; the most famous bunader come from Hardanger and Setesdal; Sami: Gákti, and for colder weather, Luhkka
  • Sweden – the traditional folkdräkt has been specific to the local region and varied from province to province but has since 1983 been supplemented by an official National Costume, Sverigedräkten, common for all; first unisex design in 2022: Bäckadräkten; 18th century: Nationella dräkten; Sami: Gákti, Luhkka for colder weather
  • United Kingdom – Every constituent country has its own national costume.
    • England – English country clothing, Morris dance costumes, English clogs
      • Northern England – Maud, Flat cap
        • Lancashire – Lancashire shawl, clogs
        • Northeast – Rapper dance costumes, Northumberland kilts and tartan
      • Southern England – Smock
        • Cornwall – Sou'wester hat, fisherman's smock, gansey, bal-maiden clothing, Cornish kilts and tartans
        • London – Pearly kings and queens
    • Northern Ireland – Similar to the rest of Ireland
    • Scotland – Highland dress: Kilt or trews, tam o'shanter or Balmoral bonnet, doublet, Aboyne dress, and brogues or ghillies.
      • Scottish Lowlands – Maud, blue bonnet
    • Wales – Traditional Welsh costume

Southern Europe

  • Albania – Albanian Traditional Clothing, Fustanella, Tirq, Xhamadan, Opinga
  • Andorra – Barretina, espadrilles
  • Bulgaria – Every town has its own design of a national costume (nosia), with different types of clothing items traditional for each of the ethnographic regions of the country.
  • Croatia – Croatian national costume, Lika cap, Šibenik cap
  • Greece – Fustanella, Breeches (Vraka), Amalia costume.
    • Greek fisherman's caps in many coastal villages by the Aegean Sea.
  • Italy – Italian folk dance costumes;
    • South Tyrol – Tracht and Dirndl
    • Sardinia – Every town has its design of the traditional folk costume (see also Sardinian people for more information).
    • Sicily – Coppola, Arbereshe costumes
  • Kosovo – Traditional clothing of Kosovo, Qeleshe, Tirq, Xhubleta, Xhamadan, Opinga
  • Malta – Għonnella
  • Montenegro – Montenegrin cap
  • North Macedonia – Macedonian national costume
  • Portugal – Every region has its own specific design of a national costume. The most famous costumes come from Viana do Castelo and Nazaré.
  • Romania – Romanian dress
  • Serbia – Every region has different design of a national costume. Serbian traditional clothing, Lika cap, Montenegrin cap, Opanci, Šajkača, Šubara
  • Slovenia – Gorenjska narodna noša
  • Spain – Every autonomous region has its own national costume.
    • Andalusia – Sombrero cordobes, traje de flamenca, traje de luces, montera
    • Basque Country – Beret, espadrilles
    • Canary Islands – Every island has its specific style of traditional dress. Néstor Martín-Fernández de la Torre designed a costume in Gran Canaria in 1934 to serve as pan-islander costume for all islands, but only caught on in Gran Canaria, being specific to its capital city Las Palmas.
    • Catalonia – Barretina, Faixa
    • Galicia – Each province has its regional costume.

Western Europe

  • Belgium – Bleu sårot (Wallonia)
  • France – Every administrative region has a style of folk costume, varying by department. For example, Brittany, with Breton costume varying by department and predominantly used in Cercles celtiques, pardons and festivals.
    • Basque Country – Beret, espadrille
  • Netherlands – Many areas, villages, and towns used to have their own traditional style of clothing. In the 21st century, only a few hundred people still wear traditional dresses and suits on a daily basis. They can be found mainly in Staphorst (about 700 women), Volendam (about 50 men) and Marken (about 40 women). Most well-known parts of Dutch folk costumes outside the Netherlands are probably the Dutch woman's bonnet and klompen.
    • North Brabant – poffer

North America

Caribbean

  • Antigua and Barbuda – plaid dress, with white pinafore for women, designed by Heather Doram
  • Bahamas – None, unofficially Androsia-cloth clothing. Junkanoo costumes can be considered folk costume but fall more into the sector of carnival dress than traditional garment.
  • Cuba – Guayabera, panama hat (male), guarachera (female)
  • Dominican Republic – Chacabana, panama hat
  • Dominica – Madras
  • Haiti – Karabela dress (female), Shirt jacket (male)
  • Jamaica – Bandanna cloth Quadrille dress (female), Bandanna cloth shirt and white trousers (male), Jamaican Tam
  • Puerto Rico – Guayabera, panama hat (male), enaguas (female)
  • St. Lucia – Madras
  • Trinidad and Tobago – Tobago has an Afro-Tobagonian Creole culture with the Bélé costumes as their typical garment, commonly made of madras. Trinidad, however, has no defined national garment; the two major ethnic groups in the island wear the following during cultural occasions:
    • Afro-Trinidadians – Shirt jacket or Dashiki (male), Booboo (female)
    • Indo-Trinidadian – Kurta, Dhoti, Sherwani (male), Sari, Choli, Lehenga (female)

Central America

  • Belize – Mestizos – Huipil (female), Guayabera (male); Mayas – All tribes wear distinct kinds of Mayan dress.
  • Guatemala – Huipil, Corte skirt, Tocado (female), Todosantero suit (male)
  • Nicaragua – Huipil, Rebozo (female), Cotona (male)
  • Panama – Pollera (female), Montuno (male)

Northern America

  • Bermuda – Bermuda shorts
  • Canada – Each region has its own traditional costume:
    • Lumberjacks of Quebec and Ontario – Traditional logging wear includes mackinaw jackets or flannel shirts, with headgear being a tuque or trapper hat; a good example is seen with folk characters like Big Joe Mufferaw. Many stereotypes that foreigners (non-Canadians) have regarding Canadian folk costume (as well as other customs) actually come from Quebec and Ontario.
    • Maritimes – Acadians wear their traditional heritage clothing on special occasions like the Tintamarre. The Scottish background in Nova Scotia has brought the Nova Scotia tartan as folk wear in the form of kilts, aboyne dresses and trews for Scottish highland dance competitions.
    • Newfoundland – Traditional mummers dress in masks and baggy clothes in Christmas season celebrations; the Cornish influence has also brought yellow oilskins and sou'westers as typical wear in coastal areas.
    • Nunavut and other Inuit communities – Parka, mukluks, amauti
    • Prairies – Cowboy costume is common on events such as the Calgary Stampede; often worn with Calgary White Hats.
    • Quebec and French Canadians – Ceinture fléchée, Capote, tuque
    • Métis – Ceinture fléchée, Capote, Moccasins
    • First Nations – button blanket, buckskins, moccasins, Chilkat blanket, Cowichan sweater, war bonnet. Many communities prefer the word "Regalia" to denote their folk dress.
  • Mexico – Charro outfit, Guayabera, Sarape, Sombrero (male), Rebozo, China Poblana dress (female); every state has a typical folk dress, for example:
    • Chiapas – Chiapaneca
    • El Norte – cowboy hats, cowboy boots, bandanna; indigenous communities, like the Yaqui, Seri and Rarámuri, conserve traditional apparel.
    • Oaxaca – Tehuana
    • Querétaro, Hidalgo and San Luis Potosí – Quechquemitl
    • Tamaulipas – Cuera tamaulipeca
    • Veracruz – Guayabera
    • Yucatán – Guayabera (male), Huipil (female)
  • United States – Each region has its own traditional costume.
    • Alaska – Kuspuks, worn with dark pants and mukluks, as well as parkas are traditional native wear.
    • Hawaii – See the Oceania section, below
    • American Southwest, Texas and rural areas in the Midwestern and Western US – Cowboy costume, derived from original Mexican vaquero and American pioneer garb is traditional dress in Texas, the Southwestern US, and many rural communities, including cowboy hats, Western shirts, cowboy boots, jeans, chaps, prairie skirts, and bolo ties. Many stereotypes that foreigners (non-Americans) have regarding American folk costume actually come from this region.
      • Utah – Mormons may dress in 19th-century pioneer clothing for Mormon trek-related activities and events.
    • American Upper Midwest, Pacific Northwest, the northern portions of the Great Lakes Basin and northern New England (especially Maine) – Due to the cold weather, the garb in rural areas tends to more closely adhere to heavier materials, such as flannel shirts or Buffalo plaid mackinaw jackets, and a knit cap or, in the case of the Upper Peninsula, a Stormy Kromer cap. A good example is seen in the typical attire of Paul Bunyan, a folk hero popular in areas where logging was a common occupation, as well as lumberjacks working in the area. Due to the cold climate very similar to that of neighboring Canada, the style of clothing worn in the region is generally associated more with Canada than with the United States by foreigners (non-Americans).
    • The Amish (mostly found in Pennsylvania, Ohio and Indiana) follow a style of plain dress.
    • Deep South – Traditional Southern US wear includes white seersucker suits and string ties for men, and sun hats and large Southern belle-style dresses for women.
      • Louisiana – The Cajun people of Louisiana traditionally wear the colorful capuchon for Mardi Gras celebrations. Creole women used to historically wear the tignon, mostly in plain or madras fabrics, but it is now sometimes worn for heritage events or cultural reasons.
      • South Carolina and Georgia – Gullah communities in the South Carolina Lowcountry and Sea Islands preserve the traditional African-style clothing and culture.
    • Nantucket – Summer residents of Nantucket will often wear Nantucket Reds.
    • Various styles of Native American clothing; for example, traditional pow-wow regalia for Plains Indians: Moccasins, buckskins, glass beads, breech clouts, and war bonnets or roaches.

Oceania

Australia and New Zealand

  • Australia
    • Aboriginal Australians – fibercraft-made clothing, possum cloak
    • European Australians – cork hat, bushwear: Moleskin trousers, bush shirt, Akubra slouch hat, Driza-Bone coat, Australian work boots
    • Torres Strait Islands – Augemwalli
  • New Zealand
    • Māori – Piupiu, korowai or kakahu huruhuru.
    • New Zealand Europeans – Swanndri bush jacket, slouch hat, walk shorts, and knee-high socks; or a black singlet and rugby shorts.

Melanesia

  • Fiji – Sulu, chamba (sulu i ra), tapa cloth (called masi), i-sala, kuta (specifically in the village of Dama, Bua Province), bula; saree, shalwar kameez, and other Indo-Fijian traditional and religious clothing originating in South Asia
  • New Caledonia – Manou, robes mission
  • Papua New Guinea – Meri blaus, lap-lap, koteka, bilum (traditional string bags), grass covers
  • Solomon Islands – Tapa cloth, grass skirts, kap-kap, breastplates (called tema, tambe, or tepatu), kabilato, aba obi (women), fo’osae (men)
  • Vanuatu – Aelan dress, lap-lap

Micronesia

  • Federated States of Micronesia – Lap-lap (male), Grass skirt (female)
  • Palau – Lap-lap (male), Grass skirt (female)

Polynesia

  • Cook Islands – Pareo
  • French Polynesia – Pareo
  • Hawaii – Aloha shirt, Muumuu, Holokū, Pāʻū (skirt; can be made of kapa cloth or grass; modern variations are textile cloth-based with Hawaiian leaf and flower motifs), Malo (loincloth)
  • Samoa – Lavalava, Puletasi, 'ie toga clothing
  • Tonga – Tupenu, Ta'ovala, Tapa cloth

South America

  • Argentina – Gaucho costume; every province has a specific design of poncho, with the poncho salteño being the most recognized.
  • Bolivia – Poncho, Chullo, Andean pollera
  • Brazil – Each region has its own traditional costume.
    • Bahia – Baiana and Abadá
    • Samba costumes for Rio de Janeiro. Brazilian carnival costumes are used only during the four days of Carnival by Samba schools members. Outside of Carnival, the most traditional men's clothing is that of the malandro carioca (carioca rascal) or sambista, a stereotype of the samba singer, with white pants, a striped shirt, white jacket, and a straw hat. Many stereotypes that foreigners have regarding Brazilian folk costume (as well as other customs) actually come from the state of Rio de Janeiro.
    • Caipiras (Brazilian country folk) in Sao Paulo, Goiás and other nearby states conserve traditional folk styles of clothing, imitated by participants of festa juninas.
    • Gaúcho costumes for Rio Grande Do Sul.
    • Pará – typical clothing of Carimbó, a popular dance from the northern region of Brazil.
    • Indigenous clothes for many states within the Amazônia Legal area. In this region, there is an extensive indigenous community with different ethnicities, and each of them has their own typical clothes.
      • An example (among several) is the kushma used by the Asháninka.
    • Northeastern sertão (desert) – Cangaceiro clothing
  • Chile – Huaso costume: Chamanto, Chupalla, Poncho
  • Colombia – Sombrero Vueltiao, ruana, white shirt, trousers and alpargatas (male), blouse, Cumbia pollera, Sombrero vueltiao and alpargatas (female); every region has a distinct costume.
  • Ecuador – Poncho, Panama hat
  • Guyana – Guyana is unique among South American nations to not have a designated style of national dress. Every ethnic group wears their cultural clothing during important events or occasions:
    • Afro-Guyanese – Dashiki or Shirt jacket (male), Booboo (female)
    • Indo-Guyanese – Kurta, Sherwani, Churidar (male), Sari, Lehenga (female)
    • Every indigenous tribe wears their tribal clothes during culture events or important occasions.
  • Paraguay – Ao po'i
  • Peru – Chullo, Poncho, Andean pollera
  • Suriname – Kotomisse, Pangi cloth
  • Uruguay – Gaucho costume
  • Venezuela – Llanero costume (Liqui liqui and pelo e' guama hat; men), Joropo dress and pelo e' guama hat (women)

Gallery

Africa

Asia

Europe

North America

Oceania

South America

Notes


Text submitted to CC-BY-SA license. Source: Folk costume by Wikipedia (Historical)



 


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