Longyi is lower garment for Myanmar woman and Paso is for man. Generally lower garment for both man and woman can call Longyi.
Traditional dress widely wear in Myanmar. 85% of Myanmar still lovely wears traditional longyi. Traditional dress for Myanmar man is longyi and shirt, for formal ceremony such as novitiation ceremony, wedding reception ….use to wear jacket and turban.
Longyi for men is cylindrical tube shape cloth about 2.2 meters wide and two and half meter long. Without belt, wear it and make knot in front on the waist. Man longyi pattern is quite simple small square shape pattern or diamond pattern decorated with stars. Man do not use to wear shinning color.
Myanmar lady traditional dress is longyi for lower garment and blouse with long sleeve is for top wear with shawl.
Nowadays, most ladies prefer blouse with short sleeve. Longyi for ladies is also cylindrical tube shape cloth about 1.8 meters wide and almost 2 meters long (depend of high of person). There is small black strip at the top of ladies’ longyi. Ladies do not make knot.
There are colorful and different patterns for Myanmar ladies longyi. Wave like pattern is quite common for ceremonies. Longyi both for man and woman produce by handmade weaving and for climate in Myanmar prefer cotton wear. For special occasion, both man and woman use traditional silk longyi. Amarapura Loon Yar Kyaw Cheik pattern, Kachin Manaw pattern, Rakhine pattern are three famous patterns in Myanmar.
19th century wood curving that narrates about Jataka in Shwezigon pagoda compound reflects about the tradition of wearing Myanmar longyi in the past time.
Again 19th century monsai work at Shweyanpay temple near Inlay lake also shows the history of wearing longyi in Myanmar.
