Folk costume
Folk costume, also known as traditional dress, traditional attire, folk attire, or regalia is clothing of an ethnic group, nation or region, and expresses cultural, religious or national identity. It includes both everyday and formal wear, those which do not cater to Western dress codes.
An ethnic group's clothing may be called ethnic clothing or ethnic dress. Those attributed to a certain place are often called national costume or regional costume; these may have official designation.
Overview
Following the rise of romantic nationalism in parts of Europe, pre-industrial peasantry came to serve as an ideal of authenticity. Garments evoking peasant dress were made from traditional pre-industrial textiles.In regions where Western dress codes are common, traditional garments are often worn during special events or celebrations. International events may cater to non-Western attendees with a compound dress code such as "business suit or national dress".
In some contemporary societies, traditional garments are required by sumptuary laws.
Africa
North Africa
Algeria
In Algeria, cultural dress includes the burnous, ghlila, caftan, gandoura, haik, jellaba, m'laya, and sarouel. In northern Algeria, clothing includes the karakou, labsa Naïlia, and labsa M'zabia. In northeastern Algeria, dress includes Gandoura Annabiya, qashabiya and melhfa chaouïa, labsa Kbaylia, and binouar Staifi. In northwestern Algeria, traditional dress includes the blouza in Oran and the chedda of Tlemcen. In southern Algeria, the tagelmust is traditional attire; traditional clothing of the Tuareg people includes the akhebay. In Western Algeria, Sahrawis wear the el-melhfa Sahraoui.Other nations
, Fouta towel, Jallabiyah and Taqiyah cap are common throughout Muslim communities in Africa.Sub-Saharan Africa
Transnational traditional attires in Sub-Saharan Africa include agbada and boubou, and dashiki for men, pagne/pano and kaftan for women.Xhosa people were umbhaco for both genders. For women, dress includes the faskoti, inxili, ncebetha, iqhiya, and ibhayi. For men, it includes the ingqosha, isidanga, and unngqa.
Among Zulu people, traditional clothing includes the isicholo, isidwaba, umutsha, and ibheshu.
For Sotho people, traditional dress includes shweshwe, basotho blankets, and mokorotlo. Afrikaners and Rooineks may wear a slouch hat, safari shirt, veldskoen, knee-high socks, khaki Bermuda shorts or trousers.
Specific nations
In Botswana, traditional attire includes the ieteisi and tshega.The Mushanana is traditional clothing in Burundi.
In Cameroon, women also wear head tie, men also wear kwa and gandura. Dress is highly dependent on region and ethnicity. The Abacost suit is common in Zairian republics.
Traditional attire of the Comoros includes Kanga, shiromani, salouva, aanzu, bwibwi for women, and Kofia for men.
In Djibouti, traditional attire includes the macawiis and koofiyad for men, and the dirac and garbasaar for women. The Afar people have their own style of traditional clothing.
Men in Eritrea wear Kidan Habesha as traditional dress. Women wear the zuria or Habesha kemis.
Each ethnic group in Ethiopia has a traditional style of dress. Ethiopian traditional clothing includes the Ethiopian suit or Kidan Habesha for men, and the Habesha kemis for women.
There is no official national costume of Kenya, but leso and kanga are worn throughout the country. Kikoi, similar to kanga fabric, is also widespread. All tribes have their respective traditional garments. For example, Maasai clothing includes traditional shuka and beadwork.
The lamba is part of the traditional dress of Madagascar.
In Mauritius and Réunion, the sega is part of traditional clothing.
In Mozambique, cultural attire includes the capulana.
In Namibia cultural dress includes Herero traditional clothing, like the ohorokova dress and the otjikaiva hat.
The mushanana is traditional clothing in Rwanda and southwestern Uganda.
Seychelles traditional dress includes the kanmtole.
In Somalia, traditional dress includes the kanzu or khamiis and kitenge. For men, traditional clothing also includes the macawiis and koofiyad. Women may wear the dirac, guntiino, and garbasaar.
Traditional dress in Tanzania and Uganda varies by tribe, and may include the kanzu and kofia for men, and the kanga for women.
Kitenge, A piece of fabric wrapped around the chest, is part of the traditional clothing of Malawi, Zambia, and Zimbabwe.
Americas
The word costume in "folk costume" is sometimes considered pejorative particularly among Native Americans, as the word has more than one meaning.Caribbean
For women in Antigua and Barbuda, national attire is a plaid dress with white pinafore, designed by Heather Doram.There is no official folk dress of the Bahamas, though clothing made with Androsia may be considered traditional attire. Junkanoo costumes can be considered folk costume but fall more into the sector of carnival dress than traditional garment.
In Cuba, traditional dress includes the guayabera and panama hat for men, and the guarachera for women.
Traditional attire in the Dominican Republic includes the chacabana and panama hat.
The madras is part of traditional attire in Dominica.
In Haiti, cultural attire includes the karabela dress for women and shirt jacket for men.
Traditional attire in Jamaica includes the bandana cloth Quadrille dress for women, bandana cloth shirt and white trousers for men, and the Jamaican Tam.
In Puerto Rico, men's traditional clothing includes the guayabera and panama hat. Women's traditional attire includes the enagua.
The madras is part of traditional attire in Saint Lucia.
Cultural dress varies in Trinidad and Tobago. Tobago has an Afro–Tobagonian creole culture with bélé costumes as their typical garment, commonly made of madras. Trinidad has no defined national garment. During cultural occasions, Afro–Trinidadian and Tobagonian men wear guayabera or dashiki, and women wear a booboo. Indo–Trinidadian and Tobagonian men wear kurta, dhoti, sherwani, and women wear sari, choli, and lehenga.
Central America
In Belize, among Hispanic Belizeans, traditional attire includes the huipil for women and the guayabera for men. Among the Maya peoples, all tribes wear distinct kinds of dress.Among women in Nicaragua, traditional attire includes the huipil and rebozo. Men wear the.
In Guatemala, traditional clothing includes the huipil, corte skirt, and tocado for women, and the todosantero suit for men.
Traditional attire in Panama includes the pollera for women and montuno for men.
Mexico
The folk dress of Mexico varies by state. For men, traditional dress includes the charro outfit, guayabera, sarape, and sombrero. For women, it includes the rebozo and china poblana dress.In el Norte, traditional attire may include cowboy hats, cowboy boots, and bandana. Indigenous peoples, like the Yaqui, Seri and Rarámuri, wear traditional apparel. The is traditional attire in Tamaulipas.
In Querétaro, Hidalgo, and San Luis Potosí, traditional clothing includes the quechquemitl.
In Veracruz, traditional attire includes the guayabera. In Yucatán, it includes the guayabera for men and huipil for women.
The tehuana is traditional attire in Oaxaca.
In Chiapas, the is traditional attire.
North America
Canada
In Canada, different regions have different traditional clothing.The traditional dress of First Nations peoples, which is often called "regalia", may include the button blanket, buckskins, moccasins, Chilkat blanket, Cowichan sweater, and war bonnet. Traditional attire of the Métis includes the ceinture fléchée, capote, and moccasins. In Nunavut and other Inuit communities, traditional clothing includes the parka, mukluks, and amauti.
For 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.
In the 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.
In Quebec and among French Canadians, traditional clothing includes the ceinture fléchée, capote, and tuque.
In the Prairies, cowboy costume is common for events such as the Calgary Stampede, and is often worn with Calgary White Hats.
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.
Greenland
In Greenland, traditional attire includes the anorak.United States
In the United States, different regions have different traditional clothing.Styles of traditional Native American clothing vary. Traditional pow-wow regalia for Plains Indians may include moccasins, buckskins, glass beads, breech clouts, and war bonnets or roaches. Among Alaska Natives, traditional attire includes kuspuks worn with dark pants and mukluks, as well as parkas. The clothing of the Yupʼik people is designed to keep the wearer warm and dry in cold weather.
File:Four_students_with_guitar.jpg|thumb|upright=.75|Texan folk costume comprising cowboy hats, jeans and checked western shirts
Western wear is traditional dress in several areas of the United States, including Texas and the Southwest, and rural areas in the Midwest and the West. This attire, derived from Mexican vaquero and American pioneer garb, may include cowboy hats, Western shirts, cowboy boots, jeans, chaps, prairie skirts, and bolo ties.
Due to cold weather, clothing in northern areas—such as the Upper Midwest, Pacific Northwest, and northern New England—tends to include heavier materials. This may include flannel shirts or Buffalo plaid mackinaw jackets, and a knit cap or, in the case of the Upper Peninsula of Michigan, a Stormy Kromer cap. The attire of folk hero Paul Bunyan may represent this style.
In the Deep South, traditional attire includes white seersucker suits and string ties for men, and sun hats and large Southern belle-style dresses for women. The Cajun people of Louisiana traditionally wear the colorful capuchon for Mardi Gras celebrations. Historically, Creole women wore the tignon, mostly in plain or madras fabrics; it is now sometimes worn for heritage events or for cultural reasons. Gullah communities in the South Carolina Lowcountry and the Sea Islands preserve the traditional African-style clothing and culture.
File:AmishFamilyNiagaraFalls.jpg|thumb|upright=0.75|An Amish family in traditional plain dress
Summer residents of Nantucket will often wear Nantucket Reds. In Utah, Mormons may dress in 19th-century pioneer clothing for Mormon Trail–related activities and events. The Amish follow a style of plain dress.