The Habesha Kemis is regarded and considered as the national costume of women of Ethiopia. The dress is considered as a formal dress. The Chiffon-made dress looks appealing right from the onset. It is descriptive, auspicious, gentle and very much accommodative.
The dress is snow-white, long and is coupled with a beautiful shawl. The embroidery work adds the glamour and class of the Habesha Kemis. The shawl is called ‘netela’ in the local language. The dress resembles South-Asian ladies clothing.
The dress is worn on formal occasions from mourning rituals to marriage ceremonies. The only difference results in the way of adjusting the shawl or the scarf ‘netela’.
Habesha Kemis
The scarfs are twisted and turned around the shoulders to give a more dignified look. ‘Fata’, ‘Docho’ and ‘Gabi’ are some of the alternatives to netela. They too serve the purpose of covering up the heads and shoulders.
Men wear traditional long white shirts accompanied by white trousers. Gabi is the type of wrapping used by the men of most of the tribes and clans of Ethiopia. White dominates Ethiopian fashion. But a few of the locals with opting for a color variation too.
Ethiopia lies on what is called the ‘horns of Africa’. It is the most populous landlocked country in the world. The Habesha people occupy the northern zones of Ethiopia. The Anyuaks reside in the Southwestern region.
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