SARONG, A UNIQUE FASHION AND ITS UTILIZATION IN INDONESIA

sarongs picture by: www.hanacollections.com

Sarong is a wide cloth, sewn at both ends so that the shape is like a pipe or tube, which wrapped on the waist to cover the lower body (waist down). In Indonesia, generally sarongs are made from cotton, polyester, or silk. Initially, the Indonesian sarong motif mainly is vertical, horizontal, and boxes with various colors like red, blue, green, white, or black, but now it begins to grow in motif, especially to the motif of batik.

Although, according to history, sarongs come from Yemen, which in the country's so-called futah, in Indonesia, sarong has become one of the essential clothing, especially in the Islamic tradition. Muslim men in Indonesia generally use sarongs for the purposes of worship, wedding ceremonies, as well as traditional events. Theologically, sarongs are claimed to be one of the Muslim tradition of clothing in Indonesia, especially for praying activity, going to the mosque, going to public Islamic speech, attending died relatives or friends, and commemorating Idul Fitri and Idul Adha (two biggest days in Islamic Calendar System).

picture taken from: www.indonesiamedia.com

However, today in Indonesia, sarongs are used by various people, children, adults, and parents, regardless to religion, race, or social class, whether rich or poor. Because of simple to use and flexible for various purposes, sarongs are currently utilized not only by Muslims but also the wider community, especially those who live in the highlands. In areas such as Bromo, sarongs are widely used for blankets and bedding. 

Even today, the management of Borobudur temple requires all visitors who wear shorts to wear sarongs when going into and hike up the Borobudur temple as a form of honor to the largest Buddhist monument in the world. This shows that the use of sarongs in Indonesia is no longer just for Muslims, but all people.