Clothes make people - all over the world.
Skirts, jeans, t-shirts and sneakers! Walking down the street in New York, London or Berlin; it’s fair to say that the majority of the people you see, will be wearing western-style clothes.
But did you know that if you were born in another country, the inside of your closet may look rather different?
Colorful wear and clothes to reflect modesty…
As a member of the African Maasai tribe, you would wear a red cloth called a shuka and maybe some colourful beaded jewellery you had made yourself! Girls in some parts of India wear colourful dresses called Pattu Langa. Ladies traditionally wear a long dress called a sari which is draped over one shoulder and a short top, whilst men and boys wear a dhoti, a long robe and kurta, a long shirt with side-slits.
If you lived in the small country of Bhutan which sits in the Mountains between India and China, your clothes would be colorful and patterned! Men and boys wear a gho, a knee-length tunic, tied with a belt, kera. The front of the tunic has a pocket, once used to carry small weapons and other useful items but is now likely to keep a mobile phone! Women and girls wear a long dress called a kira, and a special jacket called a tego.
Over to the Middle East! Each country is proud of their national dress which is similar throughout the gulf region but for a few cultural differences. As a boy or man of the United Arab Emirates, you would customarily wear a long white robe called a kandoora, nicknamed a dishdash and a white head covering, gotra which is held in place by a black cord, agel and leather sandals. The color helps protect against the scorching sun and despite being white, dishdashes are always spotless! In keeping with the religion of Islam, if you were an older Emirati girl or lady, you would wear a long black gown called an abaya over your regular clothes with a shailah, head scarf, to cover your hair and neck. Abayas may be decorated with embroidery or even shimmering crystals! Some Middle Eastern ladies also wear a veil in public, to hide their face
Celebrating cultural dress
Japanese kimonos, Scottish kilts and Dutch clogs…around the globe, there are many more traditional items which continue to be worn on either a regular basis or mainly for cultural celebrations, weddings and so on!
What does your family wear? Can you think of any other interesting types of dress?
by Deborah L. Caine
