Panangawes: Glossary of traditional wear, with emphasis on Pangasinan terms

At the time of contact with European colonialists, ancient Pangasinans in then Caboloan are said to have these as daily clothing: men wore G-string, while women wore not only the local equivalent of baro't saya, but also Chinese silks and cotton garments, based on a Boxer Codex illustration and according to Chinese records referring to Pangasinan as Feng-jia-shi-lan. Both nobility and commoners wore gold ornaments.

Through the centuries, Pangasinans have developed their own peculiar terms when dealing with cloth and clothing. Based on the 1971 Pangasinan-English dictionary by Richard Benton, solong -- a common term which means "to wear (mangisolong) or to put on clothing, etc. (isolong)" -- has a synonym, solot, which means "to wear clothes (mansolot)" in particular. Pales, which is bihis in Tagalog or "to change clothing (manpales)," another common term in any language, has a variant in palit, which means, not only "to have new clothes (manpalit)," but also "to buy clothes."

Laboy means to "use clothes, etc. for the first time," while a synonymous word is sokab, which has the more general meaning of "to use or wear something for the first time." These two terms, in particular, reflect an old practice of ritualizing the use of any object for the first time. For instance, someone in the household who is considered physically strong must be the one to use a newly bought or newly acquired object, to ensure that it will be durable. Another term for laboy is palili.

Potik is "to decorate cloth etc. with braided threads."

The language gets colorful with action words that involve cleaning or cutting. 

Pakpak is "to beat cotton or cloth with a rod," palang is "to cut or tear cloth (or paper) diagonally or in a curve," payag is "to shake cloth, mat, etc. to remove dust," while sarang is "to air clothing." Soysoy is an adjective to describe the "frayed condition of sleeves or collar, unhemmed pieces of cloth, etc." Salutsot refers to the "accidental pulling of thread on a cloth or a garment, causing small knots."

The following are the terms Pangasinenses have evolved and adopted through the years to refer to traditional wear in particular. Interestingly, there are also specialized terms to refer to attire in the event of death of a family member. 

Baliwan is "black clothing worn by a person in mourning; to wear such clothing (manbaliwan)." Dalungdong is "black headcloth worn by female relatives of deceased for one year (until bakas); to put a veil on the head (mandalungdong)." 

Panes is a "piece of black cloth pinned on clothing of relatives of the deceased, worn as a sign of mourning for one year, until the bakas or death anniversary; to wear such a piece of cloth (manpanes)." Balanget is crown, especially of flowers placed on head of dead person; to wear a crown (manbalanget) or to crown (balangetan).

Abaca (pinukpok) - local fabric made from Manila hemp (Musa textilis) fibers

Abaray - Pangasinan for alampay; sablay; indigenous loose garment worn hanging from the shoulder during formal occasions

Agua de ojetes - underskirt or camison

Americana - suit, often all-black or all-white (called duck suit)

Aysing - general Pangasinan term for a girl's dress

Balanget - Pangasinan for crown, especially of flowers placed on head of dead person; to wear a crown (man-) or to crown (man-)

Balanggot - wide-brimmed hat in many languages (Tagalog, etc.); buntal hat (made of buri leaves)?

Balintawak – "a traditional dress composed of a shortened skirt, with puffy butterfly short sleeves, plaid textile, and low-cut bodice and at times plenty of ornate embroidery; worn during picnics and other jaunts into the countryside, epitomizing Filipina gaiety, light-heartedness and a sense of rural roots, signaling song, dance, and festivity"; may also refer to the panuelo-turned-seguet worn folded and hung on the shoulder, ever ready to wipe a sweaty face

Balintawak - blouse with butterfly sleeves that reach the elbow or 2 inches above the elbow

Baro - refers to the camisa or plain bodice for women

Baro - blouse with bell-shaped sleeves that vary in length, from wrist- to elbow-length

Barong, Barong Tagalog - formal shirt for men made of jusi and other often sheer and heavily embroidered fabrics

Baston - from Spanish for cane; also, men's trousers with tapered hem

Bastikol – a Pangasinan version of hat made for men, which was paired with an abiang (anahaw) frond rain gear called kalapiaw

Belo, velo - veil

Calzoncillo, Karsonsillo - men's earlier version of boxer shorts which were all-white

Camisa - top for women used as inner wear

Camisa de chino – a cotton shirt with round collar and buttons (Chinese style); 

often white or light in color; may be short- or long-sleeved

Camiseta de china - undershirt with-Chinese style collar

Camison, Kamison - chemise

Carcho - footwear

Carson, Karson - general term for underwear for both men and women and children

Chinelas, Tsinelas, Sinelas - slippers or slip-ons

Cocho - beaded slippers

Inagua - slip, sapad, binabaye

Jusi - from Chinese husi, fine, sheer, silk-like fabric made from plant fibers

Kalapiaw - a Pangasinan improvised rain gear made from abiang (anahaw) frond

Kamiseta, Camiseta, Sando - sleeveless shirt used as undershirt and house wear or bed wear

Kawes - general Pangasinan term for clothing for both men and women

Kayo - Pangasinan piece of cloth

Kola, De cola – "skirt tail" or "with skirt tail" in Spanish

Kimono - women's inner shirt for baro't saya

Kimona - a sheer, embroidered or unembroidered, sleeveless blouse cut in poncho style

Kolibemben – Pangasinan for alampay, panuelo, shawl; as scarf: baksa among the Visayans; babarahin in Tagalog; kandungga or panyolon in Waray

Lamping, Lampin - cloth diaper for the newborn

Latop - a general term to refer to any clothing worn on top of another as protection against cold weather

Maria Clara - "a formal dress composed of baro for top, sobrefalda or overskirt, and baksa or scarf, and often with petticoat, the dress accented by jewelry and other accessories"

Maria Clara - balintawak blouse with alampay placed around the shoulders like a shawl, the alampay a square piece of cloth folded into a triangle

Maskota skirt - siesgo skirt; A-line cut or bias-cut skirt

Milionario – white or black Americana suit and pants for men

Palda - Tagalog and Pangasinan for skirt; saya; sapey

Pándoñg - Pangasinan for mantilla, veil, velo, belo

Pantalon - trousers, pants

Panuelo, Pañuelo - a piece of large square cloth worn as shawl or covering of shoulders and breasts; folded in half into a triangle; often with intricate embroidery

Panyo - from Spanish paño, kerchief

Pasador - an early version of women's menstruation napkin or sanitary napkin made of katsa (from Spanish calcha) or muslin fabric

Paselkag - Pangasinan term for terno with stiffened sleeves

Paypay - fan; used not just an accessory, but as an instrument to send coded messages (from flirtation to rejection); may be called abanico if made with buri

Patadyong – "a woven skirt usually having a plaid pattern in colors of green, yellow, red and orange. Unlike the saya which is made out of silk, the patadyong looks humble and is usually made of cotton."

Peineta, Paineta - "a large decorative comb usually worn under a mantilla, or lace head covering. The hair ornament, worn by women, consists of a convex body and a set of teeth that affix it to hair worn in a bun"

Piña - prized rough fabric made from pineapple fibers

Pinapin - early female underwear in Pangasinan

Putot - Pangasinan for sanwal (knee-length drawstring shorts) worn by men as they worked in the farm

Sambra - Pangasinan long-sleeved shirt that is worn together with putot; usually made of cotton

Sanwal, Sangwal - Pangasinan knee-length drawstring shorts worn by men as housewear; made of think fabric; like puruntong shorts; cf.: salawal?

Sapatos - from the Spanish zapatos, shoes

Sapuey, Sapey - Pangasinan for saya, ankle-length or knee-length skirt; may be folded halfway when worn in the farm or while wading in water, with the hem inserted at the hip

Saya - Tagalog for long skirt, below the knee or ankle-length or longer

Sayang de cola, Palda de cola - any skirt with a tail that flows on the floor

Serpentina – "a Filipiniana or Maria Clara version in early 1900s which has a skirt that was narrowed at the top but generously wide at the bottom and lined with a stiff cloth made of abaca, with the bottom part of the skirt separate from the top"

Serpentina - a skirt with a tail that flows on the floor and the extension of which can be hung or inserted from the waist

Siesgo or Maskota skirt - A-line cut or bias-cut skirt

Sinelas, Chinelas, Tsinelas - slippers or slip-ons

Sobrefalda - overskirt; see Tapis

Suecos – Pangasinan for bakya; wooden clogs

Sueget – in Pangasinan, what the panuelo evolved into with the introduction of the camisole; “made of starchy and stiff material akin to that of the baro, worn more as a fashion accent than a cover”

Takuko - in Pangasinan, an extra-wide-brimmed woven hat worn by women when it rained

Tamborin, Estampita, Escapulario - neck ornaments that double as religious (Catholic) objects

Taparida - sapin in Tagalog; a piece of cloth placed on the back when the back is damp, to avoid catching cold or getting sick

Tapis – filter; apron-like rectangular piece of clothing worn for modesty on top of the saya or skirt, in the absence of panties/lingerie

Terno – "from the Spanish word for 'matching,' one-piece gown in the same material for the bodice and the skirt that is straight or flared and cut down to a floor-length hemline"

Traje de boda - wedding dress

Traje de mestiza - modernized (1900s) version of the Maria Clara with updated modifications, including a train

Velo - see belo

Yabyab - Pangasinan wide-brimmed woven hat made of buri

Zapatilla - shoes called step-in

***

References:

Prof. Januario Cuchapin

"Lingayen: Memories of Times Past" (2021) by Arabella Ventenilla Arcinue

A Quick History of the Filipiniana, Also Known as the 'Maria Clara' Gown | Tatler Asia

https://philippinefolklifemuseum.org/

Melchor Orpilla

Santiago Villafania

Rosario Cortez's Pangasinan history book

Joey Ferrer

Fr. Lorenzo Fernandez Cosgaya's Pangasinan-Spanish Dictionary

Richard Benton's Pangasinan-English Dictionary, 1971

Carmencita Pacis