Kebaya is a traditional blouse worn by Indonesian women made of thin material worn with sarongs, batik, or other traditional knitwear such as songket with colorful motifs.
"history"
The origin of the word kebaya comes from the Arabic word abaya which means clothing, but other versions mention it from the word "Kebyak" or "Mbayak" from Javanese society. There is an opinion that states kebaya comes from China. Then spread to Malacca, Java, Bali, Sumatra, and Sulawesi. After hundreds of years of acculturation, the clothes are accepted in local cultures and norms. But there are also opinions that kebaya is genuine from Indonesia. Because the original clothing of China is Cheongsam different from the kebaya. The earliest form of kebaya comes from the Majapahit palace [1] worn by the empress or the king's concubine. as a means of combining existing Kemban women, the body of aristocratic women's wrappers becomes simpler and more acceptable to converts to Islam. Aceh, Riau and Johor and North Sumatra adopted the style of Javanese kebaya as a means of expression of social status with a more alus or refined Java ruler. Kebaya's name as a particular outfit had been recorded by Portugal when it landed on Java. Javanese kebaya as it is now recorded by Thomas Stamford Bingley Raffles in 1817, as a silk, brocade and velvet, with the opening of the center of the blouse tied by a brooch, not the knob and button-hole above the torso wrap, the cloth (and separate a cloth wrap a few meters long mistakenly given the term 'sarong in England (sarong (Malaysian accent: sarong) sewn to form a tube, like Western clothes)
"Variation Kebaya"
Around the year 1500-1600, on the island of Java, kebaya is a clothing worn only the royal family of Java. Kebaya also become clothing worn family of Cirebon Sultanate, Sultanate of Mataram and successor Ngayogyakarta Hadiningrat Sultanate. During the Dutch period of control on the island, European women began wearing kebaya as formal attire. During this time, kebaya was changed from using only mori fabrics using silk with colorful embroideries. A similar outfit called "mistress kebaya" was first created by Peranakan people from Melaka. They wore it with beautiful beaded sheets and shoes called "shoes manek". Now, the kebaya lady is experiencing renewal, and is also famous among non-Asian women. Variations of other kebaya are also used Chinese Chinese descendants in Cirebon, Pekalongan, Semarang, Lasem, Tuban and Surabaya.
"Use of Current Kebaya"
Kebaya in the present has undergone various design changes. In general, Kebaya is often used at certain celebration parties. From formal parties with business partners, weddings, traditional event festivals, to graduation celebrations such as graduation. Kebaya is used as the official uniform of flight attendants Singapore Airlines, Malaysia Airlines and Garuda Indonesia.
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