Ethnic dress ranges from a single piece to a whole ensemble of items that identify an individual with

a specific ethnic group. An ethnic group refers to people who share a cultural heritage or historical
tradition, usually connected to a geographical location or a language background; it may sometimes
overlap religious or occupational groups. Ethnicity refers to the common heritage of an ethnic group.
Members of an ethnic group often distinguish themselves from others by using items of dress to
symbolize their ethnicity and display group solidarity. The words "ethnic" and "ethnicity" come from
the Greek word ethnos, meaning "people." Many anthropologists prefer to use the inclusive term
"ethnic group" instead of "tribe," because the latter is often employed as shorthand for "other
people" as opposed to "us." Sometimes the term "folk dress" is used instead of ethnic dress when
discussing examples of ethnic dress in Europe and not elsewhere in the world. "Folk" and folk dress
ordinarily distinguish European rural dwellers and peasants and their dress from wealthy
landowners, nobility, or royalty and their apparel. Ethnic dress, however, is a neutral term that
applies to dis Ethnic dress ranges from a single piece to a whole ensemble of items that identify an
individual with a specific ethnic group. An ethnic group refers to people who share a cultural heritage
or historical tradition, usually connected to a geographical location or a language background; it may
sometimes overlap religious or occupational groups. Ethnicity refers to the common heritage of an
ethnic group. Members of an ethnic group often distinguish themselves from others by using items of
dress to symbolize their ethnicity and display group solidarity. The words "ethnic" and "ethnicity"
come from the Greek word ethnos, meaning "people." Many anthropologists prefer to use the
inclusive term "ethnic group" instead of "tribe," because the latter is often employed as shorthand
for "other people" as opposed to "us." Sometimes the term "folk dress" is used instead of ethnic
dress when discussing examples of ethnic dress in Europe and not elsewhere in the world. "Folk" and
folk dress ordinarily distinguish European rural dwellers and peasants and their dress from wealthy
landowners, nobility, or royalty and their apparel. Ethnic dress, however, is a neutral term that
applies to distinctive cultural dress of people living anywhere in the world who share an ethnic
background.tinctive cultural dress of people living anywhere in the world who share an ethnic
background.