Heritage news
ArtsFamily Folk DanceHeritageWhy is Kolkata’s Durga Puja recognised as a UNESCO intangible cultural heritage?HeritageWhy is Kolkata’s Durga Puja recognised as a UNESCO intangible cultural heritage?WeddingsCalifornia city hall goes jurassic with dino wedding ceremonyCarnival28th Latino Heritage Parade and Festival Set for Today, Recognizing City’s ‘Unsung Heroes’WeddingsInternet sensation Mr Faisu gets married in traditional 'Nikah' ceremony, calls it a "blessing beyond words"Holy daysWhen is Diwali 2026? Key dates, significance, how to celebrateWeddingsArt of Betashar: Issatay Issabayev’s Lifelong Dialogue with Kazakh TraditionSeasonsOak Mountain State Park to host annual Harvest Festival Oct. 17ArtsTwo weekends of Oktoberfest fun begin tonight at American German ClubArtsFamily Folk DanceHeritageWhy is Kolkata’s Durga Puja recognised as a UNESCO intangible cultural heritage?HeritageWhy is Kolkata’s Durga Puja recognised as a UNESCO intangible cultural heritage?WeddingsCalifornia city hall goes jurassic with dino wedding ceremonyCarnival28th Latino Heritage Parade and Festival Set for Today, Recognizing City’s ‘Unsung Heroes’WeddingsInternet sensation Mr Faisu gets married in traditional 'Nikah' ceremony, calls it a "blessing beyond words"Holy daysWhen is Diwali 2026? Key dates, significance, how to celebrateWeddingsArt of Betashar: Issatay Issabayev’s Lifelong Dialogue with Kazakh TraditionSeasonsOak Mountain State Park to host annual Harvest Festival Oct. 17ArtsTwo weekends of Oktoberfest fun begin tonight at American German Club
EveryParampara

Dress and adornment

Clothes, jewellery, henna, tattoo and hair.

Dress and adornment traditions cover the clothes, jewellery, hairstyles, tattoos and henna that people wear to mark who they are and what the day is. A sari, a kilt, a kente cloth, a hanbok or a poncho is a statement of belonging, and the way it is worn tells of age, marriage, rank or region. Some garments are worn every day, others only on festivals, and many are made by hand by craftspeople whose skills are handed down. EveryParampara describes them with respect and notes how they are changing.

Cloth and meaning

Colour, pattern and fibre carry meaning: red for luck in China and India, white for mourning in some places and for brides in others, kente patterns that name proverbs, tartans that name clans. The making of cloth, whether by weaving, dyeing, printing or embroidery, is itself a tradition, and master weavers are honoured. A garment given at a wedding or handed down in a family holds the memory of the people who wore it.

Skin, hair and ornament

Body decoration is as old as cloth. Henna on the hands of a bride, a bindi on the forehead, the tattoos of Samoa and the Maori, the plaited hair of West Africa, the lip plates and neck rings of some peoples, each is a language. Many are rites of passage, done at a coming of age or a wedding. They are best described by those who wear them, and EveryParampara aims to give their meaning, not to treat them as curiosities.

About this page

Written by the EveryParampara desk with AI assistance. Background on Dress and adornment (kind of tradition). Customs differ from place to place and family to family. If this is your tradition and we have it wrong, tell us.

RegionSouth AsiaSoutheast AsiaEast AsiaCentral Asia and the CaucasusMiddle EastNorth AfricaSub-Saharan AfricaEuropeNorth AmericaLatin America and the CaribbeanOceania
MealBreakfastLunchDinnerSupperTea-time and snacking customsTea, coffee and drinking ceremoniesSweets given and sharedFeasts and festival mealsFasting and breaking the fast
🇳🇴 Norway and 3 moreGákti A traditional coat worn by the Sámi people across northern Scandinavia and Russia, signaling origin and status through cDress 🇺🇦 Ukraine and 2 moreRushnykрушник A sacred embroidered cloth used in East Slavic rituals, weddings and daily life.Dress 🇻🇦 Vatican City and 1 morePontifical Swiss GuardPontificia Cohors Helvetica The Swiss military corps charged with guarding the Pope and the Apostolic PalaceCeremony 🇺🇦 Chernivtsi, Ukraine and 5 moreVyshyvanka DayДень вишиванки An annual day for wearing traditional Ukrainian embroidered shirts across the worldDress 🇵🇱 Kraków, PolandKrakowiak A lively Polish folk dance from Kraków that became a popular ballroom style across Europe.Performance 🇦🇹 Austria and 4 moreDirndl A fitted dress with apron from the German-speaking Alps, worn for festivals and weddings.Dress 🇮🇹 Venice, ItalyCarnival of VeniceCarnevale di Venezia A historic festival in Italy famous for elaborate masks and anonymous social gatherings.Festival 🇷🇺 RussiaSarafanсарафа́н A long, flared Russian dress, the everyday wear of peasant women for centuriesDress 🇧🇪 Binche, BelgiumCarnival of BincheCarnaval de Binche A Belgian pre-Lenten festival known for masked dancers and orange tossingFestival 🇧🇪 Binche, BelgiumGillesGille Costumed carnival figures of Binche and surrounding Belgian townsFestival 🇩🇪 Munich, Germany and 3 moreSchuhplattler An Alpine folk dance of stomps, claps and flat-hand slaps on shoes, knees and thighsPerformance 🇳🇴 NorwayBunad Norway's festive dress, tied to a home district and worn from weddings to 17 MayDress 🇷🇺 Pavlovsky Posad, RussiaPavlovo Posad shawlПавловопосадский платок A woolen Russian shawl printed with flowers, made in the town of Pavlovsky PosadDress 🇮🇪 Dublin, IrelandShamrockseamróg A small three-leaved clover, worn in Ireland on St Patrick's Day as a national emblemFolklore 🇵🇹 Coimbra, PortugalPraxePraxe Académica A set of student initiation rituals and traditions in Portuguese universities.Rite of passage 🇬🇧 United Kingdom and 1 moreKiltfèileadh A pleated knee-length skirt in tartan wool, worn as Scottish Highland dressDress 🇩🇪 Germany and 2 moreLederhosen Leather breeches that began as work wear and now belong to Alpine festivalsDress 🇺🇦 Chernivtsi, Ukraine and 1 moreVyshyvankaвишиванка (Ukrainian), вышыванка (Belarusian) An embroidered shirt of Ukraine and Belarus, its patterns marking region and familyDress 🇩🇪 Germany and 1 moreTracht Traditional dress of the German-speaking regions, from lederhosen to the dirndlDress 🇬🇧 United KingdomTartanbreacan The checked woollen cloth of Scotland, woven from crossing stripes into named patternsDress 🇷🇺 Russia and 5 moreUshankaушанка An ear-flapped fur hat from Russia, tied up or under the chin against the coldDress 🇺🇦 Kyiv, Ukraine and 1 moreUkrainian embroideryвишивка (vyshyvka) A stitched folk art of Ukraine, worked into shirts, cloths and church furnishingsCraft 🇷🇺 Kazan, Russia and 2 moreValenkiва́ленки Russian winter boots of felted wool, worn on dry snow and often paired with galoshesDress 🇦🇱 Albania and 3 moreXhubleta A rippling bell-shaped skirt made by Albanian women of the northern highlandsDress 🇪🇪 Tartu, Estonia and 5 moreEuropeade An annual gathering of folk dancers, musicians and singers across EuropeFestival 🇬🇧 United Kingdom and 1 moreBreeching A rite of passage when a young boy first wore trousers instead of a dress.Rite of passage 🇷🇺 Russia and 5 morePapakha A sheepskin hat of the Caucasus, worn by highland men and by army regimentsDress 🇷🇺 Russia and 4 moreGymnastyorkaгимнастёрка A loose pullover smock that began as a peasant shirt and became a soldier's uniformDress 🇫🇷 Paris, FranceParis CarnivalCarnaval de Paris An annual street celebration and costume procession across ParisFestival 🇬🇷 Athens, GreecePeplosπέπλος A draped woolen tunic worn by women in ancient Greece, central to Athenian religious festivals.Dress 🇩🇪 Hamburg, GermanyPrince Henry capPrinz-Heinrich-Mütze A peaked cap with a tall band and a small firm crown, linked to German naval dressDress 🇭🇺 HungaryDolman A Hungarian-bred garment, worn as hussar uniform and later as a woman's outdoor wrapDress 🇬🇷 GreecePeronaiπερόνη (perónē) A long straight pin that fastened Greek clothing, and a weapon in Greek legendDress 🇷🇺 RussiaPodvorotnichokподворотничок A detachable white fabric strip sewn inside military uniform collars for hygieneDress 🇳🇱 Amsterdam, NetherlandsKoningsmantel The Dutch royal cloak of red velvet and ermine, brought out when a monarch is sworn inDress 🇫🇷 France and 1 moreBliaut A fitted medieval overgarment with trailing sleeves, worn in France and nearby landsDress 🇬🇷 Greece and 1 moreKynodesmeκυνοδέσμη A cord ancient Greek athletes tied around the foreskin to stay modest in public.Dress 🇪🇸 Valencia, Spain and 1 moreZaragüellessarāwīl (Andalusi Arabic), saragüells (Valencian) Wide, pleated breeches of Andalusian origin, worn as traditional dress in parts of Spain and Morocco.Dress 🇨🇭 Zurich, SwitzerlandSwiss traditional costumeSchweizer Trachten Distinct regional festive dress worn across the cantons of SwitzerlandDress 🇷🇸 Belgrade, Serbia and 5 moreSerbian traditional clothingсрпска народна ношња (srpska narodna nošnja) The regional folk attire of Serbs, featuring wool, linen, and leather, worn for celebrations and cultural identity.Dress 🇺🇦 Kyiv, Ukraine and 2 moreOchipokочіпок The embroidered cap a Ukrainian bride put on at her wedding and kept afterwardsDress 🇬🇷 GreeceTablionταβλίον An embroidered panel on the ceremonial mantle of Byzantine courtiers.Dress 🇬🇷 Sparta, GreeceChitonχιτών A draped tunic of wool or linen worn across ancient Greece and RomeDress 🇳🇴 Norway and 1 moreSølje A silver brooch from Norway, worn with the bunad or on its ownDress 🇬🇷 GreeceKausiaκαυσία A flat hat of ancient Macedonia, worn by kings and later as sun cover in RomeDress 🇦🇹 Tyrol, AustriaLoden capeLodenmantel A rain-shedding wool overcoat from Tyrol, part of the region's TrachtDress 🇵🇱 Poland and 1 moreDelia A fur-trimmed outer coat worn by nobility in the Polish-Lithuanian CommonwealthDress 🇬🇧 United KingdomGuernsey A traditional seamless wool sweater crafted for seafarers across the British IslesDress
More traditions

Photo credits on this page

The small pictures above come from Wikimedia Commons under free licences. Some are cropped to fit.

The weekly EveryParampara

Every week: one tradition from somewhere new, what is being celebrated around the world this week, and one idea explained.