Sarong

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

A sarong is a large sheet of fabric, often wrapped around the waist and worn as a skirt by men and women throughout much of south and southeast Asia excluding Vietnam, and on many Pacific islands. The fabric is often brightly coloured or printed with intricate patterns, often depicting animals or plants, checkered or geometric patterns, or resembling the results of tie dying. Sarongs are also used as wall hangings and other forms of clothing, such as shawls, baby carriers, complete dresses or upper body clothing.

The dyeing technique of batik is associated with sarong production.

In strict usage, sarong [Malay, "sheath"] denotes the lower garment worn by the Malay people, both men and women. This consists of length of fabric about a yard wide and two-and-a-half yards long. In the center of this sheet, across the narrower width, a panel of contrasting color or pattern about one foot wide is woven or dyed into the fabric, which is known as the kepala or "head" of the sarong. This sheet is stitched at the narrower edges to form a tube. One steps into this tube, brings the upper edge above the level of the navel (the hem should be level with the ankles), positions the kepala at the center of the back, and folds in the excess fabric from both sides to the front center, where they overlap and secures the sarong by rolling the upper hem down over itself. Malay men wear sarongs woven in a check pattern; women wear sarongs dyed in the batik method, with, for example, flower motifs, and in brighter colors. The sarong is common wear for women, in formal settings with a kebaya blouse. Malay men wear sarongs in public only when attending Friday prayers at the mosque, but sarongs remain very common casual wear at home for men and women of all races and religions in Malaysia.

1 Regional variations
2 Securing as a garment
3 Similar garments
4 The Sarong in Motion Pictures
5 See also
6 External links

[edit] Regional variations

Sarongs are widespread in the South Indian state of Kerala, where they are called mundu, as well as in Tamil Nadu, where they are called Lungi, and are usually worn at home. Unlike the brightly coloured Southeast Asian sarongs, the Keralan variety is more often plain white and is worn for ceremonial or religious purposes. Mundu are generally worn only by men in this region. The more formal, all-white Dhoti, is worn for formal and religious occasions. There are also dresses based on mundu which can be worn by women, however they more commonly wear sari. It is also very common in rural Sri Lanka.

In North America, the fabric of the sarong is generally quite light, often rayon, and may feature decorative fringing on two sides. They may also have ties, which are long thin strips of fabric used to assist the wearer in holding the sarong to his body so it does not fall off while moving around. In North America, sarongs are often used by women as a cover-up over swimwear.

[edit] Securing as a garment

Numerous tying methods exist to hold a sarong to the wearer's body. In some cases, these techniques customarily differ according to the gender of wearer. If a sarong has ties, they may be used to hold it in place. If no ties exist, a pin may be used, the fabric may be tightly tucked under itself in layers, the corners of the main sheet may be around the body and knotted, or a belt may be used to hold the sarong in place.

[edit] Similar garments

The basic garment known in English most often as a "sarong", sewn or unsewn, has analogs in many regions, where it shows variations in style and is known by different names.

In Africa:

In Eastern Africa, it is called a kanga, kitenge (or chitenge), or kikoi (or kikoy), and usually made of brightly coloured cotton.
In Madagascar it is called a lamba.
In Malawi it is called a chitenje.
In Mauritius they are called pareos.
In Mozambique it is called a capulana.
In Somalia it is called a ma'wees.
In South Africa it is called a kikoi and commonly used as a furniture throw or for going to the beach.
In Zimbabwe they are known as zambias.

Bangladeshi boy in traditional lungi loincloth

On the Indian subcontinent:

In South Asia it is called a lungi. It is most often sewn into a large cylindrical shape, so there is no slit when the lungi is tied.
In India it is colloquially referred to by the misnomer dhoti (or dhuti in West Bengali, veshti in Tamil, pancha in Telugu, and panche in Kannada).
In the Maldives, and Indian state of Kerala, it is known as a mundu or neriyathu.
In Myanmar, it is known as a longyi.
In Punjab it is a called maylee when worn by a man, and a gamcha when worn by a woman.

In Southeast Asia:

In Indonesia it is known as a kain sarung ('sarong cloth').
In Malaysia it is known as a kain, kain sarung, or kain sampin (specialised sarong worn by men with Baju Melayu).
In the Philippines it is also known as a malong.

Polynesiian Hiva Oa dancers dressed in pāreu around 1909

In the Pacific Islands:

In Fiji it is known as a sulu.
In Hawaii it is referred to by the Anglicized Tahitian name, pareo.
In Samoa it is known as a lavalava (also lava-lava).
In Tahiti it is known as a pāreu.
In Tonga it is known as tupenu.

[edit] The Sarong in Motion Pictures

The American public is most familiar with the sarong for the dozens of motion pictures set in the South Seas, most of them romantic dramas made in the 1930's and 1940's. Dorothy Lamour is by far the actress most linked with the garment, starring in multiple films of this genre. In fact, Lamour was nicknamed "The Sarong Girl" by the press and even wore a sarong on occasion in more traditional films. Among the other actresses to don the sarong for film roles are Maria Montez, Gilda Gray, Myrna Loy, Gene Tierney, Frances Farmer and Movita. Male stars who wore the manly sarongs on film include Jon Hall, Ray Milland, Tyrone Power, Robert Preston and Sabu Dastagir.