In dzongs, and on formal occasions, a dasho or someone in authority carries a long sword called a patang. The Bhutanese hoist the gho to knee length and hold it in place with a woven cloth belt called a kera. Working on backstrap looms, weavers use a pick-up technique to create designs which are worn by both men and women in daily life. This is a rectangular piece of brightly coloured cloth that wraps around the body over a Tibetan-style silk blouse called a wonju. In Bhutan, the creation of cloth is considered a religious act and colour selection a spiritual exercise. Traditional footwear is knee-high, embroidered leather boots, but these are now worn only at festivals. For everyday wear, women wear a kira made from striped cloth with a double-sided design, and on more formal occasions they wear a kira with an embellished pattern woven into it. The whole ensemble is beautiful and Bhutanese women are very elegant in their finery. P.O. Broadly, Bhutanese weaving can be split into two categories: Tsongtham, cloth woven for commercial purposes, and Hingtham, cloth woven for relatives and friends. PABX: 00975 2 336460 / 337589 Ordinary male citizens wear a kabney of unbleached white silk and each level of official (male or female) wears a different coloured kabney: saffron for the king and Je Khenpo; orange for lyonpos; blue for National Council and National Assembly members; red for those with the title Dasho and for senior officials whom the king has recognised; green for judges; white with a central red stripe for dzongdags (district governors); and white with red stripes on the outside for a gup (elected leader of a village). Ghos have a cuff that can be folded or pinned in place. A type of soumak stitch is applied row by row through an open shed using a pointed pick up stick. © 2020 Lonely Planet. Men wear a gho, a long robe similar to the Tibetan chuba. Box: 1551 Chubachu All rights reserved. The most expensive kiras are kushutaras (brocade dresses), which are made of hand-spun, handwoven Bhutanese cotton, embroidered with various colours and designs in raw silk or cotton thread. The Bhutanese hoist the gho to knee length and hold it in place with a woven cloth belt called a kera. Bhutan National Dress - Dress Code in Bhutan The Driglam Namzha is the official dress code behaviour of Bhutan. The Gho for Men. : 335117 The traditional attire for men and women known as Gho and Kera were introduced around the 17th century by the unifier of Bhutan as a nation-state, 'Ngawang Namgyal' to display their unique identity. I can unsubscribe any time using the unsubscribe link at the end of all emails. It is thought that more than half of Bhutan’s population is actively involved in weaving in one way or another. Kira, an ankle length long rectangular ankle length cloth, is wrapped around the body in a series of folds. Here are 8 Bhutan Dresses of Men & Women: Gho Kera Kira Toego Wonju Rachu … Ghos come in a wide variety of patterns, often with plaid or striped designs. Aikapur cloth, commonly produced in Eastern Bhutan, is considered the most technically complex of all Bhutanese textiles. The kera is wound tightly around the waist, and the large pouch formed above it is traditionally used to carry a bowl, money and the makings of doma . And now the following pictures will show you how to wear a half-kira. Kira is basically a large sheet of cloth and like gho, kira is also available in both hand-woven or ready-made materials. Women wear a long floor-length dress called a kira. Royal Textile Academy of Bhutan The technical skills of Bhutanese weaving are taught through six-year courses at Royal Thimphu College and The Royal Textile Academy of Bhutan, both in the capital, Thimphu. Bhutan, Executive Director Direct No. Fax: 00975 2 328128, ©2016 All Copyrights Reserved by Royal Textile Academy of Bhutan, Thimphu, Bhutan, Making of: Kira, Tingma and Aikapur Weaving, Bhutan, Promoting the unique arts and crafts of Bhutan, An exhibition of Nepal’s indigenous handcrafts, Fashion and textile, a new collaboration between Bhutan and India, The Friends of the Royal Textile Academy of Bhutan. The Gho is a knee length cloak for men that is tied at the waist with a Kera, or cloth belt. Tingma is a Bhutanese technique that uses discontinuous supplementary wefts in addition to a ground weft. It is tied at waist with kera and worn over a blouse-like wonju. Over the top is worn a short, open, jacket-like garment called a toego. Lhuentse is celebrated for its kushutara designs. I want emails from Lonely Planet with travel and product information, promotions, advertisements, third-party offers, and surveys. Formal occasions, including a visit to the dzong (fort-monastery), require a scarf called a kabney that identifies a person's rank. Weavers knot individual silk threads to create motifs. No part of this site may be reproduced without our written permission. It is compulsory for all Bhutanese to wear national dress in schools, government offices and on formal occasions. The kera is wound tightly around the waist, and the large pouch formed above it is traditionally used to carry a bowl, money and the makings of doma. Thimphu -11001 People hardly wear full kira these days, most people wear half kira. When visiting dzongs, women wear a cloth sash called a rachu over their shoulders or simply over their left shoulder in the same manner as men wear a kabney. Broadly, Bhutanese weaving can be split into two categories: Tsongtham, cloth woven for commercial purposes, and Hingtham, cloth woven for relatives and friends. Ghos come in a wide variety of patterns, though often they have plaid or striped designs. Gho is knee length robe tied at the waist by a cloth belt known as the kera. Men, women and children wear traditional clothing made from Bhutanese textiles in a variety of colourful patterns. A weaver who works 10 to 12 hours per day can take more than a year to produce a single textile. One man suggested that the best part of the day was when he was able to loosen his uncomfortably tight belt. In case of kira…there is full-kira and half-kira. According to tradition, men should carry a small knife called a dozum at the waist. Formality in Thimphu dictates that legs may not be covered until winter has arrived, which is defined as the time that the monks move to Punakha. Hingtham, which roughly translates to ‘heart-woven’, hints at the social and spiritual significance of weaving. This gives the textile long, horizontal lines that resemble dense embroidery. Historically, Bhutanese men wore the same thing under their gho that a true Scotsman wears under his kilt, but today it's usually a pair of shorts. Learn more from Intangible Cultural Heritage’s in the Asia-Pacific Region’s Traditional Craftsmanship report here. In winter it's correct to wear thermal underwear, but it's more often a pair of jeans or a tracksuit. Popular textiles include Bhutan’s national dress (for men, the gho and for women, the kira), long, loose silk garments that are richly embellished. Women often wear large amounts of jewellery. The kabney has to be put on correctly so it hangs in exactly the right way. Jacket-like tego is worn … Most Bhutanese men wear leather shoes, trainers or trekking boots. Bhutan's traditional dress is one of the most distinctive and visible aspects of the country.