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]
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]
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]
Hokkaido –
Ainuclothing, 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
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]
Indonesia[28] – There are numerous
national and
regional clothing in Indonesia due to the diversity of cultures that make up the island nation; they include:
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.
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]
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]
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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:
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.
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.
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.
Caipiras (Brazilian country folk) in
Sao Paulo,
Goiás and other nearby states conserve traditional folk styles of clothing, imitated by participants of
festa juninas.
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:
^Martinez, Gimeno; Leerssen, Joep (2022).
"Dress, design : Introductory survey essay". Encyclopedia of Romantic Nationalism in Europe. Amsterdam: Study Platform on Interlocking Nationalisms. Retrieved November 7, 2023.
^"National Costumes". Lithuanian National Culture Centre. Retrieved November 3, 2023.
^"Bunad history". bunadogfolkedrakt.no. Norsk institutt for bunad og folkedrakt (Norwegian Institute for Bunad and Folk Costume). Retrieved November 3, 2023.
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]
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]
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]
Hokkaido –
Ainuclothing, 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
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]
Indonesia[28] – There are numerous
national and
regional clothing in Indonesia due to the diversity of cultures that make up the island nation; they include:
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.
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]
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]
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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:
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.
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.
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.
Caipiras (Brazilian country folk) in
Sao Paulo,
Goiás and other nearby states conserve traditional folk styles of clothing, imitated by participants of
festa juninas.
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:
^Martinez, Gimeno; Leerssen, Joep (2022).
"Dress, design : Introductory survey essay". Encyclopedia of Romantic Nationalism in Europe. Amsterdam: Study Platform on Interlocking Nationalisms. Retrieved November 7, 2023.
^"National Costumes". Lithuanian National Culture Centre. Retrieved November 3, 2023.
^"Bunad history". bunadogfolkedrakt.no. Norsk institutt for bunad og folkedrakt (Norwegian Institute for Bunad and Folk Costume). Retrieved November 3, 2023.