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A 'sarong' or 'sarung' (pronunciation: in Malay and Indonesian, though usually in English) is a large sheet of fabric, often wrapped around the waist and worn as a skirt by men and women throughout much of south Asia and southeast Asia, parts of Africa, and on many Pacific islands.
The fabric is often brightly coloured or printed with intricate patterns, often depicting animals or plants, checkered or geometric patterns, or resembling the results of tie dying. Sarongs are also used as wall hangings and other forms of clothing, such as shawls, baby carriers, complete dresses or upper body clothing.
The dyeing technique of batik is associated with sarong production.
In strict usage, ''sarong'' [Malay, "sheath"] denotes the lower garment worn by the Malay people, both men and women. This consists of length of fabric about a yard wide and two-and-a-half yards long. In the center of this sheet, across the narrower width, a panel of contrasting color or pattern about one foot wide is woven or dyed into the fabric, which is known as the ''kepala'' or "head" of the sarong. This sheet is stitched at the narrower edges to form a tube. One steps into this tube, brings the upper edge above the level of the navel (the hem should be level with the ankles), positions the ''kepala'' at the center of the back, and folds in the excess fabric from both sides to the front center, where they overlap and secures the sarong by rolling the upper hem down over itself. Malay men wear sarongs woven in a check pattern; women wear sarongs dyed in the batik method, with, for example, flower motifs, and in brighter colors. The sarong is common wear for women, in formal settings with a ''kebaya'' blouse. Malay men wear sarongs in public only when attending Friday prayers at the mosque, but sarongs remain very common casual wear at home for men and women of all races and religions in Brunei, Indonesia, and Malaysia.

Contents

Regional variations

Securing as a garment

Similar garments

The sarong in motion pictures

See also

External links

Regional variations

Sarongs are widespread in the South Indian state of Kerala, where they are called mundu, as well as in Tamil Nadu, where they are called Sarem, and are usually worn at home. Unlike the brightly coloured Southeast Asian sarongs, the Keralan variety is more often plain white and is worn for ceremonial or religious purposes. Mundu are generally worn only by men in this region. The more formal, all-white Dhoti, is worn for formal and religious occasions. There are also dresses based on mundu which can be worn by women, however they more commonly wear sari. It is also very common in rural Sri Lanka.
In North America and Europe, the fabric of the sarong is generally quite light, often rayon, and may feature decorative fringing on two sides. They may also have ties, which are long thin strips of fabric used to assist the wearer in holding the sarong to his body so it does not fall off while moving around. In North America and Europe, sarongs are often used by women as a cover-up over swimwear.

Securing as a garment

Numerous tying methods exist to hold a sarong to the wearer's body. In some cases, these techniques customarily differ according to the gender of wearer. If a sarong has ties, they may be used to hold it in place. If no ties exist, a pin may be used, the fabric may be tightly tucked under itself in layers, the corners of the main sheet may be around the body and knotted, or a belt may be used to hold the sarong in place.

Similar garments

The basic garment known in English most often as a "sarong", sewn or unsewn, has analogs in many regions, where it shows variations in style and is known by different names.
In 'Africa':

★ In Eastern Africa, it is called a kanga, kitenge (or chitenge), or kikoi (or kikoy), and usually made of brightly coloured cotton.

★ In Madagascar it is called a lamba.

★ In Malawi it is called a chitenje.

★ In Mauritius they are called pareos.

★ In Mozambique it is called a capulana.

★ In Somalia/Somaliland it is called a macawees.

★ In South Africa it is called a kikoi and commonly used as a furniture throw or for going to the beach.

★ In Zimbabwe they are known as zambias.
On the 'Indian subcontinent':

★ In South Asia it is called a lungi. It is most often sewn into a large cylindrical shape, so there is no slit when the lungi is tied.

★ In India similar articles of clothing are the dhoti (or dhuti in West Bengali, veshti in Tamil, pancha in Telugu,panche in Kannada and Mundu in Malayalam).

★ In the Maldives, and Indian state of Kerala, it is known as a mundu or neriyathu.

★ In Punjab it is a called maylee when worn by a man, and a gamcha when worn by a woman.

★ In Sinhalese, it is known as the Sarama
In 'Southeast Asia':

★ In Cambodia it is known as sampot suhrong, or simply suhrong.

★ In Indonesia it is known as a kain sarung ('sarong cloth').

★ In Malaysia it is known as a kain, kain sarung, or kain sampin (specialised sarong worn by men with Baju Melayu).

★ In Myanmar, it is known as a longyi.

★ In the Philippines it is also known as a malong.
In the 'Pacific Islands':

★ In Fiji it is known as a sulu.

★ In Hawaii it is referred to by the Anglicized Tahitian name, pareo.

★ In Papua New Guinea the Tok-Pisin term is lap-lap. Worn by men and women.

★ In Rotuma, it is known as a "hạ' fạli"

★ In Samoa it is known as a lavalava (also lava-lava).

★ In Tahiti it is known as a pāreu.

★ In Tonga it is known as tupenu.

The sarong in motion pictures

The American public is most familiar with the sarong for the dozens of motion pictures set in the South Seas, most of them romantic dramas made in the 1930's and 1940's. Dorothy Lamour is by far the actress most linked with the garment, starring in multiple films of this genre, starting with ''The Hurricane'' in 1937. In fact, Lamour was nicknamed "The Sarong Girl" by the press and even wore a sarong on occasion in more traditional films. Among the other actresses to don the sarong for film roles are Maria Montez, Gilda Gray, Myrna Loy, Gene Tierney, Frances Farmer and Movita. Male stars who wore the manly sarongs on film include Jon Hall, Ray Milland, Tyrone Power, Robert Preston and Sabu Dastagir.

See also

★ Kilt

★ Kanga (African garment)

External links

★ Tying an unsewn sarong front pleats method, panel images, schematic

★ Tying an unsewn sarong for women 3 methods, some panel images

★ Tying a Sarong 5 methods, images, directions

★ Tying a tubular Indonesian sarong for men one fold method, panel images

★ Tying a tubular Indonesian sarong for men two fold method, panel images

★ Alternative method for tying an unsewn sarong moderate quality illustrations