The ( in Spanish) is the

national costume A folk costume (also regional costume, national costume, traditional garment, or traditional regalia) expresses an identity through costume, which is usually associated with a geographic area or a period of time in history. It can also indicat ...

for men in

Venezuela Venezuela (; ), officially the Bolivarian Republic of Venezuela ( es, link=no, República Bolivariana de Venezuela), is a country on the northern coast of South America, consisting of a continental landmass and many islands and islets in th ...

. It has its origin in the Llanos of Venezuela. It is traditionally white, beige, cream or ecru, although it is available in other colors. Recently, have been worn by famous personalities in Venezuela for their weddings, in a renaissance of traditional dress – for example,

Venezuelan folk music Several styles of the traditional music of Venezuela, such as salsa and merengue, are common to its Caribbean neighbors. Perhaps the most typical Venezuelan music is joropo, a rural form which originated in the llanos, or plains. Genres Joro ...

ian

Simón Díaz Simón Narciso Díaz Márquez (August 8, 1928 – February 19, 2014) was a Venezuelan singer and Grammy Award-winning composer of Venezuelan music. Career Díaz endeavored to recover the folklore and musical traditions of the ''llanos'', the Ven ...

was known to almost always wear one. The is traditionally made of linen or cotton cloth, although gabardine and wool can be used. The outfit is made up of a pair of full-length trousers and a jacket. The jacket has long sleeves and a rounded Nehru-style collar, which is fastened and decorated by a (chain link similar to a cufflink), which joins the two ends of the collar. The jacket is fastened by five or six buttons, and may or may not have pockets (if so, no more than four). Overall, the outfit is very simple with clean, elegant lines. Traditionally, the is worn with '' alpargata'' – an open-toed sandal – and a '' llanero'' hat. Because of the style of the collar, it is said that the was brought to Venezuela from the

Philippines The Philippines (; fil, Pilipinas, links=no), officially the Republic of the Philippines ( fil, Republika ng Pilipinas, links=no), * bik, Republika kan Filipinas * ceb, Republika sa Pilipinas * cbk, República de Filipinas * hil, Republ ...

, although this is uncertain. The more accepted version is that the is derived from the uniform of colonial-era soldiers, whose jacket or had a similar shape – hence the name and the collar.

References

{{reflist National symbols of Venezuela Venezuelan clothing Colombian clothing Folk costumes