What is Sri Lanka's traditional dress?

To understand about Sri Lanka dress we have to look at the indigenous inhabitants, the Veddas. They were hunter-gatherers and at that time they used to wear simple garment about three yards of calico. It is plain-woven fabric made of unbleached and frequently incompletely processed cotton. It was enough to create a loincloth that is referred to locally as span cloth.

To carry food and betel nut, they utilize the portion of the cloth that encircles their waist as a pocket. Additionally, it serves as a belt that they use to push the handles of their short axes as they move through the forest.

That was the island's first clothing; it was simple, practical, and perfectly adapted to the climate and surroundings. Women's clothing was typically topless. Women occasionally covered their breasts with an additional strip.

When the Europeans entered Sri Lanka they influenced what the inhabitants used to wear. The Sinhalese nobility was introduced by Portuguese and Dutch fashion in the 16th and 18th centuries, which featured frills, lace trim and spectacular sleeves. 

Indian influences were present in some aspects of the clothing throughout the Mughal Era. One example is when the sarong is tied so that it looks like curvaceous pants.

The traditional dress for females in Sri Lanka is Saree. Tis dress is worn by al females no matter the age and commonly during events. It is common to find women in Sri Lanka wearing saree every day some because of work while others like dressing so. 

It is a custom for the school teachers and women working in the office as well tea pluckers to wear sarees. It is also common for women in Sri Lanka to wear saree when attending official events or ceremonies. They wear bright, colorful and ornate sarees. 

There are different styles of Sarees worn by Sri Lankan women. They commonly either drape Indian or the Kandyan style. The women from the hill regions mostly style Kandyan one because it is where it originated. 

This style entails wearing full blouse about 6 – 8 meters in length. You will have to partially tuck at the front and it should be covering the midriff. The will wear scarf on the top on the shoulders and you will have to tuck in the skirt. 

Sarees can be dyed evenly, stitched, or printed with patterns such as batik. Most people expose their midriffs when wearing a modern saree. The final tail is precisely folded instead of free-flowing. Women cover their bodies in light and feminine saris, adorn themselves with huge jewels, and wear their hair up.

The small girls in Sri Lanka mostly don’t wear saree buy skirts and blouses. They start wearing half saree when they reach puberty. For the married women they usually wear saree when going about their daily activities. Sarees are also worn by the elderly; in fact, you will rarely find an elderly woman dressed in anything other than a sari.

3Mostly the women after wearing the saree they complement the dressing with jewelries made using silver, copper and other gemstones. They also wear accessories like ornate belts and headpieces.

The Sri Lankan traditional dress for males is sarongs like other countries in South Asia. This dress is generally a long piece of cloth and you will have to wrap around your waist. 

This a common dress code for men when going about their daily work. You can easily see the men driving the tuk-tuk, cooks, and fishermen wearing the sarongs. You may even see business man wearing sarong but with pockets. 

It is important to note the original sarong was a tube of fabric folded then it is knotted around the waist as per the wearer preferred length. The length depends on what the wearing is doing. 
Men from most of the regions in Sri Lanka wear the sarong with a long-sleeved shirt. They are few style options which are common. One of them is tie the sarong and making a knot in the front.  

Some also warp the sarong around the waist like skirt and there also those who put the end between the legs and tie or tuck into the sarong. 
Usually, when at home men wear sarong and leave the upper body parts open. But some wrap up like a wide scarf or a piece of cloth. 

.

Different materials are used to make the Sri Lanka traditional dress both for the women and men. The material used reflects the country rich cultural heritage. Here are some of the mostly used materials to make the traditional Sri Lanka dress: 

This one of the common material used to make the Sri Lanka traditional dress. It is like use of silk and coatroom. For styles it is decorated with vivid colors and elaborate designs and is intricately woven.

This is a decoration technique and entails traditional wax-resistant coloring technique to create attractive patterns on fabric. It is extensively utilized in Sri Lankan traditional dress, giving the items a distinct and colorful appearance.