Filipino Wedding Glossary › Kurta

Kurta

Pronunciation: KOOR-tah

Origin: Persian and Urdu, long shirt worn across South Asia and parts of the Middle East

A long, loose-fitting shirt that falls to the knees or below, worn by men or women across South Asia.

A kurta is a knee-length or longer shirt with a relaxed cut. Men, women, and children wear kurtas; designs and embroidery vary by region and occasion.

For weddings, men may wear a wedding kurta with embroidered cuffs and collar, often paired with churidar or pajama pants. It is more relaxed than a sherwani and suits less formal settings.

In the Philippines, kurtas appear in interfaith weddings and among grooms with South Asian heritage. They are not interchangeable with the Filipino barong Tagalog.

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