Dhoti
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A dhoti is basically draped shorts. They're worn throughout
Asia and here and there in Africa. It can be made from a length of
fabric between 4 and 8 yards, depending on the size of the wearer.
The material is usually cotton or some other comfortable natural fiber
such as linen, because they are usually worn as hot weather garments or
underwear. They are sometimes made of nicer materials because they
are sometimes required for religious ceremonies and weddings in some ethnicities.
How To Wear a Dhoti
Dhoti are good shorts for hot weather, but a word of caution: you will
need to adjust the tightness according to your activity. If you will
be doing a lot of walking or running, your legs will rub together, so you
will need to either pull the middle pleats tightly, or release them so
that they don't bunch up. Otherwise, you will chafe.
Also, be aware that experts who have been wearing them often can often
get away with just wrapping, but others need to tie and pin them to keep
them in place.
Click
here for MTC's info page on Indian clothing. Click
here for our page on Sri Lankan clothing.
How To Wrap and Tie a Dhoti
Bring the fabric behind yourself with most of the length to your right,
and just enough on your left to tuck in. |
Tuck that end into your shorts or tie it using a square not, to a handfull
of the edge of the long side. |
Bring the longer end in front of you to your left hand, and pleat it
until the pleats meet your body. |
Tuck the pleats into your shorts or the loop of fabric you made around
yourself already. |
Reach under, and grab the bottom of the pleats. Then bring them
up behind yourself. |
Tuck the pleats into the back. |
This is a simple way to wrap a dhoti. There are many more ways
to do it. Click
here for a nice video on YouTube with another way of wrapping a
dhoti that is like long pants. Click
here for a step by step guide with photos, on how to wrap and wear
a pancha-kacham, a formal style of dhoti. |
