Clothing and Dresses

	Young women wearing white costumes	Young men in red shirts--the symbol of being a bachelor	Elderly Sgaw Karen women	Members of Huay Kohm, a Sgaw Karen village
The Karen residing in Thailand can be divided into two large groups: The Sgaw and the Po. In addition, there are also two smaller and lesser known groups: the Kaya (also known as the Baway), and the Dtawng Soo (also known as the Pa O). Although the customs and traditions of these four groups are quite similar to one another, their style of dress is definitely unique and distinct. Thus, the manner of dress is one tool for distinguishing between the groups and for observing the individual beauty which each group expresses. These days, it is only the Po and Sgaw Karen groups which still wear their traditional outfits in daily life. The Kaya and Dtawng Soo have changed in their traditional outfits for more modern wear. The manner of dress not only differs between different groups of Karen, but also even within the same group when spread out over different regions. For example, the traditional dress of the Po Karen from Amphur Mae Sariang in Mae Hong Son province is more colorful than that found in Chiang Mai. Sgaw women in Mae Hong Son and Amphur Mae Chaem (Chiang Mai province) decorate their shirts with elegant patterns, which are much more detailed than those found in Tak. The patterns of the Po Karen located in Kanchanaburi province are quite different from those found in the North. Karen from the province of Chiang Rai have begun coming up with their own new patterns, adapting to the styles they see around them. They are totally different from anything found elsewhere in Karen tradition. The Karen in Chiang Rai have begun selling their cloth and have come up with little tricks to catch the eye of the buyer, taking advantage of new innovations in technology and drawing inspiration from the fashions of the times. They have created table cloths, for example, with all kinds of fresh new patterns based on those found in traditional Thai art and dress. One tradition in dress that will likely remain preserved amongst the Po and Sgaw Karen of Thailand is the distinction made between single and married women. A female who has not yet married must dress in a long white outfit which stretches down from the shoulders to the ankles. In Karen it is called the "Chay Kwa," Once a woman has married she must begin wearing a black shirt known as "Chay Mo Soo," accompanied by a single tube-shaped skirt. Once married, a woman is prohibited from wearing the long white Chay Kwa again. As for the Karen men, both Po and Sgaw living in the north of Thailand tend to wear black, or steel blue-colored pants. The Karen men in Tak province and Amphur Lee (Lamphun province), however, prefer to wear sarongs. Young men from all Karen groups wear red. They differ only in the size, shape and intricacy of the patterns on them. When dressing for special occasions such as New Year's, or a wedding, Karen will try to wear new clothes. If attending one of these special events it will be hard not to notice the obvious attempts made by both young men and women to prim and groom themselves into beautiful perfection, all done in the hopes of catching the eye of the other sex. http://akha.hilltribe.org