Next: 24 Aug 2027
National Kebaya Day, Indonesia
Indonesia's Kebaya Day, set in 2023, asks everyone to wear the kebaya with a wrapped kain.
What is worn for National Kebaya Day, Indonesia
Hari Kebaya Nasional, National Kebaya Day, was set by the Indonesian government in 2023 and falls on 24 August. People are encouraged to wear the kebaya, the fitted blouse of lace, cotton or silk, over a kain, a wrapped cloth of batik or songket, as an everyday garment as well as a ceremonial one. The kebaya was included in 2024 on UNESCO's list of intangible cultural heritage, in a joint nomination by Indonesia, Brunei, Malaysia, Singapore and Thailand. Like the saree it is a long cloth wrapped round the body, with a fitted top, and each region of the country has its own cloth and pattern, from Javanese batik to Balinese endek and Sumatran songket.
The sarees
Written by the EveryPallu desk with AI assistance. Background: "Kebaya" on Wikipedia. Customs differ from place to place and family to family. If this is your tradition and we have it wrong, tell us.
Photo credits on this page
The small pictures above come from Wikimedia Commons under free licences. Some are cropped to fit.
- Batik: Fpangestuphotographer, CC BY-SA 4.0, source