Folk costume

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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.^[1]^[2]^[3]^[4]

From top, left to right: Filipinos (Igorot), Kenyans, Ukrainians and Peruvians dressed in traditional garments

Following the rise of romantic nationalism^[5] 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.^[6] 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,^[7] 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".^[8] Karin Altmann states that the intent behind this law "was to prevent specific features of Bhutanese culture from disappearing," and "to emphasise national identity",^[8] but it has contributed to much conflict due to the sheer ethnic and cultural diversity of Bhutan.^[9]

Africa

Central Africa

Cameroon^[10]^[11] – 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^[12]
Republic of the Congo – Pagne, boubou
São Tomé and Príncipe – Pano, boubou

Eastern Africa

Burundi – Imvutano
Comoros^[13] – 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;^[14] 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^[14]
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);^[14] 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^[15]
Namibia^[15] – Herero traditional clothing, like the ohorokova dress^[16]
South Africa –
- Sotho – Shweshwe, basotho blankets, Mokorotlo
- Xhosa^[15] – Umbhaco (men and women); faskoti, inxili (sling bag), ncebetha, iqhiya, ibhayi (women); ingqosha, isidanga, unngqa (men)
- Zulu^[15] – 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,isicholoChitenje

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)^[17] 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^[17]
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^[18] – Shapan, zhargak, zhegde, kalpak, jargaq shapa (male), saukele, kimeshek, koylek (female), shalbar, kupe (male and female)
Kyrgyzstan^[18] – 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)
- 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),^[19] the pearl-adorned shirts and skirts of the Tayal,^[20] and the hundred-pace viper design of the Bunun.^[21]

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^[22]

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,^[30] 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^[31]

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 national costume (Tracht). For example, Bavaria's well-known tracht: Lederhosen and Dirndl.
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)^[32]
Poland – czamara, żupan, kontusz, rogatywka; there are many regional styles, including those of Łowicz, Kurpie Zielone, Biłgoraj, Lachy Sądeckie, Kraków, Podhale, Szamotuły, and Kaszuby^[33]
Slovakia – kroje

Northern Europe

Denmark – Folkedragt
- Faroe Islands – Føroysk klæði
- Greenland – Anorak
Estonia – Rahvarõivad,^[34] 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^[35]
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^[36]
Lithuania – Aukštaitija, Žemaitija, Dzūkija, Suvalkija, and Klaipėdos (Mažoji Lietuva) have related but distinguishable folk dress^[37]
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^[38]
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 [sv], common for all;^[39] first unisex design in 2022: Bäckadräkten;^[40] 18th century: Nationella dräkten; Sami: Gákti, Luhkka for colder weather^[39]
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.^[41]^[42]
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
Liechtenstein – Tracht, Dirndl
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
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.

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^[43] (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^[43] (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.
- 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.
- Métis – Ceinture fléchée, Capote, Moccasins
- 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
- 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.
  - 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.
- 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.
- New York – According to folklorist Washington Irving, knickerbockers similar to the breeches of the Pilgrims and Founding Fathers were traditionally worn by many wealthy Dutch families in 19th century New York. Historically, these short pants remained commonplace among young urban American boys until the mid 20th century.

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^[44]
New Caledonia – Manou, robes mission^[45]
Papua New Guinea – Meri blaus, lap-lap, koteka, bilum (traditional string bags),^[46]^[47] grass covers^[47]
Solomon Islands – Tapa cloth,^[48]^[49] grass skirts, kap-kap,^[50] breastplates (called tema, tambe, or tepatu),^[51] kabilato, aba obi (women), fo’osae (men)^[52]
Vanuatu^[53] – 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
- Brazilian carnival or Samba costumes for 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
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)

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