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Salwar kameez facts for kids

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Pakistani girl and boy with flowers, showing off typical shalwar kameez

The Salwar kameez is a popular and traditional outfit. People wear it in many parts of Southern Asia. Both women and men wear this comfortable clothing. It's especially common for men in countries like Pakistan and Afghanistan.

The outfit has two main parts: the shalwar and the kameez. The shalwar is a type of loose trousers. They are wide at the top and get narrower towards the ankles. The kameez is a long shirt or tunic. It has special openings on the sides, called chaak. These openings start below the waist. They help people move around easily.

The Shalwar: Comfortable Trousers

The shalwar (sometimes spelled salwar) is the bottom part of the outfit. It's like a pair of loose pants. These trousers are designed to be very comfortable. They are wide at the hips and thighs. As they go down towards the ankles, they become narrower. This design makes them easy to wear for many activities.

There are different styles of shalwars. Some are very wide all the way down. Others are more fitted around the lower leg. People choose the style they like best.

The Kameez: A Long Shirt

The kameez is the top part of the salwar kameez outfit. It is a long shirt or tunic. The length of the kameez can vary. Some are shorter, reaching the hips. Others are longer, going down to the knees or even further.

A special feature of the kameez is its side seams. These seams are left open below the waist. These open parts are called chaak. The chaak allows the wearer to move freely. This is very helpful for daily activities and work. The kameez can have different necklines and sleeve styles. It often features beautiful embroidery or patterns.

Where is Salwar Kameez Worn?

The salwar kameez is a very common dress in Southern Asia. It is worn in countries like Pakistan, Afghanistan, and parts of India. It is also popular in other nearby regions.

In Pakistan and Afghanistan, it is the most common traditional dress for men. Women also wear it widely in these areas. The style and fabric can change depending on the region. They also change with the weather and local traditions. This outfit is perfect for the warm climates in these parts of the world. It is loose and breathable.

Images for kids

  • Schoolgirls in Shalwar Kameez, Abbotabad Pakistan - UK International Development

    Schoolgirls in Abbotabad, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, Pakistan, in shalwars with cuffed hems, and kameez with western-style collars.

  • Afghan boys in shalwar kameez in Badakshan

    Boys in Badakshan, Afghanistan, wearing kameez tunics, showing side seams left open below the waist.

  • Women preparing roti for visitors of Harmandir Sahib

    Women in the kitchen at Harmandir Sahib, Amritsar, India, displaying the wide-ranging colors and designs of shalwar-kameez

  • Priyanka Chopra walks for Manish Malhotra & Shaina NC's show for CPAA 02

    Priyanka Chopra modeling an Anarkali suit

  • Clothing worn by most Pashtun males

    Perahan tunban worn by most Pashtun males in Afghanistan and Pakistan

  • Afghan Uniformed Police officer Noor Haya talks with an elder outside the district center in Spin Boldak, Kandahar province, Afghanistan, Sept 110918-A-VB845-368

    Man in Afghan clothing: perahan tunban

  • Afghan children wearing traditional clothes in Kabul

    Afghan children wearing traditional clothes in Kabul

  • Inside The Old Terminal Of Kabul International Airport

    Men wearing perahan tunban, a form of shalwar kameez at Kabul Airport in Afghanistan

  • A Loyal Afghan WDL11457

    Traditional Khet partug (traditional loose Peshawari shalwar)

  • Quetta.1867

    Balochi male shalwar kameez, Quetta, 1867

  • Baluchistan01

    Traditional Balochi suits

  • Tribal Elders, April 1896

    Tribal elders, April 1896

  • Balochi traditional dress

    Balochi traditional dress

  • Baluchi dress (UBC 2013)

    Baluchi dress

  • Balochi embroidery

    Balochi embroidery

  • Traditional Balouchi Dresses

    Traditional Balochi dresses

  • A lady at srinagar

    Left and right: phiran shalwar; centre: Punjabi suits

  • Bihar girl in Kashmiri dress

    Kashmiri phiran

  • Traditinal winter dress of kashmir

    A man from Srinagar wearing phiran

  • Kashmiri Muslim women in traditional long Phiran 1870

    Kashmiri women in traditional long phiran 1870

  • KashmirPundit1895BritishLibrary

    Kashmiri Pandits in phiran and pajama

  • Men in Kashmiri Phiran and Poots 1875

    Men in Kashmiri phiran and poots, 1875

  • Jaipur-India n001

    Punjabi Shalwar kameez

  • Women of Puducherry

    Women in Punjabi suits

  • MissPooja2

    Miss Pooja of the Punjab region in a Punjabi suit

  • Shalvaar qamiz

    Men's Punjabi Shalwaar qamiz

  • Christian Girls Arriving at School, Jammu, ca.1875-ca.1940 (imp-cswc-GB-237-CSWC47-LS10-047)

    Girls arriving at school, Jammu, ca.1875-ca.1940

  • Picket Line in Pakistan

    Women in ornate shalwars

  • Rohi's Women Dress - Bahawalpur Museum

    Rohi (Cholistan) woman's bandhani dress (Punjab, Pakistan)

  • 1st Punjabi Wikipedia Workshop-9

    First Punjabi Wikipedia Workshop: women in Punjabi suits

  • A-punjabi-kitchen

    Women wearing traditional clothes in a Punjabi kitchen: 1899

  • Girls wearing patiala salwar

    School girls wearing Patiala salwar suits

  • Nawab Muhammad Of Bawalpur 1868-1900

    Nawab Muhammad of Bahawalpur (1868-1900) wearing a loose Bahawalpuri shalwar

  • Prince Suba Sadiq Abbasi

    Prince Suba Sadiq Abbasi, Bahawalpur

  • Bed Sheets - Bahawalpur Museum

    Bahawalpur kameez

  • Nawab Sadiq Khan Fifth

    Nawab Sadiq Khan Fifth (died 1966) in the Bahawalpuri shalwar

  • Nihang Singh and Nihang Singhani

    19th-century Punjabi suthan suit worn by the lady on the right

  • Pahari women kashmir3

    Women in Punjabi suthan 1890

  • Market Place, Bikanir 1896. Woman on left in loose Punjabi suthan suit

    Woman on left in loose Punjabi suthan suit

  • Punjabi Sikh woman in Amritsar Punjabi suthan and short kurta 1874

    Punjabi woman in Punjabi suthan and short kurta, 1874

  • GuptaDanceMusic02

    Ancient svasthana and varbana outfit worn during the Gupta Empire, the basis of the Punjabi suthan suit

  • Sepoys of 20th Punjab Infantry and Hunza Gun. 1893. Men in Punjabi tight from knees suthan

    Men in tight Punjabi suthan, 1893

  • Bharatpore maharajah

    The Nawab Muhammad Bahawal Khan Abbasi V Bahadur (1883–1907) of Bahawalpur State in suthan

  • Dogri play Bawa Jitto directed by Balwant Thakur Produced in 1986 and still going strong

    Men and boys wearing a knee length variation of the Punjabi ghuttana and Dogri kurta. The full suthan is tight from the knees to the ankles, associated with the Punjab region.

  • Punjab Hills 1895. Kulu woman in churidar suthan. Himachal Pradesh

    Punjab Hills 1895, Kulu woman in churidar suthan, Himachal Pradesh

  • Baloch Man in Sindhi traditional pantaloon style 1845

    Man in Sindhi traditional Kancha shalwar.

  • Muslim girl karachi1870

    Girl from Karachi, Sindh, in a shalwar and blouse. c. 1870. Oriental and India Office Collection, British Library

  • Man in Sindhi angerkho top (1845)

    Man in Sindhi long angerkho(1845)

  • Muslim girl sind1870

    Woman, in Sind, British India, in Sindhi slim kancha shalwar

  • Hindu girl karachi

    Sindhi girl from Karachi, Sind, in Sindhi cholo and narrow suthan. c. 1870

  • Zoroastrian woman's attire 1900

    A woman's three-piece combination comprising trousers, tunic, and head-scarf, ca. 1900. Indianapolis Museum of Art.

See also

Kids robot.svg In Spanish: Salwar kameez para niños

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