Hongsawadi, the capital of the Mon Kingdom, is associated with a legend of Buddha observing two golden sheldrakes, foretelling a magnificent city. Mon individuals hold shaldrakes in high regard as holy, representing their culture and creating sheldrake pillars within their nation flag.
The Mon alphabet is one of the oldest scripts in Southeast Asia, developed from the ancient Indian Pallava script. It consists of 33 consonants, written in rounded, elegant shapes. Traditionally used for religious texts and cultural inscriptions, the Mon script influenced the development of the Burmese writing system. Even today, it remains an important symbol of Mon heritage and identity.
Mon men wear “Kelijk” which means a sarong or a loincloth. The long piece of cloth that is not sewn together and is popularly worn when attending important events is called “Kelij-Koh-Haleen” which means a long loincloth (floating). The shirt is a round-necked shirt with a slit throughout the chest, with cylindrical sleeves, with cloth buttons or strings to tie it together. In the past, it was popular to wear a headscarf, but later it was cut short according to the current fashion.
Source: Ramonnya Mon (Pinterest)
Mon women like to tie their hair in a bun and wear “Nin” which is similar to a loincloth or a man’s overalls but with more beautiful details. They wear a shirt, a round-necked inner shirt, bright colors, sleeveless, similar to a bra, over a lace shirt, thin material that allows the inner shirt to be seen, a round-necked shirt, small and fits the body, the hem of the shirt is as short as the waist, the sleeves are cylindrical. If young, the sleeves will be long to the wrist. If they have a family, the sleeves are three-quarters long.