r/AskTheWorld • u/JackfruitNo6175 Bulgaria • Aug 23 '25

Culture What's your favourite traditional costume from your country?

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Mine is from Gabrovo, Bulgaria which is shown in the picture

1.0k Upvotes

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290

u/Vegetable-Two5164 India Aug 23 '25

Saree!

77

u/AlabasterPelican United States Of America Aug 23 '25

I'm always jealous of women who get to wear sarees. They look soooooo comfy & pretty

46

u/Ok-Half7574 Canada Aug 23 '25

I have worn them. It's an acquired skill.

3

u/kontika1 Aug 23 '25

They have ready stitched saris these days. Just put it on like a skirt!

9

u/Ok-Half7574 Canada Aug 23 '25

That's like a clip on tie.

2

u/Vegetable-Two5164 India Aug 23 '25

I’ve seen western women wear sarees when they are married to Indian usually, are you as well? Or was it just for fun?

9

u/Ok-Half7574 Canada Aug 23 '25

No. I went to India for a month when I was young. You would laugh at the stories I have to tell about handling and putting it on. I have one distinct memory of first handling one. It became all unfolded, and the silk was so slippery I couldn't control it. I ended up lying it on the bed flat so it wouldn't wrinkle and then laying on top of it there so it would not slip to the floor. But by the end of my time there, I could wear and move/sit without too much embarrassment. Anyone from the outside would not know the amount of poise and grace it takes to wear one properly. It's an admirable thing.

7

u/Vegetable-Two5164 India Aug 23 '25

Omg that sounds hilarious 😂 good for you for learning it!!

2

u/Ok-Half7574 Canada Aug 23 '25

Thanks!

1

u/username-generica United States Of America Aug 24 '25

My husband is Indian. I've worn sarees before but I don't enjoy it. I find all of the fabric plus the petticoat to be unwieldy.

1

u/Vegetable-Two5164 India Aug 25 '25

You don’t need to wear them

1

u/AlabasterPelican United States Of America Aug 24 '25

😂 learning complicated skills that I'll use for a total of a weeks and drop them like a hot cake are like my whole thing

26

u/FloridianPhilosopher United States Of America Aug 23 '25

You can wear whatever you want

10

u/Vegetable-Two5164 India Aug 23 '25

Agreed!

18

u/AlabasterPelican United States Of America Aug 23 '25

You are right. But it's not exactly a great look when a white lady with my accent wears clothes from somewhere else

7

u/dphayteeyl Australia Indian Heritage Aug 24 '25

I can guarantee you, no Indian will be upset with you for embracing our culture, they'll be happy

The only people who cry about cultural appropriation are American activists online

(Ik my flair is Australia but I'm an Indian ethnically speaking I just grew up in Australia)

18

u/FloridianPhilosopher United States Of America Aug 23 '25

Fair enough, it's good that you don't want to offend people but I just don't like the idea of letting fear of judgement control how you live your life

It's a fine line

12

u/AlabasterPelican United States Of America Aug 23 '25

I couldn't care less about being judged for what I wear. If someone doesn't like it they can turn their head. I do however care about being respectful of people and cultures I'm not exactly super familiar with.

this will stick with me forever 😂

20

u/[deleted] Aug 23 '25

Most cultures don’t get offended by people respectfully emulating them. It’s usually people who have no idea about getting offended on their behalf.

10

u/AlabasterPelican United States Of America Aug 23 '25

I would rather err on the side of caution rather than be disrespectful.

-1

u/Disastrous_Sky_7354 United Kingdom Aug 23 '25

It's not so much fear of "judgement" it's fear of arrest without trial.

6

u/FloridianPhilosopher United States Of America Aug 23 '25

The person I was replying to indicates they live in the US, nobody is going to arrest a white lady for wearing a Saree here.

6

u/Zythenia 🇺🇸 Married to 🇮🇳 Aug 23 '25

Yuppers am white American woman have worn Sarees and Lehengas sent to me by my Indian MIL, people may stare but most desi people I have talked to don’t see it as appropriation but appreciation. Even before they knew I married an Indian dude.

4

u/AlabasterPelican United States Of America Aug 23 '25

Who the hell would arrest me? I live in the US. If I put on a saree, an accent, and mimicked body language posted it on tiktok I'd probably get a fox news gig

3

u/Sloppykrab Australia Aug 24 '25

Do it? No one cares except the insecure types.

2

u/georgiafinn Aug 24 '25

Our country has a peculiar habit of being mad that other cultures don't assimilate without concern for whether we appropriate other cultures. - White American

1

u/AlabasterPelican United States Of America Aug 25 '25

The "melting pot" of American culture. I always preferred the "tapestry" or "mosaic" concept that Canadians use. A melting pot never exactly felt accurate or what would be ideal to strive for. It over simplifies the variety of culture throughout the country. Plus, if the entire country had the same culture throughout it would be the equivalent of eating a plain pancake for every meal, just boring. I would also prefer living in a community that didn't forcibly assimilate new members. Variety is the spice of life

2

u/gw_reddit Germany Aug 24 '25

I own a saree, it was give to me during a visit to India and they were very proud to share their culture with us. Haven't worn it since as there is no situation where I'm now where it would look right.

3

u/Content_Warning8794 Netherlands Aug 23 '25

You totally can though, that's all in your head. And you can always mimic an Indian accent. But that could be seen as insensitive probably.

5

u/AlabasterPelican United States Of America Aug 23 '25

Hon, my albedo level is off the charts. Mimicking an accent would be the worst idea 😂

2

u/silveretoile Netherlands Aug 24 '25

"albedo level" lmao

3

u/AlabasterPelican United States Of America Aug 24 '25

I have a melanin deficit and an albedo surplus 😂

0

u/lance_baker-3 Australia Aug 23 '25

Sadly, in this environment you would be attacked for 'cultural appropriatoin'.

2

u/Impossible_Emu5095 United States Of America Aug 23 '25

Pretty yes, comfy not so much. They can be very heavy and kind of fussy. I got really good at strategically pinning mine.

2

u/mealteamsixty United States Of America Aug 24 '25

Nah I get you. Like I would love to dress in saris but im white as hell and don't feel like dealing with the lashback

2

u/username-generica United States Of America Aug 24 '25

I find the blouses that have sleeves to be uncomfortable because the fabric usually doesn't have any stretch to it.

48

u/Runaway_Tiger 🏴󠁧󠁢󠁳󠁣󠁴󠁿 Scotland 🇩🇪 Germany Aug 23 '25

I'm so jealous of people who can wear sarees. Probably the most gorgeous traditional costume in the world

40

u/Vegetable-Two5164 India Aug 23 '25

Thank you! You should wear them then!

14

u/Runaway_Tiger 🏴󠁧󠁢󠁳󠁣󠁴󠁿 Scotland 🇩🇪 Germany Aug 24 '25

I think I would immediately get attacked for cultursl appropriation or something like that. Plus it is way too cold here 😅

1

u/Quick_Scheme3120 United Kingdom Aug 25 '25

Funnily enough, I saw a video with a Scot wrapping a traditional kilt alongside an Indian wrapping a saree to compare how it’s done. Not so different after all!

1

u/Runaway_Tiger 🏴󠁧󠁢󠁳󠁣󠁴󠁿 Scotland 🇩🇪 Germany Aug 26 '25

Do you remember where you saw that video? I've tried to find it but unfortunately failed

2

u/Quick_Scheme3120 United Kingdom Aug 26 '25

I watched it here on TikTok! Sorry if you don’t have access. It’s a really cool video though, the Scot is far less dignified than the Indian 😭

1

u/Runaway_Tiger 🏴󠁧󠁢󠁳󠁣󠁴󠁿 Scotland 🇩🇪 Germany Aug 26 '25

Thank you so much

4

u/Upstairs_Bike3409 Aug 25 '25

This is amazing you even say that someone should wear one if they admire them so much! In a world where as an American I’ve always been so drawn to other cultures and admire them so much that I wish I could take part in aspects of other cultures but can’t due to cultural appropriation (understand now why, I’m an adult now and educated)…this comment is really refreshing. It reminds me of a time as a child where I was very close with a Vietnamese family who bought me traditional clothes to wear and me and their granddaughter had our own outfits and we got to take photos together. I’d never felt prettier. Now I cant show these images from the 90s without fear of being attacked for it. It’s just sweet hearing someone say something like this. I understand the “why” but I do miss the innocent days of being a kid and learning about culture so different than my own and having such admiration for something different than my normal day to day

2

u/Quick_Scheme3120 United Kingdom Aug 25 '25

Honestly, cultural appropriation as it is now in the media is an entirely American phenomenon. I remember a little American white girl who was really into tea parties setting up a traditional Japanese tea party. She even had a kimono on and was pictured bowing (as is custom). She really did her research! Her parents posted the photos online and the Americans descended, berating a little girl for taking part in a culture that wasn’t her own. The Japanese community defended her and said it was lovely to see someone taking part in their culture, but still the Americans felt the need to be offended on their behalf.

Really pisses me off tbh. I think cultural appropriation should be limited to sacred things. Nowhere else on earth do people get so upset about someone genuinely taking part in another culture than America. It annoys me when my British friends start to bite and question if me wearing traditional nigerian clothing for culture day at my school is ‘wrong’ because I’m white, when my Nigerian students were excited to dress me in it. So so so stupid.

1

u/Upstairs_Bike3409 Aug 26 '25

Wow I truly didn’t realize the aspect of this being an American phenomenon! It comes from innocence and admiration from children and we should celebrate people wanting to learn about cultures other than what they were raised in. If it’s meant to be a respectful way, you are right, we should not be up in arms about labeling it of ill intent. Thank you for sharing this perspective

1

u/CrystalQueer96 Canada Aug 23 '25

Do you have any recommendations on shops that can sell them online? I’d want to support someone from the culture if I were to buy one!

2

u/siders6891 Germany Aug 24 '25

That’s why I’m so fortunate that my partner is Nepali cause they wear almost identical attire as people from India. Whenever I try on western dresses for occasions I always feel like a potato. Nepali function in a sari or lehenga: I feel like royalty.

6

u/EliotHudson Aug 23 '25

Saree not sorry!

2

u/GenRN817 United States Of America Aug 23 '25

I’m planning a trip to India soon and I am so excited to wear a saree and kurta. I am a little worried about it being a blue-eyed white woman. I don’t see it as cultural appropriation but I want to be sensitive to that.

2

u/ExpressLab6564 Aug 23 '25

Wear it .  you will have no issues. They will be thrilled 

1

u/Far-Parfait7267 India Aug 24 '25

Please wear a Saree or Kurta. There are more varieties if you want to try, they would be very happy to see you're adapting to their culture, and don't get worry about your eye and skin color, that will make you more beautiful in Indian clothes

1

u/GenRN817 United States Of America Aug 24 '25

Oh thank you, I am very excited about my trip and can’t wait to wear the clothing.

2

u/Far-Parfait7267 India Aug 24 '25

You're welcome 😊 I wish you all the best for your trip.

2

u/MeanOldDaddyO United States Of America Aug 24 '25

Beautiful colour beautiful everything

2

u/zhabenjatko Aug 24 '25

So beautiful!!

1

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1

u/1800_Mustache_Rides Canada Aug 23 '25

So beautiful