Unity in Diversity
Unity in Diversity
Unity in Diversity
(ASEAN National
Costumes)
Foreword
I will focus on the traditional costumes of three ASEAN countries.The three countries
that I will focus on are Cambodia,Indonesia,and Philippines.
Sampot
The Sampot is the national garment of Cambodia, popular among men and women of
the lower class. It is basically a sarong similar to those worn in
neighboring Laos and Thailand, with slight variations. Measuring approximately one and
a half meters, the two ends of the cloth is sewn together, resulting in a tubular garment
which is worn over the lower half of the body, extending to the ankles. The wearer ties a
knot of excess cloth in front to secure it at the waist. Within Cambodia, the wearing of
the sampot also varies with regards to color, material and dimensions, depending on the
social class of the wearer.
Historically the sampot dates back to the Funan era, when a Cambodian king ordered
the people of his kingdom to wear the sampot at the request of Chinese envoys.
Kebaya
Barong Tagalog
The word Barong is a coined word that comes from to the Malaysian Baju which
translates to Dress the Filipino word "baro" meaning outfit. Similar term was originally
used to describe what people, both men and women, typically wore in the Tagalog
region during the Spanish era. The term Barong Tagalog has been for so long been
shortened by native Filipino speakers into "Barong". Grammatically, Barong is not a
word that can stand alone. It has a suffix "-ng" which implies that a word that an
adjective, or a word that modifies it must directly follow. The root word of barong is
"baro". The term "Barong Tagalog" literally means "Tagalog dress" in Filipino.