The ritual or adat wardrobe of the Balinese consists of several lengths of cloth of various sizes. These are not tailored, but are used in the form in which they are woven, and then draped artfully around the body. Boys and men wrap a large skirt (kamben or wastra) around themselves and tie it in such a way that a long fold hangs down in front between the legs, nearly touching the ground. Girls and women wrap their bodies below the waist clockwise as tightly as possible.
In some rituals, an inner cloth is wound around the body as an undergarment (tapih or sinjang). A kamben or wastra, which can extend down to the ankles, is then wrapped over the undergarment. 'Me end is tucked in at the waist near the left hip, and the kamben is generally secured by a narrow sash wound around the body several times.
Tube skirts (sarung) do not belong to the traditional wardrobe, though imported Javanese cloths with batik patterns are commonly used as kamben. During the past few years, Balinese weft ikat cloths (endek) from Gianyar, Sidemen, Bubunan or Cakranegara, (Lombok) have increasingly come into use.
A smaller sash, known as saput or kampuh, is wound round the hips or the chest by boys and men, falling approximately to the knees. The belt (umpal) attached to the end of this cloth is wrapped around the body and knotted below the upper edge of the saput. Another type of sash, known as sabuk or pekekek, is generally so long that it is wrapped once round the body and then knotted. Men also wear a graceful head cloth, sometimes in the form of a little boat-shaped hat (destar lidang).
Women's' outer garments consist of a long and similar to a belt (sabuk, setagen) holding the skirt together, and a breast-cloth (anteng) wrapped tightly around the upper part of the body. Sometimes a part of the anteng will be draped over one shoulder. In former times, women also wore loose shoulder sashes (selendang).
Until the 1930s, Balinese women were usually naked above the waist in everyday situations, but always covered the upper parts of their bodies when bringing offerings to the temple or taking part in festive court events. Even though one can still see the traditional I)are-shouldered dress at temple feasts and family rituals, this has now been replaced in many parts of Bali by the long-sleeved, lacey kebayas that come from Java and are now considered part of the national dress.
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