Longyi

What is Longyi?

A longyi is a length of cloth, roughly two metres by eighty centimetres, that is often joined into a cylinder. The wearer steps into it, brings it to the waist and lets it fall to the feet. The top edge is folded over and tucked, so no knot is needed. Men's longyis are called paso or pahso; women's are htamein. The two differ in cut, pattern and the way they are fixed. Cotton is the everyday choice. Silk appears for ceremonies, and the finest silk acheik comes from Amarapura. Longyis can be plain, striped, checked or floral, and many are sold unsewn, though ready-made versions exist.

Where does Longyi come from?

The tube-shaped longyi is a fairly recent form in Burma. It spread under British colonial rule and largely took the place of older separate pieces. Before that, men wore the paso, sometimes a very long unsewn cloth called taungshay paso, and women wore the htamein, a shorter piece open at the front. The amount of cloth in a man's paso could show rank. In the nineteenth century, a visitor to Rangoon noted the paso wrapped and knotted in front, while Henry Yule described paso and htamein as major local products. Silk came from China. Colonial Lower Burma and towns adopted the Malay and Indian style of longyi more readily.

How is Longyi made?

Cotton is the base cloth, but longyis are made from many materials, both local and imported. Silk is kept for ceremonial wear, and the sources say the silk used in Burma came from China. Cloth is usually sold as a flat length; the buyer or tailor may sew it into a tube, and ready-to-wear and skirt-like htameins also exist. Amarapura weavers produce acheik, a woven silk pattern of waves or houndstooth. The sources do not give a set weaving time. Indonesian batik cloth has also been used for htameins, and georgette, satin and crepe appear among fabrics made into women's longyis.

Colours, motifs and borders

Men's pasos tend toward plain cloth, stripes or checks. They can be turned inside out or upside down without looking different. Women's htameins are more varied: floral and multi-coloured patterns are common, and a black calico band called htet sint forms the waist. Acheik is the showiest silk, with a wave or houndstooth design in several colour combinations. Batik outfits matching top and bottom were popular in the 1980s. Royal pasos and htameins of the past carried embroidery and precious decoration. Modern stage reproductions recall those court styles.

How Longyi is worn

A longyi is stepped into and pulled up to the waist, then folded over to stay put. Men make a fold on each side at the front and tie them just below the navel. Women use a broad front fold, tucking the end at one side or back at the hip; a fitted blouse ends at the waistband. Hems move with fashion but rarely rise above the knee. Both sexes retie in public, women more discreetly. Men can hitch the cloth up between the legs as paso hkadaung kyaik for climbing, sport or fighting. Women may tuck a htamein under the arms when bathing.

When Longyi is worn

Daily longyis are common in Myanmar, and the cloth suits hot weather because air moves through it. Silk is kept for ceremonies and special days. At weddings, bride and groom often wear matching acheik, and poorer families may save traditional silks for such events. In the past, royalty and courtiers wore the richest silks, and zat pwès stage shows still display copies. Men playing chinlone or fighting lethwei hitch up the longyi, and rural wearers use a folded paso as a shoulder pad, cushion or bath cloth.

Styles of Longyi

Regional and ethnic longyis carry their own names, among them Rakhine, Mon, Kachin, Inle, Yaw, Seikkhun, Dawei and Zin Mè from Chiang Mai. Men's special silk pasos that are not acheik are called Bangauk, after Bangkok. Kala paso, linked to Indian wearers, are longer and suit taller people. One broad check style is called Kaka zin. Ready-made htameins may be sewn like Western skirts, while older ones remain simple lengths of cloth.

Care and buying

A longyi is easy to wash and iron because it is a plain cylindrical piece. It can be hung, pressed, folded and stacked with little wardrobe space. Its simple shape makes it quick to handle. The sources give no further care instructions.

What Longyi means

The cloth carries signs of status and occasion. In the past, the quantity of cloth in a man's paso could mark his rank, and royal dress used fine silk. Families with less money still set aside traditional silk for ceremonies. Acheik is tied to weddings and to Amarapura weaving. Lethwei shorts today carry a flag that recalls the hitched-up longyi of old fighters. The longyi also shows how people adapt dress to heat, bathing, carrying loads and moving through daily town and village life.

Questions people ask about Longyi

Good reading and sources

• Encyclopaedia BritannicaArticle

• Longyi on WikipediaEncyclopedia
• More photos on Wikimedia CommonsPhotos and video
• Wikidata recordOpen data