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Kartini Day
On 21 April Indonesia remembers Kartini, with schoolgirls and women in kebaya and a batik kain panjang.
What is worn for Kartini Day
Kartini Day, 21 April, remembers Raden Adjeng Kartini, born in 1879, who wrote letters about education for women in Java and is regarded as a pioneer of the women's movement in Indonesia. Schoolgirls and women wear the kebaya, a fitted blouse of lace or cotton, with a kain panjang, a long wrapped cloth of batik, which is held with a belt at the waist and falls to the ankle. The wrapped batik skirt is the Javanese cousin of the saree. Schools hold contests of dress and speeches, and offices hold ceremonies. Many wear the clothes of their own region, such as the dress of Sumatra or Bali. The day is not a holiday but is widely observed.
The sarees
Written by the EveryPallu desk with AI assistance. Background: "Kartini" 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.
- Sarong: Unknown author, CC BY-SA 3.0, source
- Kebaya: Simon_sees, CC BY 2.0, source
- Batik: Fpangestuphotographer, CC BY-SA 4.0, source