Zulu warriors - Image by jason&molly
Vibrant and magnifying colored clothing is one of the most alluring segments of the great African heritage. We shall discuss in this article about the traditional outfits from the vast southern region of the African continent. Obviously the featured country will be the Republic of South Africa which is a large populous and multiethnic country mostly dominated by the people of Sub-Saharan ancestry. As the name describes itself, it is located on the southern tip of Africa. South Africa has the oldest human inhabitation background on the lovely planet as the traces of ancient archaeological and human fossils are discovered over there.
South Africa had the earliest settlers, the native herd people speaking the ancient Bantu language. Later the significant community is known as the Khosian people. But the most famous of all of them are the two substantial ethnic communities, who are living for centuries in this territory and are called as the Xhosa and Zulu peoples. Later history of South Africa tells about the white people domination who came from Europe and started their dwelling in this part of the world. Portuguese explorers attracted the other European nations and it remained the colony of the Netherlands and the Great Britain.
When we talk about the traditional dress of the Republic of South Africa, we’ll be mostly covering the tribal outfits worn by the notable ethnic groups of the country. Historians are not dead sure about the exact clothing customs of the ancient South Africans. It is really hard to keep alive the custom of wearing the pure traditional outfits, but on special occasions, the locals feel proud to wear their respective ethnic clothing. Many designers in South Africa are today involved in making the traditional dresses and people love to wear these exciting stuffs.
Variety of cloth materials are used like Shweshwe, Siswati prints and other fabrics to prepare the traditional wears. It is also common to observe the South Africans wearing the awesome traditional costumes adorned with modern touches in the festive events.
Let’s have a short background about the traditional South African costumes that were prepared mostly in the past with plants, animal skins and brayed hides. These were gradually replaced by the induction of imported woven fabrics and the changes occurred. There are easy distinctions in attires prevailing in this part of the lovely planet through which one can easily guess the status, age and ethnic association of a South African. Through dresses, the men and boys are also differentiated with women and girls and even married persons with the unmarried ones.
The largest ethnic groups of South Africa Zulu, who are actually considered the descendants of the Nguni tribes, live in the South African province, ‘KwaZulu-Natal’. They speak Zulu language which is the most widely spoken language in South Africa. The young kids and infants in Zulu tribes are usually seen with naked bodies. Sometimes only a string of grass is wrapped around the private parts. When the youngster reaches puberty, the genital area is covered by a piece of beadwork. A pubescent Zulu girl only wears a white cloth wrapped around her body which is a taboo for a married Zulu woman. Black colour dresses are worn by Zulu people in the mourning events. Very precisely, the traditional clothing of Zulus consists of unique varieties which they wear in festive occasions and in cultural ceremonies.
Let’s also highlight the feature of another prominent ethnic group, which are known as Swazi people. When Swazi boy becomes adult, he uses a traditional penile trip cover along with a kilt of animal tails or a calf skin hips coverings. The young girls wear white aprons like the Zulu girls during their childhood but when they become mature, they are further permitted to wear the red coloured garments and gradually are disallowed to wear the white ones. Spotted colored costumes are only for the married Swazi women.
In the nutshell, the women in South Africa have the traditional wear consisting of woven skirts, blankets, aprons and cloaks decorated with magnificent motifs. They also wear exotic jewelry which is prepared with stunning metal materials including copper, grasses and beads. In the past, there was no concept to hide the chest among the South African women but gradually with the encounters of European missionaries, the breasts were started to cover. The traditional breast covering of a South African woman is a wrap tucked under the arms, tied at back or around the neck.
The formal and ceremonial attire of traditional nature of almost all of the ethnic tribes are enormously refined and are usually embellished with leaves and other green plants. As mentioned earlier the women love to wear the ornaments made with grass garments including rings, wrist bands, anklets and bracelets. Women of some tribes also get ready in formal occasions with half naked bodies whitened with clay or powdered sandstones.
Western settlers introduced in their own dresses to the Afrikaans and the traditional European wear might be the tight bodice along with pointed fronts and lace behind for women. Other accessories were neckerchief, classic cap and linen collars. The different colored skirts were in run which were usually full and gathered or pleated around the waist. Military coats, pagoda hats, brightly colored kerchiefs, waistcoats and jackets were the classic accessories for men’s wear. The woolen blankets were replaced by typical cloaks by men. These were immensely popular in the urban areas of the country.
A Madiba shirt is a batik silk shirt, usually adorned in a bright and colourful print. The Madiba shirt was designed by Desré Buirski and first worn by the then newly elected president at the dress rehearsal of the opening of South Africa’s first democratic Parliament in May 1994. Mandela wore this style of shirt many times afterwards.
Traditional dress of the Republic of South Africa in it pure form is somehow existing in the remote ethnic colonies of the country. African block-patterned fabrics, wrapped around the body in artistic way are common in the tribe’s people even today.
For more interesting posts with the same subject on the Lovely Planet Website, please click the following links;
1- Algerian Traditional Dress 2- Traditional Dress Of Serbia 3- Traditional Dress Of Kosovo 4- Traditional Dress Of Libya 5- Traditional Dress Of Morocco 6- Traditional Dress Of Albania 7- Traditional Dress Of Tunisia 8- Traditional Dress Of Lebanon 9- Traditional Dress Of Bosnia And Herzegovina 10- Traditional Dress Of Azerbaijan 11- Traditional Dress Of Turkmenistan 12- Traditional Dress Of Kazakhstan 13- Traditional Dress Of Kyrgyzstan 14- Traditional Dress Of Uzbekistan 15- Traditional Dress Of Tajikistan 16- The Traditional Dress Of Laos 17- The Traditional Dress Of Vietnam 18- Traditional Dresses Of The World – 1 19- Traditional Dress Of Jammu & Kashmir 20- Ottoman Dresses From Turkey 21- Colors Of Cholistan 22- Cultural Dresses Of Balochistan 23- Lehenga Choli Or Ghagra Choli 24- Sari Or Saree : Traditional Dress Of Women In South Asia 25- Ajrak , The Traditional Attire From Sindh , Pakistan 26- The Traditional Tais Of East Timor 27- Shalwar Kameez: The Popular Dress Of South Asia 28- Churidar Pajama: The Favorite South Asian Attire 29- Pakistani Bridal Dress 30- Rilli, Sindhi Quilt Art 31- Fantastic, Alluring Khussa Shoes 32- Customs And Traditions Of Kalash Tribe 33- Hanfu, The Classical Chinese Dress 34- London Fashion Week 35- Fashion Week Milan: The Glamorous Event Of Italy 36- New York Fashion Week 37- Paris Fashion Week 38- Traditional Dress Of Jordan 39- Traditional Dress Of Syria 40- Traditional Dress Of Afghanistan 41- Traditional Dress Of Palestine 42- Traditional Dress Of Oman 43-Traditional Dress Of Nigeria 44- Traditional Dress Of Hungary 45-Traditional Dress Of Ukraine 46- Malaysian Traditional Dress 47- Traditional Dress Of Kenya 48- Traditional Eastern Brides 49- Traditional Dress Of Bulgaria 50- Traditional dress of Uganda 51- Traditional Dress of Iceland 52- Traditional Dress of Croatia 53- traditional dress of Norway 54- Traditional dress of Finland 55- Traditional Dress of Philippines 56- Traditional dress of Denmark 57- Traditional dress of Belarus 58- Traditional Dress of Puerto Rico 59- Traditional Dress of Nicaragua: Marvelous and colorful 60 – Traditional Dress of Nepal: Whimsical but charming 61- Brilliant Colors of Dagestan: Really fanciful and imaginative 62- Kabuki: A classical and traditional Japanese theater 63- Boogie-woogie: A famous Swing Dance 64- Colors of Samba Dance from Brazil: So lively so amazing 65- Ho Jamalo: The favorite folk dance of Sindh 66- Odissi from the Eastern India: A historic ritual dance 67- Sattriya from Assam: A classical Indian dance 68- Fandango: A famous couple dance from Spain 69- Maypole from Europe: A fabulous circle folk dance 70- Cueca: The national dance of Chile 71- Traditional dress of Belgium: A charming European attire 72- Traditional dress of the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia 73- Colors of Kalash: 5 lovely images of beautiful Kalash girls 74- Traditional dress of Georgia: The fantastic Chokha 75- Traditional dress of Argentina: The warrior Gaucho costume 76- Traditional dress of Venezuela: Not complicated but decorated 77- Traditional dress of Latvia: Made with the Linen fabric 78- Traditional dress of Romania: So captivating and graceful 79- Traditional dress of Estonia: So classy and versatile 80- Traditional dress of Armenia: So colorful and diversified 81- Traditional dress of Angola: A symbol of the ethnic culture 82- Traditional dress of Austria: Dirndl, Lederhosen and Tracht 83-Traditional dress of Namibia: Far from the modernizations 84- Traditional dress of Zambia: Rare but unique in nature 85- Traditional dress of Slovakia: Kroje , decorated and cultural 86. Traditional dress of Qatar: Pure Arabian endowment 87. Traditional dress of Brazil: So bright and colorful in nature 88. Traditional dress of Colombia: So iconic in Latin America 89. Traditional dress of Chile: So artistic and cultural 90. Traditional dress of Mexico: Blend of indigenous and imported cultures 91- Traditional dress of Panama: The exotic Mola and La Pollera 92- Traditional dress of Cuba: A product of multi-cultural effects 93- Traditional dress of Bangladesh: So awesome in its nature and kind 94- Traditional dress of Indonesia: Featured with unique patterns and designs 95- Traditional dress of Pakistan: Legacy of ancient civilizations 96- Traditional dress of Russia: A symbol of ethnic diversity in the Russian Federation 97- Traditional dress of England: Outcome of the local and European clothing repercussions 98- Traditional dress of Mauritania: Fusion of Berber and African cultures 99- Traditional dress of Egypt: Legacy of ancient Kings and Queens 100- Traditional dress of Iran: A product of the glorious Persian heritage 101- Traditional dress of Iraq & Kurdistan: Offshoot of the ancient acculturation 102- Traditional dress of Costa Rica: A charming garb of Latin America 103- Traditional dress of Italy: A garnished garment with beauty and style 104- Traditional dress of Antigua and Barbuda 105- Traditional dress of Eritrea: Proudly worn by Eritreans 106- Traditional dress of Ethiopia: Colors of Ethiopian culture 107- Traditional dress of France: Found in many versions 108- Traditional dress of Spain: Colors and history of Spanish culture 109- Traditional dress of Germany: The identical emblem of Germanic peoples 110- Traditional dress of Japan: A fancy range of colors and designs 111- Traditional dress of Poland: Truly symbolic in the Polish culture 112- Traditional dress of the Netherlands or Holland: Bewitched with Dutch colors 113- Traditional dress of Greece: Colors of Greek culture 114- Traditional dress of the Czech Republic: Legacy of the Bohemian and Moravian cultures 115- Traditional dress of Benin 116- Traditional dress of Burkina Faso: Modest and fine in general 117- Traditional dress of Ireland: Quite uncomplicated but well made
This is a very good way of celebrating tradition.