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Clothing in Myanmar varies depending on the
ethnic An ethnic group or an ethnicity is a grouping of people who identify with each other on the basis of shared attributes that distinguish them from other groups. Those attributes can include common sets of traditions, ancestry, language, history, ...
ity, geography, climate and cultural traditions of the people of each region of
Myanmar Myanmar, ; UK pronunciations: US pronunciations incl. . Note: Wikipedia's IPA conventions require indicating /r/ even in British English although only some British English speakers pronounce r at the end of syllables. As John C. Wells, Joh ...
(Burma). The most widely recognized Burmese
national costume A folk costume (also regional costume, national costume, traditional garment, or traditional regalia) expresses an identity through costume, which is usually associated with a geographic area or a period of time in history. It can also indicat ...
is the ''
longyi A longyi (; ) is a sheet of cloth widely worn in Burma (Myanmar). It is approximately long and wide. The cloth is often sewn into a cylindrical shape. It is worn around the waist, running to the feet, and held in place by folding fabric over wi ...
'', which is worn by both males and females nationwide. Burmese clothing also features great diversity in terms of textiles, weaves, fibers, colours and materials, including
velvet Weave details visible on a purple-colored velvet fabric Velvet is a type of woven tufted fabric in which the cut threads are evenly distributed, with a short pile, giving it a distinctive soft feel. By extension, the word ''velvety'' means ...
,
silk Silk is a natural protein fiber, some forms of which can be woven into textiles. The protein fiber of silk is composed mainly of fibroin and is produced by certain insect larvae to form cocoons. The best-known silk is obtained from the coc ...
,
lace Lace is a delicate fabric made of yarn or thread in an open weblike pattern, made by machine or by hand. Generally, lace is divided into two main categories, needlelace and bobbin lace, although there are other types of lace, such as knitted o ...
,
muslin Muslin () is a cotton fabric of plain weave. It is made in a wide range of weights from delicate sheers to coarse sheeting. It gets its name from the city of Mosul, Iraq, where it was first manufactured. Muslin of uncommonly delicate handsp ...
, and cotton.


History


Pre-colonial era


Pagan era

During the
Pagan dynasty The Kingdom of Pagan ( my, ပုဂံခေတ်, , ; also known as the Pagan Dynasty and the Pagan Empire; also the Bagan Dynasty or Bagan Empire) was the first Burmese kingdom to unify the regions that would later constitute modern-da ...
, while cotton was the most commonly used textile material, other imported textiles such as silk, satin, and velvet, were also used in Burmese clothing. Trade with neighboring societies has been dated to the Pyu era, and certainly enriched the material culture, with imported textiles used for ritual and costume. For instance, the Mingalazedi Pagoda, built during the reign of
Narathihapate Narathihapate ( my, နရသီဟပတေ့, ; also Sithu IV of Pagan; 23 April 1238 – 1 July 1287) was the last king of the Pagan Empire who reigned from 1256 to 1287. The king is known in Burmese history as the "Taruk-Pyay Min" ("the King ...
, contains enshrined articles of satin and velvet clothing, which were not locally produced. Pagan-era kings and princes wore robes called ''wutlon'' (ဝတ်လုံ), ''duyin'' (ဒုယင်), and ''thoyin'' (သိုရင်း) as upper garments, while wearing
dhoti The dhoti, also known as veshti, vetti, dhuti, mardani, chaadra, dhotar, jaiñboh, panchey, is a type of sarong, tied in a manner that outwardly resembles "loose trousers". It is a lower garment forming part of the ethnic costume for men in the I ...
-like loinclothes as lower garments. Meanwhile aristocratic women wore strapless bodices called ''yinsi'' (ရင်စေ့) over a chemise, before adopting looser jackets and body garments, including longer sari-like garments and baggy trousers, that gained currency in the later Pagan period. Relative social rank was distinguished by the use of gold and silver embroidery patterns; high quality attire and floral designs were worn by the upper class and ruling class.


Konbaung era

Dress was a major cultural aspect of life in pre-colonial Burmese kingdoms. Foreign travelers reported the presence of a loom in every household, enabling every women to weave their family's everyday clothing. Vincenzo Sangermano, an Italian priest who was posted in the
Konbaung kingdom The Konbaung dynasty ( my, ကုန်းဘောင်ခေတ်, ), also known as Third Burmese Empire (တတိယမြန်မာနိုင်ငံတော်) and formerly known as the Alompra dynasty (အလောင်းဘ ...
at the turn of the 19th century, observed that locals were "splendid and extravagant in their dress." Ear-boring ceremonies for girls was a major rite of passage. Locals adorned themselves with gold and silver, including rings set with precious stones, necklaces, bracelets, and anklets. These accessories accompanied traditional attire, consisting of a sarong-like wrap – ''paso'' for men or a ''htamein'' for women – both of which were made of cotton or silk. Wooden or leather sandals were worn as footwear. Men and women alike dressed in their finest attire, including ornamented jackets, for visits to pagodas and other important events.
Sumptuary law Sumptuary laws (from Latin ''sūmptuāriae lēgēs'') are laws that try to regulate consumption. '' Black's Law Dictionary'' defines them as "Laws made for the purpose of restraining luxury or extravagance, particularly against inordinate expendi ...
s called ''yazagaing'' dictated material consumption for Burmese subjects in the Konbaung kingdom, everything from the style of one's house to clothing appropriate for one’s social standing, from regulations concerning funerary ceremonies and the coffin to be used to usage of various speech forms based on rank and social status. In particular, sumptuary laws in the royal capital were exceedingly strict and the most elaborate in character. Sumptuary regulations governing dress and ornamentation were carefully observed as a means of reinforcing social hierarchy. Designs with the
peacock Peafowl is a common name for three bird species in the genera ''Pavo (genus), Pavo'' and ''Afropavo'' within the tribe Pavonini of the family Phasianidae, the pheasants and their allies. Male peafowl are referred to as peacocks, and female pea ...
insignia were strictly reserved for the royal family and long-tailed hip-length ''htaingmathein'' jackets and surcoats were reserved for officials. Fabrics with metallic threads, sequins and embroidery were limited to royals, high-ranking officials, and tributary princes ( ''sawbwa'').
Velvet Weave details visible on a purple-colored velvet fabric Velvet is a type of woven tufted fabric in which the cut threads are evenly distributed, with a short pile, giving it a distinctive soft feel. By extension, the word ''velvety'' means ...
sandals were only permitted to be worn by members of the royal family and ministers’ wives. Adornment with jewels and precious stones was similarly regulated. Usage of ''hinthapada'' (), a
vermilion Vermilion (sometimes vermillion) is a color, color family, and pigment most often made, since ancient history, antiquity until the 19th century, from the powdered mineral cinnabar (a form of mercury sulfide, which is toxic) and its correspondi ...
dye made from
cinnabar Cinnabar (), or cinnabarite (), from the grc, κιννάβαρι (), is the bright scarlet to brick-red form of Mercury sulfide, mercury(II) sulfide (HgS). It is the most common source ore for refining mercury (element), elemental mercury and ...
, was also regulated.


Colonial era

The dawn of colonial rule led to the demise of sumptuary laws. Unlike in neighboring
French Indochina French Indochina (previously spelled as French Indo-China),; vi, Đông Dương thuộc Pháp, , lit. 'East Ocean under French Control; km, ឥណ្ឌូចិនបារាំង, ; th, อินโดจีนฝรั่งเศส, ...
, the Burmese monarchy was completely dismantled, creating an immediate vacuum for state sponsorship of material culture, institutions, and traditions. The colonial era ushered in a wave of non-aristocratic ''nouveau riche'' Burmese who sought to adopt the styles and costumes of the aristocrats of pre-colonial times. During the British colonial era, clothing gained new meaning in Burmese life, as an expression of anti-colonial sentiment. Burmese nationalists associated traditional clothing, in particular ''Yaw longyi'' (), a type of
longyi A longyi (; ) is a sheet of cloth widely worn in Burma (Myanmar). It is approximately long and wide. The cloth is often sewn into a cylindrical shape. It is worn around the waist, running to the feet, and held in place by folding fabric over wi ...
from the Yaw region, and ''pinni taikpon'' (), a
fawn Deer or true deer are hoofed ruminant mammals forming the family Cervidae. The two main groups of deer are the Cervinae, including the muntjac, the elk (wapiti), the red deer, and the fallow deer; and the Capreolinae, including the reindee ...
-coloured collarless jacket, with anti-colonialism and nationalist sentiment; Burmese who wore this characteristic outfit were arrested by British police. The wearing of "traditional" clothing was now seen as a mode of passive anti-colonial resistance among the Burmese. Inspired by Gandhi's
Swadeshi movement The Swadeshi movement was a self-sufficiency movement that was part of the Indian independence movement and contributed to the development of Indian nationalism. Before the BML Government's decision for the partition of Bengal was made public in ...
, Burmese nationalists also waged campaigns boycotting imported goods, including clothing, to promote the consumption of locally-produced garments. Clothing styles also evolved during the colonial era; the voluminous ''taungshay'' ''paso'' and ''htamein'' with its train, were abandoned in favor of a simpler ''longyi'' that was more convenient to wear. The female sarong (''htamein'') became shorter, no longer extending to the feet, but to the ankles, and the length of the sarong's topband decreased to reveal more waistline. This period also saw the introduction of a sheer
muslin Muslin () is a cotton fabric of plain weave. It is made in a wide range of weights from delicate sheers to coarse sheeting. It gets its name from the city of Mosul, Iraq, where it was first manufactured. Muslin of uncommonly delicate handsp ...
blouse for women, revealing a corset-like lace bodice called ''za bawli'' (). British rule also influenced hair fashion and clothing. Western accessories such as belts and leather shoes were commonly worn with "traditional" attire. Cropped short hair, called ''bo ke'' () replaced long hair as the norm among Burmese men. Similarly, women began wearing hairstyles like ''amauk'' (), consisting of crested bangs curled at the top, with the traditional
hair bun A bun is a type of hairstyle in which the hair is pulled back from the face, twisted or plaited, and wrapped in a circular coil around itself, typically on top or back of the head or just above the neck. A bun can be secured with a hair tie, ba ...
(). The practice of traditional Burmese tattooing similarly declined in popularity.


Modern era

The onset of independence reinforced the central role of clothing in Burmese national identity. While other Southeast Asian nations sought to "modernize" preferred clothing choices for their citizens (e.g., Siam with the cultural mandates, or Indonesia, with encouraging trousers over ''
sarong A sarong or sarung () is a large tube or length of fabric, often wrapped around the waist, worn in Southeast Asia, South Asia, Western Asia, Northern Africa, East Africa, West Africa, and on many Pacific islands. The fabric often has woven plaid o ...
'' for men), successive Burmese governments have encouraged the continued use of ''longyi'' by both men and women as daily wear. In a 1951 speech at the all-Burma Indian Cultural Conference, Burmese prime minister
U Nu Nu ( my, ဦးနု; ; 25 May 1907 – 14 February 1995), commonly known as U Nu also known by the honorific name Thakin Nu, was a leading Burmese statesman and nationalist politician. He was the first Prime Minister of Burma under the pr ...
identified dress as one of the main distinctive markers of a nation, noting that national costume "carries with it that distinctive mark of culture of the rice or national which is its very backbone." The
Burmese Way to Socialism The Burmese Way to Socialism ( my, မြန်မာ့နည်းမြန်မာ့ဟန် ဆိုရှယ်လစ်စနစ်), also known as the Burmese Road to Socialism, was the state ideology of the Socialist Republic of the ...
continued to reinforced the practice of wearing traditional attire in favor of Western clothing.


National costumes


''Longyi''

The national costume of Myanmar is the ''
longyi A longyi (; ) is a sheet of cloth widely worn in Burma (Myanmar). It is approximately long and wide. The cloth is often sewn into a cylindrical shape. It is worn around the waist, running to the feet, and held in place by folding fabric over wi ...
'' (, ), an ankle-length wraparound skirt worn by both males and females. The ''longyi'' in its modern form was popularized during the British colonial period, replacing the traditional ''paso'' worn by men and ''htamein'' worn by women in pre-colonial times. The pre-colonial ''htamein'' features a broad train called ''yethina'' (ရေသီနား) and is only seen in modern times as wedding attire or a dance costume. Similarly, the pre-colonial ''paso'' is only commonly worn during stage performances, including dances and ''
anyeint Anyeint (; ; my, အငြိမ့်; also spelt a-nyeint) is a traditional Burmese entertainment form that combines dance with instrumental music, song, and comedy routines, in theatrical performances.Seekins, Donald M. (2006) "Anyeint (Any ...
'' performances as well as wedding or high social events.


''Acheik'' textiles

The indigenous Burmese textile pattern, called ''acheik'' (; ) or ''luntaya acheik'' (လွန်းတစ်ရာအချိတ်), features intricate waves interwoven with bands of horizontal stripes, embellished with
arabesque The arabesque is a form of artistic decoration consisting of "surface decorations based on rhythmic linear patterns of scrolling and interlacing foliage, tendrils" or plain lines, often combined with other elements. Another definition is "Foli ...
designs. ''Luntaya'' (; ), which literally means a "hundred shuttles,"refers to the time-consuming, expensive, and complex process of weaving this pattern, which requires using 50 to 200 individual shuttles, each wound with a different color of silk. The weaving is labor-intensive, requiring at least two weavers to manipulate the shuttles to achieve the interwoven wave-like patterns. Acheik is most commonly used as a textile for male ''paso'' or female ''htamein.'' The color palettes used in ''acheik'' incorporate a bold array of contrasting shades in a similar color range to create a shimmering ''
trompe-l'œil ''Trompe-l'œil'' ( , ; ) is an artistic term for the highly realistic optical illusion of three-dimensional space and objects on a two-dimensional surface. ''Trompe l'oeil'', which is most often associated with painting, tricks the viewer into ...
'' effect. Designs for men feature simpler zig-zag, cable and interlocking lappet motifs, while those for women interweave undulating waves with arabesque embellishments such as floral motifs or creepers. The towns of Amarapura and
Wundwin Wundwin ( my, ဝမ်းတွင်းမြို့) is a town in the Mandalay Region of central Myanmar. Wundwin, alongside Amarapura, is a major domestic center of traditional ''acheik'' weaving, although in recent years, cheaper factory- ...
remain major domestic centers of traditional ''acheik'' weaving, although in recent years, cheaper factory-produced imitations from
China China, officially the People's Republic of China (PRC), is a country in East Asia. It is the world's most populous country, with a population exceeding 1.4 billion, slightly ahead of India. China spans the equivalent of five time zones and ...
and
India India, officially the Republic of India (Hindi: ), is a country in South Asia. It is the seventh-largest country by area, the second-most populous country, and the most populous democracy in the world. Bounded by the Indian Ocean on the so ...
have significantly disrupted Myanmar's traditional
cottage industry The putting-out system is a means of subcontracting work. Historically, it was also known as the workshop system and the domestic system. In putting-out, work is contracted by a central agent to subcontractors who complete the project via remote ...
. ''Acheik'' weaving originates in Amarapura, near the
Pahtodawgyi Pahtodawgyi ( my, ပုထိုးတော်ကြီး) is a Buddhist pagoda located in Amarapura, Burma, north of the Taungthaman Lake. It was built in 1819 by King Bagyidaw Bagyidaw ( my, ဘကြီးတော်, ; also known as ...
pagoda. The name ''acheik'' may derive from the name of the quarter in which the weavers lived, ''Letcheik'' Row (လက်ချိတ်တန်း); the term itself was previously called ''waik'' (ဝိုက်), referring to the woven zig-zag pattern. While some sources claim that the ''acheik'' pattern was introduced by Manipuri weavers during the late 1700s, there are no comparable Manipuri textiles that resemble ''acheik''. The wave-like patterns may have in fact been inspired by Neolithic motifs and natural phenomena (i.e., waves, clouds, indigenous flora and fauna). ''Acheik''-type designs are found on pottery dating back to the
Pyu city states , conventional_long_name = Pyu city-states , common_name = Pyu City States , era = Classical antiquity , status = City , event_start = Earliest Pyu presence in Upper Burma , year_start = c. 2nd century BCE , date_start = , event_en ...
(400s-900s CE), as well as in temple wall paintings dating back to the
Bagan Kingdom The Kingdom of Pagan ( my, ပုဂံခေတ်, , ; also known as the Pagan Dynasty and the Pagan Empire; also the Bagan Dynasty or Bagan Empire) was the first Burmese kingdom to unify the regions that would later constitute modern-da ...
era (1000s-1200s CE). Tributary gifts bestowed to the Burmese royal court may also have provided an additional source of inspiration. The textile became popular during the
Konbaung dynasty The Konbaung dynasty ( my, ကုန်းဘောင်ခေတ်, ), also known as Third Burmese Empire (တတိယမြန်မာနိုင်ငံတော်) and formerly known as the Alompra dynasty (အလောင်းဘ ...
, during which
sumptuary law Sumptuary laws (from Latin ''sūmptuāriae lēgēs'') are laws that try to regulate consumption. '' Black's Law Dictionary'' defines them as "Laws made for the purpose of restraining luxury or extravagance, particularly against inordinate expendi ...
s regulated who could wear ''acheik'' clothing. The ''acheik'' pattern was exclusively worn by members of the royal court, officials, and their entourages.


''Taikpon'' jacket

For business and formal occasions,
Bamar The Bamar (, ; also known as the Burmans) are a Sino-Tibetan ethnic group native to Myanmar (formerly Burma) in Southeast Asia. With approximately 35 million people, the Bamar make up the largest ethnic group in Myanmar, constituting 68% of th ...
men wear a Manchu Chinese jacket called a ''taikpon eingyi'' (, ) over a
mandarin collar A mandarin collar, standing collar, band collar or choker collar is a short unfolded stand-up collar style on a shirt or jacket. The style derives its Western name from the mandarin bureaucrats in Qing-era China that employed it as part of th ...
shirt. This costume was popularized during the colonial era.


Female ''eingyi''

Burmese women wear blouses called ''eingyi'' ( ). There are two prevalent styles of ''eingyi'': ''yinzi'' () buttoned at the front, or ''yinbon'' (), buttoned at the side. For formal and religious occasions, Burmese women typically don a shawl.


''Htaingmathein'' jacket

The most formal rendition of Myanmar's national costume for females includes a buttonless tight-fitting hip-length jacket called ''htaingmathein'' (, ), sometimes with flared bottoms and embroidered sequins. ''Htaingmathein'' in Burmese literally means "does not gather while sitting," referring to the fact that the tight-fitting jacket does not crumple up when sitting. This jacket was popular among the aristocratic classes during the
Konbaung dynasty The Konbaung dynasty ( my, ကုန်းဘောင်ခေတ်, ), also known as Third Burmese Empire (တတိယမြန်မာနိုင်ငံတော်) and formerly known as the Alompra dynasty (အလောင်းဘ ...
and modern day upper classes, and is now most commonly worn by females as wedding attire, or as traditional dance costume as well as high social events sometimes. The ''htaingmathein'' is worn over a bodice called ''yinkhan'' (, ). Historically, the ''htaingmathein'' also had a pair of pendulous appendages on both sides called ''kalano'' ().


Gaungbaung

The Burmese national costume for men includes a kerchief called ''
gaung baung The ''gaung baung'' ( my, ခေါင်းပေါင်း ; mnw, သမိၚ် ဍိုပ်, ; Shan: ; Northern Thai: เฅียนหัว ) is a traditional Burmese kerchief and part of the traditional attire of many ethnic gro ...
'' (, ), which is worn for formal functions. During the colonial era, the ''gaung baung'' was streamlined as an article of formal attire. The design of the modern Burmese ''gaung baung'' emerged in the mid-1900s and is called ''maung kyetthayay'' (). It is a ready-made ''gaung baung'' made of cloth wrapped in a rattan frame and can be worn like a hat is worn.


Formal footwear

Both genders wear velvet sandals called '' gadiba phanat'' (‌, also called ''Mandalay phanat'') as formal footwear.


Regional costumes

The various
ethnic groups of Myanmar Myanmar (also known as Burma) is an ethnically diverse nation with 135 distinct ethnic groups officially recognised by the Burmese Government. These are grouped into eight "major national ethnic races": # Bamar # Chin # Kachin # Karen # Kaya ...
all have distinct clothing and textile traditions. The ethnic costumes across most Burmese ethnic groups generally consist of a sarong-like ''longyi'' using various patterns or textiles.


Chin peoples

The
Chin peoples The Chin people (, ) are a Southeast Asian people native to Chin State and its neighbouring states of Myanmar.Head, JonathanBurma's 'abused Chin need help' ''BBC News'', Jan 28, 2009, accessed Jan 28, 2009 The Chin are one of the founding groups ...
are a heterogenous collection of ethnic groups that generally live in western Myanmar and speak related
Kuki-Chin languages The Kuki-Chin languages (also called Kuki-Chin-Mizo, Kukish or South-Central Tibeto-Burman languages) are a branch of 50 or so Sino-Tibetan languages spoken in northeastern India, western Myanmar and southeastern Bangladesh. Most speakers of the ...
. Chin women generally wear ankle-length ''longyis'' using various textiles, and front-opening blouses, in addition to accessories like metallic belts. Chin men wear generally shirts and trousers, over which a blanket-like wrap is worn, as traditional attire.


Kachin peoples

The Kachin peoples are a heterogenous collection of ethnic groups that live in northern Myanmar (
Kachin State Kachin State ( my, ကချင်ပြည်နယ်; Kachin: ), also known by the endonym Kachinland, is the northernmost state of Myanmar. It is bordered by China to the north and east (Tibet and Yunnan, specifically and respectively); Sh ...
), with each ethnic group possessing their own variation of traditional attire. Generally speaking, Kachin men and women wear longyis featuring geometric or checkered patterns associated with handwoven Kachin textiles. Jingphaw women also adorn themselves with metallic shawls studded with silver coins over their blouses.


Karen peoples

The Karen peoples are a heterogenous collection of ethnic groups that live in eastern Myanmar (
Kayin State Kayin State ( my, ကရင်ပြည်နယ်, ; kjp, ဖၠုံခါန်ႋကၞင့်, italics=no; ksw, ကညီကီၢ်စဲၣ်, ), also known by the endonyms Kawthoolei and Karen State, is a state of Myanmar. The ...
and
Mon State Mon State ( my, မွန်ပြည်နယ်, ; mnw, တွဵုရးဍုင်မန်, italics=no) is an administrative division of Myanmar. It lies between Kayin State to the east, the Andaman Sea to the west, Bago Region to the ...
) and in the
Irrawaddy Delta The Irrawaddy Delta or Ayeyarwady Delta lies in the Irrawaddy Division, the lowest expanse of land in Myanmar that fans out from the limit of tidal influence at Myan Aung to the Bay of Bengal and Andaman Sea, to the south at the mouth of the A ...
. For traditional attire, Karen men traditionally wear headdresses with tassels hanging loose on the right side of the head, as well as sleeveless tunics over ''longyis''. Karen women dress in long tunics and ''longyis'', with headbands that have both ends hanging in the front. Karen ''longyis'' have horizontal stripes with a parallel strip in the middle.


Kayah people

The
Karenni people The Karenni ( my, ကရင်နီ, ), also known as the Kayah ( my, ကယားလူမျိုး) or Kayah Li (Karenni: ), are a Karen people native to the Kayah State of Myanmar (Burma). According to a 1983 census, the Karenni consist ...
(also known as the Kayah) of both genders don headdresses; Kayah women wear red headdresses, while Kayah men wear white headdresses. Kayah women also wear red cloaks over sleeveless blouses and red or black ''longyis''. Karen men wear baggy trousers or ''longyis'', and may accessorize with silver daggers on special occasions.


Mon people

Mon women traditionally wear a shawl called '' yat toot'', which is wrapped diagonally over the chest covering one shoulder with one end dropping behind the back. Archaeological evidence from the
Dvaravati The Dvaravati ( th, ทวารวดี ; ) was an ancient Mon kingdom from the 7th century to the 11th century that was located in the region now known as central Thailand. It was described by the Chinese pilgrim in the middle of the 7th ce ...
era (direct ancestors of the Mon people) portrays ladies wearing what seems to be a similar shawl hanging from their shoulder. Mon men traditionally wear red-checkered ''longyis'', collarless shirts, and traditional jackets similar to Bamar men. Mon women traditionally wear their hair in a
bun A bun is a type of bread roll, typically filled with savory fillings (for example hamburger). A bun may also refer to a sweet cake in certain parts of the world. Though they come in many shapes and sizes, buns are most commonly round, and are g ...
, wrapped around a comb.


Rakhine people

The Rakhine (Arakanese) people of both genders traditionally wear ''longyis''. As traditional attire, Rakhine men also wear collarless shirts and ''taikpon'' jackets similar to Bamar men, and kerchiefs called ''
gaung baung The ''gaung baung'' ( my, ခေါင်းပေါင်း ; mnw, သမိၚ် ဍိုပ်, ; Shan: ; Northern Thai: เฅียนหัว ) is a traditional Burmese kerchief and part of the traditional attire of many ethnic gro ...
'', with excess cloth draped to the left. Rakhine women wear blouses over a ''
htaingmathein ''Htaingmathein'' ( my, ထိုင်မသိမ်း; ) is the name of a traditional Burmese buttonless hip-length jacket, sometimes with flared bottoms and embroidered sequins. ''Htaingmathein'' in Burmese literally means "does not gather ...
'' jacket, over which a sheer shawl is diagonally wrapped, passing over one shoulder.


Shan people

The traditional attire of the
Shan people The Shan people ( shn, တႆး; , my, ရှမ်းလူမျိုး; ), also known as the Tai Long, or Tai Yai are a Tai ethnic group of Southeast Asia. The Shan are the biggest minority of Burma (Myanmar) and primarily live in th ...
varies across locales. Generally speaking, Shan men wear baggy khaki trousers similar to fisherman pants, and a headwrap. Shan women wear ''longyis'' with embroidered designs and textiles associated with their hometowns.


See also

*
Culture of Myanmar The culture of Myanmar (also known as Burma) ( my, မြန်မာ့ယဉ်ကျေးမှု) has been heavily influenced by Buddhism. Burmese culture has also been influenced by its neighbours. In more recent times, British colonial ...
* Pinni (cloth) *
Folk costume A folk costume (also regional costume, national costume, traditional garment, or traditional regalia) expresses an identity through costume, which is usually associated with a geographic area or a period of time in history. It can also indicat ...


References


Work cited

* * {{Asia topic, National costume of
Burma Myanmar, ; UK pronunciations: US pronunciations incl. . Note: Wikipedia's IPA conventions require indicating /r/ even in British English although only some British English speakers pronounce r at the end of syllables. As John Wells explai ...
Ceremonial clothing Burmese culture