Traditional costumes

Malay

Traditional Malay dress is referred to as the ‘baju melayu’. Baju means ‘clothing’ in the Malay language. It usually consists of a loose tunic worn over trousers with a sarong wrapped around a man’s hips. For females, the ‘baju kurung’ is worn which is a knee length blouse worn over a long skirt with a headscarf or a shawl.

Chinese

The cheong sam is by far the most iconic piece of Chinese traditional dress, originating from mainland china and is especially popular in modern times around the time of Chinese New Year and other formal gatherings. It is a one piece dress with a high collar which is diagonally closed with small clips or toggles.

Indian

              

As elsewhere in the world, Indian women in Malaysia wear sarees which is a cloth of 5 to 6 yards which is usually worn with a petticoat of similar shade. Women with high social status will have their clothing made from gold or silver thread with elaborate beading. Men usually wear “kurta” during formal occasions, which is a knee length cotton shirt made from cotton or linen. They can also wear the sherwani, lungi or dhoti. The sherwani is a coat like garment fitted close to the body; a lungi is a short length of cloth worn like a sarong; and a dhoti is a rectangular piece of cloth which is wrapped around the legs and waist and knotted at the waist.