Traditional wear in Hmar culture is a wrap skirt. The women wear them all the time especially for formal events. It’s just a long piece of fabric that is wrapped around the waist and tucked in tight. Most times the fabric has the traditional Hmar pattern on it.
While my team was in Lungthulien, the hills, we got to go to the Ginger Festival. They held it in honor of all the farmers that grow crops in the area especially ginger. It was a lot of fun, we got to drink ginger tea and meet some of the farmers. The best part was being able to wear the traditional wrap skirts.
This was my first time wearing one and even though it was beautiful it was kinda hard to wear. I would get it on tight and it would be pretty good feeling but then I would sit down and when I got back up it would come lose again. It was pretty frustrating if you ask me and thats not even the worse part.
The week prior to my squad leaving the Hills, my team and team luna started to practice the bamboo dance. This is a traditional dance that the Hmar people do that is apart of their culture. I will leave a link at the bottom that has a video of it. Eight men hit two pieces of bamboo together and the girls dance with their feet going inside the opening the bamboo and back out. It’s really pretty to watch cause the girls do different movements with their feet every time they go back through. Any who, it was a lot of fun getting able to learn this traditional dance, it was hard but worth it. the only thing that I was nervous about was the fact that we didn’t get to practice with the wrap skirts on and with having a hard time at the ginger festival I couldn’t imagine jumping up and down in it.
The night our squad got to Lutnthulien we had a big celebration and put on a concert. All the teams had something that they had been working on to present to the people and us. both my team and luna went last cause ours was the main event. As we got all dressed up in the bamboo dance attire I could feel myself getting nervous. Especially because their was one move that I hadn’t practiced all week and it was one of the harder ones. We all got out there and the music started we started to dance. We looked great the first go around, but when I went for the second move half way through MY SKIRT fell right OFF. I grabbed it as tight as I could and tried to hold it while finishing the round but it was hard. I got one of the locals to help me put it on before I had to go again but my first time jumping it fell right off again. Moral of the story don’t wear a wrap skirt if you are dancing or at least figure out how to put it on properly.
P.S. I, Haley Walker, did have on pants underneath. No one saw anything they didn’t need to see!
this is the youtube video for the bamboo dance. https://youtu.be/RhJTKPPq1G4
