Be proud of who you are and where you come from, Nigeria is not just Most Populous in Africa, we have diverse people with different ethnicity, tribes, and cultures as well. Which makes it interesting to witness Cultural displays around the country cause of its uniqueness. On special occasions, different attires are needed to look the part right?? Why not??♂
*TRADITIONAL ATTIRES IN NIGERIA*
Hmm when it comes to parties, functions, festivals or weddings, Trust a Nigerian to give more concentration to what they wear especially during the cultural part of it, why because at the sight of one putting on a traditional attire one can simply figure the Tribe you belong and most importantly you have to look beautiful while at it because you are representing your ethnicity with how u look.
*TRADITIONAL ATTIRES* Is known as the ensemble of garments, jewelry and accessories rooted in the past that is worn by an identifiable group of people.
*IMPORTANCE *: Traditional attires has played and still plays an important symbolic role in the preservation of national values and cultural heritage and in the creation of a feeling of unity of the people. Traditional attires are not worn in daily life but at festivals, weddings, harvest festivals and other special occasions.
Furthermore, I will be listing the attires of the major Ethnic groups in Nigeria namely:
*YORUBA, IGBO AND HAUSA*.
*IGBOS*
Centuries ago the only reason the igbos wore clothing was for modesty, clothing was not used for style or to display status. Overtime their attires evolved, today most of the people, especially in urban areas, wear western-style clothing. However in rural areas, they often still wear traditional clothing.
The traditional clothing of the Igbos generally made for the men is the *ISIAGU TOP* Which resembles the African Dashiki. For the women an embodied puffed sleeve blouse (influenced by European attire) along with two wrappers (usually modern Holland is material) and a headscarf is worn.
My traditional wedding picture*YORUBAS*
The Yoruba people are known for their exquisite clothing. Clothing serves as an indicator of status and wealth. For special occasions such as Weddings and Funerals, they wear especially beautiful Attires.
*Gele *: This is a traditional Nigerian cloth which women wrap around their heads, there are many variations of how they wrap it.
*AGBADA *: For formal events, Nigerian men often wear robe called an agbada over their clothes.
*BUBA *: A Buba is a loose-fitting blouse with long sleeves and a neckline that is either V-shaped or round. It usually falls a little below a woman’s waist. Men can also wear a Buba?? “I can imagine”.
*IRO *: Are long wrap around skirts. The rectangular skirt is worn by wrapping it around the waist and tucking it in at the end.
*SOKOTOS *: Are trousers that are loose-fitting with a drawstring used to hold them up.
*HAUSAS*
Hausa – Fulani men wear a wide sleeved robe called a *BABBAN RIGA* which is aa floor-length robe with very long sleeves which have to be folded up to expose the hands. It is the equivalent of the Yoruba’s Agbada, Even if the Babban Riga is considered a Muslim garment almost all Nigerian men wear one for a formal occasion. Hausa Men also wear a traditional headpiece a round cap called a *FULA*. Hausa women wear colorful wrappers (ABAYA) with Matching blouses.
Traditional attires represent our culture and identity, it is necessary to hold on to them if we wish to preserve our traditions. However, we should keep in mind that our identity is represented by the way we dress and people wearing their cultural attires symbolize unity.
Do drop your observation, suggestion, and questions in the comment section below. Thanks and keep reading. ?
