What Kind of Clothing Is Traditional in Nicaragua?
The traditional clothing of a Nicaraguan woman consists of a long and full cotton skirt and a short-sleeved cotton blouse. She is often barefoot. A traditional men’s ensemble is made up of cotton pants, a long-sleeved white shirt that has no collar and sandals.
Since the weather in Nicaragua is hot, cotton is a fabric of choice. Even businessmen avoid wearing suit jackets in the warm climate.
Traditional Nicaraguan women’s clothing is adorned with bright colors and embroidery. Coordinating shawls and jewelry can be added, and many women wear bright flowers in their hair. This outfit is often used as costumes for traditional Nicaraguan dances. The woman holds both sides of the bottom of her skirt and sways back and forth creating a wave-like motion out of the fabric.
Men’s clothing is much simpler and, depending on location, can consist of either blue or white cotton pants paired with a white shirt and a red scarf tied around the neck. A guayabera is a more formal style of cotton shirt. It is a button-down shirt that is worn outside of the pants rather than being tucked in. The front and back have two pleats and are sometimes adorned with embroidery or pintucking. Guayaberas can also be found in other parts of South America, Spain, Mexico and the Philippines.
