Abadá () can refer to various items of clothing: a white
tunic
A tunic is a garment for the torso, usually simple in style, reaching from the shoulders to a length somewhere between the hips and the ankles. It might have arm-sleeves, either short or full-length. Most forms have no fastenings. The name deri ...
worn for
prayer
File:Prayers-collage.png, 300px, alt=Collage of various religionists praying – Clickable Image, Collage of various religionists praying ''(Clickable image – use cursor to identify.)''
rect 0 0 1000 1000 Shinto festivalgoer praying in front ...
by
Africa
Africa is the world's second-largest and second-most populous continent after Asia. At about 30.3 million km2 (11.7 million square miles) including adjacent islands, it covers 20% of Earth's land area and 6% of its total surfac ...
n
Muslim
Muslims () are people who adhere to Islam, a Monotheism, monotheistic religion belonging to the Abrahamic religions, Abrahamic tradition. They consider the Quran, the foundational religious text of Islam, to be the verbatim word of the God ...
s, the uniform of port workers in Brazil,
[Assunção (2005, p. 215)] the pants worn by
capoeiristas, or a shirt sold at a
carnival
Carnival (known as Shrovetide in certain localities) is a festive season that occurs at the close of the Christian pre-Lenten period, consisting of Quinquagesima or Shrove Sunday, Shrove Monday, and Shrove Tuesday or Mardi Gras.
Carnival typi ...
or
theatrical
Theatre or theater is a collaborative form of performing art that uses live performers, usually actors to present experiences of a real or imagined event before a live audience in a specific place, often a stage. The performers may communic ...
production to promote the event.
["Uprising! Revolt of the Malês". ''A Short History of Salvador de Bahia, Brazil''. Retrieved on 23 July 2009. http://www.bahia-online.net/history-bahia.htm]
Capoeira pants
Original abadás were white. Capoeira abadás are generally white and sport the Capoeira school's
logo
A logo (abbreviation of logotype; ) is a graphic mark, emblem, or symbol used to aid and promote public identification and recognition. It may be of an abstract or figurative design or include the text of the name that it represents, as in ...
(usually on the left leg). However, there are generic abadás that some schools train in, reserving their uniform abadás for demonstrations. In addition, some Capoeira schools allow any
exercise pants for
training
Training is teaching, or developing in oneself or others, any skills and knowledge or fitness that relate to specific useful competencies. Training has specific goals of improving one's capability, capacity, productivity and performance. I ...
. Several schools stick to white as a symbol of purity, representing the pure
martial art
Martial arts are codified systems and traditions of combat practiced for a number of reasons such as self-defence; military and law enforcement applications; competition; physical, mental, and spiritual development; entertainment; and the pres ...
of Capoeira. It is also believed that the white color has religious ties, thus making it appropriate for Capoeira demonstrations. Many Capoeiristas believe that Capoeira is religious in nature, and give the highest form of respect to their martial art. Hence, the color white is used for their uniforms.
[Tudobeleza. "Colorful Shirts vs. Colorful Pants". ''Eyes On Brazil'' (25 April 2008). Retrieved on 24 July 2009. http://eyesonbrazil.wordpress.com/2008/04/25/abada/]
The founder of Capoeira Regional, Manuel dos Reis Machado, Mestre Bimba, chose white for the uniform, to show the uniforms of his students were clean. Dirt can be easily spotted on white clothes. Back in those days capoeira was judged to be the pastime of petty criminals and vagabonds. To show the uniform was clean, was to create a distance between his school and that common perception.
Carnival shirts
Carnival abadás may be any kind of
shirt
A shirt is a cloth garment for the upper body (from the neck to the waist).
Originally an undergarment worn exclusively by men, it has become, in American English, a catch-all term for a broad variety of upper-body garments and undergarments. ...
, with arbitrary
color
Color (or colour in English in the Commonwealth of Nations, Commonwealth English; American and British English spelling differences#-our, -or, see spelling differences) is the visual perception based on the electromagnetic spectrum. Though co ...
s and logos.
References
Further reading
Assunção, Matthias Röhrig (2005). ''Capoeira : A History of an Afro-Brazilian Martial Art''. New York: Routledge. .
External links
artecapoeira.comCapoeira Pants
{{DEFAULTSORT:Abada
Latin American clothing