How to Wear a Longyi – Myanmar

Julio Moreno Myanmar , 3 Comments
How to Wear a Longyi – Myanmar

The Burmese traditional ‘trousers’ or skirt known as a longyi is still widely used throughout all of Myanmar. Upon arriving, I decided to buy one just to try it out and blend in. I didn’t expect to like my 2,500 kyat investment so much.

The longyi can be worn as a basic skirt but is so much more. You can make a pocket, make it tighter or more relaxed, and you can even turn it into shorts! Here is a step by step guide on how to wear one as taught by the wonderful staff of the Fortune Hotel in Mandalay.

Normal Longyi (no pocket)

First - Get inside the longyi
Step 1 – Get inside the longyi

Step 2 - Fold it to your particular liking for height
Step 2 – Fold it to your particular liking for height
Longyi 3
Step 3 – Open it wide
Step 4 - Grab the ends and fold them in. Twist tight.
Step 4 – Grab the ends and fold them in. Twist tight.
Step 5 - Twist one more time
Step 5 – Twist one more time
Step 6 - Fold the left over parts into the longyi
Step 6 – Fold the left over parts into the longyi

 

Step 7 - Smile, you are blending right in
Step 7 – Smile, you are blending right in

Pocket Longyi

Maybe you are tired with the normal longyi and would like to know how to make a pocket to put your wallet or phone. Afterall, you don’t want to carry a purse too! Repeat Steps 1-3 from above.

Step 4a - Grab the middle of the longyi and pull it up
Step 4a – Grab the middle of the longyi and pull it up
Step 5a
Step 5a – Fold the sides in like in step 4 above
Step 6a
Step 6a – Twist like before
Step 7a
Step 7a – Fold into the longyi like before. But you should have an extra piece of cloth in the middle
Step 8a - Check out this awesome pocket you have left.
Step 8a – Check out this awesome pocket you have left. If it is not the right size, you might have to do this again.
Step 9a - Place a phone or wallet into the pocket
Step 9a – Place a phone or wallet into the pocket
Step 10a - Fold the pocket into the longyi
Step 10a – Fold the pocket into the longyi
Step 11a - If you did it right, the item in the pocket should be nice and secure.
Step 11a – If you did it right, the item in the pocket should be nice and secure. If not, try again.

The first few tries, you will probably feel, and look like this:

Longyi Fail
Longyi Fail

After a while, you will get it and look like this

Longyi Success
Longyi Success

I hope you now know how to put on a longyi 🙂

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