Burundi can be described as a patchwork of cultures chiefly influenced by local and tribal traditions, as well as surrounding East African communities.
People in Burundi consider marriage as one of the main events of their culture and hence celebrate this ceremony for two days.
When it comes to styling in fashion for traditional wedding in Burundi, there is sometimes a divergent choice on what to don in at the ceremony by the groom and bride. Nevertheless, the Burundi clothing and fashion style come with simple designs. It is made in such a way that there is comfy when worn. Jewelries are also part of the royale of the day, especially to make the bride look gorgeous. The Burundi dressing mainly consists of pagnes (wraparounds) which are the convenient outfits of the Burundians. In Bujumbura, thr country’s capital, the people there prefer to wear “designer” Burundi dresses. Interestingly, the style conscious men and women of the capital city are known as the “sapeurs”.
Often times, Burundian women tend to rock adorable in ‘Imvutano’, which is the widely recognized traditional dress for women in the country.
The imvutano is a three-piece outfit made of an average of 3 meters of lightweight fabric. The skirt is long and flowing to the floor with gathers which are especially prominent at the sides of the upper hip, where the skirt sits. It also carries an underskirt. The top of this blend is sari-like, with the fabric draping over one shoulder, across the bodice and leaving the other shoulder bare. To complement the elegant look, most women wear a fitted matching inside piece such as a camisole or tube top.
Most women prefer to wear a closely fitted matching inside piece with capped sleeves. Matching earrings and necklaces made of gold are usually worn to accessorize.
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Read about:
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Meanwhile, the elegance of the traditional dress is not so much in the structure of the garment, but in the texture and color of the fabric. This is why Burundian couples love to go for the colorful type that will look appealing and stunning at their big wedding event. Colors galore adorn whosoever is wearing the imvutano; which can come with the shades of reds, blues, greens, oranges, pinks and white being the most popular. These colors in beautiful chiffons, silks, light cottons and feather light satins all embellished with sequins, beads or embroidery drape the bride and groom and other attendees of traditional wedding in Burundi. Although most imvutano are a blend of colors and patterns, some people prefers the plain colors over the multicolored ones. It is therefore not far from truth the alluring sight of seeing Burundian women ravish in this imvutano traditional dress.
While, second-hand clothing are very much loved because of the western influence, the traditional suit and Imvutano serve as symbols of pride and status. In Burundi, the level of esteem of a woman is the function of the fascinating embellishment of her ensemble. The same thing however speaks for the man, as the more classy and beautiful his dress is defines his esteem.
Beautiful article. The only piece missing is about men outfit which is called imbega, very ceremonial.
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