توضیحات

There is much speculation as to wherethekebaya could have originated from. There are some who say thatthekebaya originated in the Middle East, while others argue thatitmay have come from nearby China. Derived from the Arabic wordkabameaning “clothing” and introduced to Indonesia via thePortugueselanguage, the term kebaya has come to refer to a garmentwhoseorigins appear to be a blouse. It was first worn in Indonesiaatsome time during the 15th and 16th centuries. This garmentissimilar to what is described as a “long, fitted, flaredkebayaknown as kebaya panjang6, worn in the 16th century byPortuguesewomen arriving on the south-western coast of Malaysia,situatedacross the Malacca Straits from Sumatra, in northwesternIndonesia.

Many sources also cite Chinese influences on clothing ofthetime, one source comparing the kebaya to anopen-frontedlong-sleeved tunic worn by women of the Ming Dynasty.Theintroduction of this kind of dress were accredited to twomajoroccurrences of this time; the emerging influence of Islam andthearrival of the Europeans to the archipelago. Whether it wasArabiaor China that brought us the wonderful kebaya, there is nodenyinghow quick the use of this garment was made uniquelyIndonesian andspread from one island and ethnic group to anotherwhich its ownregional variations. This quick diffusion of the useof the kebayawas also linked to the spice trade that was happeningduring thistime in history.