World Ethnic Day, which is scheduled for Friday, June 19, is the day when people from around the world are encouraged to celebrate their ethnicity, culture, history and heritage.
This can be done by preparing and sharing ethnic cuisines, writing about ethnic history and values, wearing culturally-relevant jewelry, and by making and demonstrating ethnic arts and handicrafts.
But one of the most visible ways to celebrate your ethnicity on World Ethnic Day is wearing ethnically significant clothing.
The Meaning of Ethnic Dress
The traditional clothing worn by different cultures says a lot about who they are, what they value, and even where they live.
Ethnic clothing is usually evolved from the types of clothing worn by people from within that particular ethnicity in the past. It’s often made of locally harvested fabrics and other materials and decorated in a way that has deep cultural meaning.
Many examples of ethnic clothing are made by hands. That’s because modern textile machines, factories and fabricators simply didn’t exist prior to a hundred or so years ago.
While most cultures wear ethnic clothing made from textiles, other cultures that didn’t have access to cotton and other fabric-making materials made their ethnic clothing from such things as skins, bark cloth, furs, and other fibers.
The Contribution of Climate
In some instances, ethnic clothing was influenced by the local climate in which the ethnicity lived and worked. For example, in the subtropical areas of Africa, Asia and the Pacific – where it tends to be very hot – people would traditionally wrap themselves in garments, such as a wrapper, which is also known as the lappa.
Other examples of ethnic clothing that is comfortable in hot climates include the sari, the sarong, and the pareo.
Similarly, cultures that lived in cold weather climate tend to wear ethnic clothing that's tailored, layered, or insulated with goose down and other material to help keep the cold at bay. Tight clothing and clothes that are pre-shaped provide more warmth.
Ethnic Clothing in Asia
Asia is such a vast continent that includes so many different ethnic groups that presuming one type of ethnic clothing for all of them is laughable.
Temperatures in Asia vary from the very warm in the south to the near Arctic in the north. So perhaps not surprisingly, the ethnic clothing worn by women from different populations varies greatly.
For example, women in India are known to wrap six to nine yards of unstitched fabric. This style, called the sari, is an example of Indian ethnic clothing. It often is worn with a choli, or blouse.
In another part of Asian, Thai women wear traditionally wear a combination of a blouse and skirt and prefer elaborate jewelry such as silver necklaces. Thai ethnic clothing also includes an apron, a traditional head covering that resembles a turban, and wrapped leggings.
Farther north in Asia, Mongolian women from the steps of Asia – where temperatures are cooler and fierce winds can be found year round – prefer tailored garments that include a jacket and pants. They also frequently wear caps and boots.
Ethnic Clothing in China
Chinese ethnic clothing is diverse because of the many different ethnic groups within the gigantic nation.
In central China, Turks, Mongols, and Manchu ethnic peoples had an enormous influence in the style of traditional Chinese clothing.
Fashion and politics also have been often intertwined in Chinese ethnic clothing. In the 1920s, one of the most popular garments for women was a cheongsam, or quipao. This one-piece women’s garment was a type of side-slit skirt that was frequently worn with a mandarin collar. Invented in Shanghai, it was considered both Chinese and contemporary.
But after the Revolution, tastes among the population of the People’s Republic of China resulted in new, unisex uniforms that celebrated the country’s communist ideals.
Yet outside of the main cities, China’s traditional cheongsam continued to be considered the most traditional ethnic dress among many Chinese women.
African Ethnic Clothing
Like China, Africa is an enormous continent that includes many different ethnicities, all of whom have their own traditional ethnic clothing.
Because of Africa’s hot temperature, many women in West Africa wear wraps that cover the lower body and, in cooler temperatures, a blouse on top. African women also tend to prefer colorful head ties.
Cultures in Europe and the Americas have their own ethnic traditions, including ethnic dress. But on World Ethnic Day, everybody is invited and encouraged to celebrate their heritage by wearing their own distinct ethnic clothing for all of the world to see.
It truly will be a special celebration of diversity and multi-culturalism. So wherever you are and whatever you do, make plans to wear your most traditional clothing on the upcoming Friday, June 19, World Ethnic Day.
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