TRADITIONAL ATTIRE

In general, people wear clothes that are similar to western styles.  But in many
rural areas and during celebrations, people wear traditional dress.  Here are a few examples
of some traditional garments worn in Indonesia.

 FOR WOMEN
        Batik is the ultimate traditional garment worn by women in Indonesia.  Many women wear it in the style of the kain sarong or tubular cloth to cover their bodies from the waist to the ankles.  Kain panjang is a long cloth that is actually a longer version of the sarong.  It isn't sewn at all, but is simply wrapped around the waist usually with some kind of belt or sash.  The Kemben (breast cloth) is a long and narrow strip of batik cloth that is tightly wound around the chest and leaves the shoulders bare.  The Kemben has largely been replaced by the kebaya, which is a more modest but tight-fitting tailored blouse.  The Selendang (shawl) is similar to the kemben.  They can wear it draped over their shoulders or wrapped around the head in various ways.  It functions as a place for women to carry personal ojects in.
 

                                                                
                           Kebaya                                      Selendang                                    Examples of traditional outfits
 

FOR MEN
        Many men in Indonesia also traditionally wear the kain panjang.  Because the cloth itself doesn't require sewing and only needs to be wrapped around the waist, many men find it convienent to wear in Indonesia.  Many men also choose to wear a sarong which is ideal for the hot weather experienced in Indonesia.  The ikat kepala (called blangkon in Javanese) is a head loth worn by men during celebrations.  The ikat cloth can be tied in various ways to form a turban.  At one time, you could tell the rank of a man in Indonesia by the way he wore his ikat.  And of course, many Indonesian men traditionally wear batik.

                                                    
   Man and woman wearing kain panjang                   Ikat Kepala                            A boy and man wearing traditional Batik

WEDDING
        The clothing worn by men and women are very strictly linked to tradition.

                                                                                            

Traditional wedding garments

CEREMONY
Here are some pictures of people in traditional garments worn specifically for ceremonies and other types of celebrations.

                                                      
                                                                    Traditional ceremony costume fashions.
 
 

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