Sari draping workshop – Traditional Indian clothing from up close
Different location: ANNOUNCEMENT! CHANGE OF LOCATION! All Night of Museums events of the Hopp Museum will be held at the Vasarely Museum (1033 Budapest, Szentlélek tér 6.)
A traditional women's garment in South Asia, the sari is a 4.5-8 m long and 60-120 cm wide seamless fabric draped around the waist to form a skirt, with the end over one shoulder, and in some instances covering the head. There are many styles of sari, which vary from region to region.
It was first mentioned in the 5000-year-old Indian epic Mahābhārata. According to the narrative the god Shiva gave the first piece to the beautiful Draupadi, wife of Pandava, to protect her from the gaze of men.
Nowadays, two separate stitched pieces became part of the sari. The blouse, whose fabric is automatically added to most saris and sewn to size by tailors, is a short-cut top (choli). The other piece, the petticoat, is a mostly bell-shaped skirt with ruffles at the bottom. Men used to wear coloured saris that were shorter than the ladies', but this custom is now completely obsolete.
Nowadays, saris are available in all qualities (synthetic fibre, cotton, silk). The material, its weave, motifs, decoration and folding reveal the wearer's material and social status, as well as the part of South Asia she comes from.
