No man is rich enough to buy back his past. ― Oscar WildeImage Source
Hello, Steemit Fretz!
As you may or may not know the different relationships and the different people who have conquered my country have made a big impact on our way of living and the various traditions that we follow until today. Clothing is not an exemption to that.
Our cultural costumes are very detailed, lively and colorful. Since we’ve been conquered by different countries for quite a long period of time, our national attires we’re made or created under their influence with a touch of Filipino flare in it. However, for our national costume, the Spanish Era had the biggest influence on this clothing.
I can go on all day about telling you about the different costumes that has been worn by my countrymen but that will take me like a pretty long post (we have tons^^). For this post, I’d like to highlight our National Costume (Men) the Barong Tagalog.
National Costume
Barong Tagalog is thin and light. It is worn untucked with a shirt under it. This originally became a famous formal attire during President Ramon Magsaysay’s reign. He wore this during his inaugural ceremony and various state functions.
This attire was proclaimed as the National Costume by President Ferdinand Marcus in 1975. Following this, he also designated June 5 to June 11 as a Barong Tagalog Week. His main purpose of doing such is to widen the awareness of this dress to the world and improve the costume’s export potential.
Barong Tagalog in the Spanish Era
The barong tagalog has existed way before the Spanish Era. However, the greatest impact on what this clothing has been designed today is because of the Spaniards.
In this era, the costumes and style of the Barong and how they are worn describes the status of that individual.
For example, the upper and middle class wore the barong together with a bowler hat and shoes made of leather. The lower class wore camisa de chino paired with loose pants and they usually wore slippers with it. The Illustrados have chests that are half open with a black pleated design.
Ilustrados- This is a group of middle-class Filipinos who are highly educated. Some call them the learned or the enlightened ones. They were brought up and educated and exposed to European and Spanish ideals.
Even Google gave me a hard time finding images for this time period.
Fabrics Used
This costume has been redesigned and has evolved throughout the years. Nonetheless, the fabrics that are used from home-grown materials. Here arethe fabrics that are commonly used when making the Barong Tagalog.
At the present time, the number of people who does this traditionally is declining and this is why piña cloth made barongs are highly expensive. These are worn on formal events.
Barong Tagalog Today
Image SourceBarong tagalong is still being used today. As the years went by, designers have given a new light to our national costume with modern cuts, different colors and intricate details.
Image SourceEvery foreign dignitary that has been invited to the Malacañang Palace is requested to wear the barong. Instead of typical coat and tie, these invites specifically states that the dress code inside the Palace is our national costume. Aside from the presidential palace, this dress code is required during summit meetings as well.
Malacañang Palace – This is the official residence of the presidents of the Philippines.
As a whole, it’s not just about the clothing, being Filipino is also about learning your roots and embracing one’s values wherever you are in the world.
Sources:
♥@dawnsheree
Clothes made from pineapple leaves! Learning every day.
It's great to embrace and protect your own heritage. I admire that. You've done well -- in the Philippines -- to maintain your identity after all the bleeding from other cultures. We should follow your lead here in Europe.
Thanks
@anjkara thanks for dropping by. Maintaining once identity and then meeting people that are different from what you're used to can be challenging, it's either you allow it to make you or break you. :) ^^
I agree. It's always enriching to read about other cultures and ways of life.
Enjoyed reading the post. I really like the style of this shirt for the males. It is versatile and can be tailored for business or casual. It also looks good on both younger and older gentlemen.
I'm glad you like it. It's a great formal Wear for men. ^^
Wow, what an interesting culture. I like learning about other cultures and steemit makes it feel more personal somehow. Thanks @jist
You're welcome. It's nice to show things about my culture here.
Seems really fresh and cozy Dawny.
It definitely looks better than our own traditional clothing here.
Cheers
very nice traditional dress thanks for sharing about it :)
It is. :)
Are the ones made from the pineapple fibers softer? How does it feel?
In the later pictures it looks like Western collared shirts but with subtle shiny patterning. Pretty cool.
I've never tried wearing a pinya made cloth so not sure. ^^