Culture, the arts and other manifestations of human intellectual achievement regarded collectively, as defined by the English Oxford Dictionary, is a huge aspect of life. The term “culture” is often misunderstood due to conflict between a variety of nationalities, and ethnic or religious groups. The various aspects of culture include beliefs, language, attitudes, customs, food, art/drama/music, food, faith/religion, behavior, rituals, clothing, et cetera. To resemble various cultures, our project will depict the miscellaneous and unique traditional clothing made and worn by the people of different customs. We chose to research and learn more about the interesting and diverse traditional clothing because we found this aspect to be very meaningful and significant in representing a culture. Clothing that we wear on our bodies is a principal indicator of not only who we are as an individual, but also who we are as a whole society.
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Vietnamese Áo Dài
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The Áo Dài is a long gown, proudly worn by all people of Vietnam. Its symbolism is the beauty, spirit, and pride within the Vietnamese culture. The Áo Dài is special for its silky, tight-fitting material, with long sleeves and usually worn over long, white, and silky pants, that reach to the floor. Men and women wear Áo Dài to resemble their youthfulness, purity, and mortality. It is often worn to weddings, Tết, and other special occasions. In addition to wearing Áo Dài, Vietnamese people also love to wear a conical hat, called Nón Lá, made of palm leaf. Its style is a symbol for the country of Vietnam, national spirit, as well as the rice irrigation system. Men also wear Áo Dài in Vietnam; they usually wear either blue, brown, or gold. They wear it on special occasions, usually weddings, after they change out of their wedding gowns.
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Mexican Guayabera and Fiesta Dress
Men tend to wear fancy guayabera also known as Camisa de Yucatan (Yucatan shirt) which closely resembles a collared shirt with two distinct vertical rows on the left and right side of the shirt. The outfit is typically made from linen, silk, or cotton, and appropriate for hot, humid, and tropical locations/ weather. Men usually go for a classy elegant, as women choose from varieties of flower headdresses. Furthermore, women often wear a Michoacan fiesta dress. The dress consists of a large skirt called a “sabalina,” which has large embroidered flowers as well as stripes. The blouse is white and has colorful flowers, which are embroidered on the sleeves of the chest. Skulls, skeletons, and flowers are incorporated into dresses, makeup, costumes, and other traditional clothing. These beautiful and distinct practices are celebrated honor the dead and welcome them to their afterlife.
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Indian Sari and Dhoti
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When girls turn 16 years of age, they are given a “Sari.”Sarees are a traditional dress that includes many types, such as wedding sarees, funeral sarees, or Sunday sarees. The sari is the most common outfit worn by women in India. There are countless ways to wrap a sari around the body, and each is unique. Each region has a different strategy and style of draping the sarees; therefore, one can tell which state of India a person is from, based on their draping styles. The sari is made 6 yards in length, with vivid colors to represent their culture, religion, and beliefs. Sarees are made of a valuable material, such as georgette, crepe, net, chiffon, silk, cotton, etc. In traditional occasions, men often wear outfits called “dhoti.” The dhoti is a large piece of garment, made of cotton, and wrapped around the waist and covers the legs, similar to that of a woman’s skirt. Although it is commonly worn to informal occasions, men love to wear dhotis to traditional family celebrations.
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Japanese Yukata & Haori
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The traditional clothing for women of Japan is the Yukata. The Yukata is a garment, or a summer kimono, made of cotton or synthetic fabric, and unlined. In addition, women love to wear this outfit as fancy bathrobes in the Hot Springs or to traditional events, such as birthdays, weddings, temples, etc. When it is worn, the right side goes under the left side and the belt. The Obi is wrapped around the waist twice and tied in front of the body. In Japan, the males' traditional clothing is the Haori. The Haori is a traditional Japanese hip kimono-style jacket, that is worn over a Kosode. In comparison to the women's yukata, the Haori is worn open and sometimes closed by a string that connects the lapels. The Haori dates back to ages ago when they were worn over warriors' armor, similar to that of the tabard from Europe.
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Mongolian Traditional Deel
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In Mongolia, the traditional unisex outfit is called the ‘Deel.’ The Deel is a piece of clothing, often made out of cotton, silk, wool, or brocade. Moreover, the Deel is worn along with a large belt, which helps create small pockets, where people can use to store small items, such as knives, firestones, cups, and other gear. There are many uses for the Deel, for example, it can be used to serve as a blanket, or tent, in rural areas. In more urban areas, the Deel is frequently worn by elderly people, usually on festive occasions.
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Chinese Hanfu and Pao
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The traditional clothing in China is usually in the colors red, bright yellow, and purple because they are exclusive to the emperor and the imperial family. During mass, red is often worn and during funerals, white is worn. Women’s clothing tends to have more ornaments and variations to the outfit than men. Clothing is made up of linen, silk, and cotton. The Hanfu is the oldest Chinese clothing (4,000 years ago) and is typically made of cotton. Hanfu typically consists of many garments Yi is an open cross collar (worn by both genders). Pao is any closed full-body garment only worn by men; Ru is an open shirt with cross-collar; Shan – open cross-collar shirt or jacket which is worn over the Yi. Qun or Chang is a type of skirt worn by both women and men and Ku – a type of trouser. Tassels and jade pendants or various ornaments are hung from the belt of the sash are known as Pei.
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Thailand Jong Kraben and Chut Thai
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In Thailand, the traditional outfit is called the “Jong Kraben” or “Sampot Chang Kraben.” This outfit is very stylish and women enjoying wearing it. The unique outfit is a low-body, wrap-around cloth. Usually, the upper and middle class women wear this outfit. The Jong Kraben is a popular style that many people love to wear. The outfit is worn by wrapping it around the waist, stretching it away from the body, and twisting the ends together then pulling the twisted fabric between the legs and tucking it in the back of the waist. Many women wear this to celebrations, traditions, and other wear it on a daily basis. The Jong Kraben outfits dates back to a long time ago when the Khmer people worn the Sampot Chang Kraben, inspired by the Indian tradition. In Thailand, men wear an outfit called “Chut Thai.” In contrast to women’s Chut Thai, men wore their Chut Thai short to about the middle of their thighs. They wore a white button-up long sleeve shirt with the puffed silky pants and long shoes.
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Scottish Kilt (Unisex)
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Scottish Kilts are known as the “The National Dress of Scotland.” Kilts are a sacred symbol of patriotism and honor for a true Scotsman. “Kilt” is a derivation of the ancient Norse word, kjilt, which means pleated, and refers to clothing that is tucked up and around the body. Early Scottish Kilts were made using self-colored garment (white, dull brown, green, and black)
Kilts usually have plaid or tartan designs. Dyeing and weaving techniques create these distinct and beautiful tartan patterns. Through the years, tartan cloth became native. By the 19th century, kilts are worn for ceremonial purposes, special occasions, formal events such as weddings and sporting events.
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Russian Sarafan & Kosovorotka
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For cultural traditions, dance performances, or theaters, women wear a beautiful outfit called the “Sarafan.” The Sarafan is a long, trapezoidal traditional Russian jumper dress, worn by all women as well as girls. This traditional outfit was worn by peasant girls and women in the central and northern part of Russia until the 20th century when it is worn in traditional occasions. The Sarafan is a loosely fitting long jumper dress worn over a long linen shirt and belted (the belt is worn under the Sarafan.) Men’s traditional outfit is the “Kosovorotka,” which is a traditional Russian shirt, long-sleeved and reaching down to the mid-thigh. Even though the shirt is not buttoned all the way down to the hem, it has buttons at the collar when the garment is pulled over the head. Although this traditional clothing was worn by peasants of townsmen during the early 20th century, after the Bolshevik Revolution, the garment became more efficient and worn occasionally.
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German Dirndl and Lederhosen
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The traditional outfit for women in Germany is the "Dirndl." The Dirndl is a light and circular dress that is gathered at the waist and reaches to the knee. Although the outfit is very simple, it is very expensive, depending on the material it is made of and if it is hand-printed or hand-made. The expensive Dirndl dresses are usually made of thick cotton, linen, velvet, wool, or silk. The winter Dirndl dresses colors are usually dark and rich, whereas the summer Dirndl colors are vibrant and revealing. The traditional outfit for men in Germany is the "Lederhosen." The Lederhosen is a leather trouser that has adjustable suspenders. This distinct outfit dates back all the way to the 6th century and is associated with the mountainous regions of Germany. The Lederhosen traditional outfit was created to accommodate the needs of the poor and was not worn on specific occasions, but rather everyday use. Over the years when there were advances in clothing and fashion, people wore this outfit during special occasions, instead of a daily basis.
Conclusion
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All in all, we are all different, yet similar. Our cultures and personal beliefs may be different from our each other. Our practices are different, depending on which culture or religion we practice. However, even though we have different practices, beliefs, religions, and cultures, we are all the same. We are all part of the same race – the human race. Although there are so many diverse cultures to learn about, we must be aware of and respect the diversity of all existing cultures. For example, the diversity within clothing of different cultures may differ in style but may have strong similarities in representing a culture. Each clothing from each culture/country serves its own purpose in traditions and culture. For example, the Kilts of Scotland is worn in sporting events, special occasions, formal events, etc., while the Áo Dài of Vietnam is worn during special occasions, Tết, weddings, etc. Although each individual country possesses its own style of fashion, it serves a strong purpose to represent.