ISLAMIC CHAM ETHNIC'S COSTUME

Costumes have been used since ancient times to help shield the wearer's body, later when society is developing, costumes also have the additional use of helping the wearer look more beautiful. After a long time of formation and development, the costume still has cultural elements of a country in general and an ethnic community in particular. In Vietnam, there are currently about 33,000 Cham Muslims living and working in the Southern region, they are concentrated in the provinces of An Giang, Tay Ninh, Ho Chi Minh City, Kien Giang, ... of which about 50 % live in An Giang. When coming to these areas, we can identify the Cham community through their daily clothes. The costumes of the Cham people in the South not only maintain the typical traditional features but also improve with new elements from the natural and social conditions of the Mekong Delta region.

In order to have the territory as it is today, Vietnam has gone through many wars and political diplomacy. From 192 to 1832, the Central and Southern regions belonged to the Champa state, the Cham people lived and reclaimed and built this land. After the decline of Champa, the majority of Cham people moved to settle in Cambodia, although there were still some parts of the Cham people who chose to stay. After a long time from the 18th to the 19th century, the two groups of Cham communities mentioned above began to migrate to gather on the banks of the Mekong River and the southern regions of our country today. Regarding religion, the Cham people in the Central region follow Brahmin or Bani religion, while in the South, the Cham people follow Islam, so these two groups of Cham people will also have cultural differences. In addition to the Cham, in the Mekong Delta region, there are other ethnic communities such as Kinh, Hoa, and Khmer; This has contributed to the cultural diversity of the Southern region.

The Cham Muslims have traditional costumes with their own unique features. Men will wear a shirt and sarong, always wearing a kapeak hat, a kapeak hat is a characteristic for Muslim men around the world. Usually, hats are made of felt, velvet, or white thread, in addition, hats are decorated with patterns rented on the hat. Elderly people and children often wear hats made of white thread. If you see anyone wearing a square scarf, it is those who have gone on a pilgrimage through Mecca, that scarf is a Hadji scarf because they have received the noble title of Hadji. In addition, when entering the mosques, the person who conducts the ceremony, also known as the Imam, also wears this scarf to honor the solemnity. Men will usually wear a loose shirt, but on important days they will wear a shirt, in addition to a traditional shirt called a Chvea shirt. Chvéa shirt is white and wide, butt-length, wide and long sleeves, 3-4cm high collar, collar slit down to the chest and buttons to fasten, the shirt also has 2 bottom pockets. Men's sarongs are made of soft fabric, have textures with diverse colors, sarongs are usually long to the wearer's ankles. The sarong has neither hem nor the back of the pants, only the two edges of the fabric are connected together to form it. The unique feature of the sarong is that the patterns of the sarong will be located along the middle of the body behind the wearer and this pattern is different from the general pattern of the sarong. On holidays, the dignitaries will wear white Achuba, high collar, and ao dai to the heels. The fabric of the Achuba shirt is usually thick and is worn with a white sarong to create a uniform color and is suitable for the solemnity of the holiday. As for men who are not dignitaries, on holidays they will wear a white Korong shirt instead of Achuba, along with a white sarong. In addition to the shirt and sarong, they can also wear a white scarf (the scarf must be longer than the back) with a Ykal ring or a Ykal belt. Cham Muslims believe that white symbolizes purity, so they often use white for their costumes.

According to Islam, women must wear a veil to cover their faces and their clothes must cover both hands. They have to cover all of their hair because according to Islam if a woman does not cover her hair, she is indecent. However, the costumes of the Cham Muslims in the South are somewhat more open and flexible, women only need to cover their hair without having to cover their faces, which makes life much more convenient. At a young age, women will be free to choose whether to wear a scarf or not, but when they are 15 years old or older, wearing a scarf is mandatory. The shawl here is called Khanh ma-om or Matera, this kind of scarf is made of fine and thin fabric. The shawl clearly shows the art of the Cham people and contributes to the beauty of the woman. The Matera scarf will be embroidered with diverse patterns, the edge of the scarf is decorated with a glitter border. Depending on the location, Cham Muslim women will choose the appropriate towel, for example, when at home, the Matera scarf will have a simple pattern, but when participating in parties, the scarf will have a more sophisticated decoration. Cham Muslim women in the South, when at home, will often wear short-sleeved shirts, long skirts to the heels, and cuffs. When there are guests at home or out on the street, they will wear a long-sleeved shirt with a long scarf on top or cross the neck to let go of the termites in front to cover their face. Cham Islam women have 3 types of skirts: Khanh kak, Khanh kek and Khanh pa thuom. Older women often wear Khanh kak because they are made of silk and dark in color, Khanh kek is made of colorful brocade, so young people love it. Particularly Khanh pa thuom dresses will be worn on occasions of ceremonies, so they are made of silk and have classic motifs to match the traditional culture. At important festivals, the Cham people also wear the Aw kamei, which is similar to the Kinh's ao dai, wide and knee-length, without slits, with a round or heart-shaped collar. However, young Cham people often wear ao dai above the knee with the sleeves tight to the arm, the shirt hugs the body to enhance the beauty of the wearer.

Inheriting the characteristics from the costumes of the Cham people in the Central region and the cultural features of Muslims, the costumes of the Cham Muslims in the South are extremely unique. In addition to traditional factors, they also accept cultures from other ethnic communities living in this area. These things have highlighted the image of the Cham people when they interact with people and thanks to the costumes, it is difficult to confuse the Cham Muslims with other ethnic groups.

Cham Islam ethnic also developed brocade weaving with extremely sophisticated and unique products. Products of Cham Islam are made from materials such as bark, resin, fruit, leaves, etc. from trees available in the area where they live. Brocade products are loved by many people because they feature vivid patterns in a nature theme and the colors are not only clear but also hard to fade. Brocade craft villages not only bring economy but also spread the cultural beauty of the Cham Muslim community in the South to other places through tourists who come to visit and learn about the culture here.

For the Cham Muslims in the South, clothing is a sign to help them recognize each other as well as distinguish their ethnic group from other ethnic groups. Nowadays, the costumes are more and more innovative, but the Cham Muslims can still combine modernity with tradition to preserve their cultural identity. This is in tune with the times or we often say it is “mingling but not dissolving”!