Engagement challenge season eight is here, I decided to participate in Cultural Fashion contest organized by #steemfashion&style community. It is a very interesting topic where we can talk about our rich history of fashion. As you all may know Sri Lanka is famous for its handlooms and batik designs. There is a lot that a dressing can say about the culture.

⭐What is your specific cultural attire and how frequently do you wear it?

The popular cultural attire in Sri Lanka among females is the Saree and the Kandiyan saree (also known as Osaria). Males, mostly wear sarongs with a special knot in the middle of their waist and a long-sleeved shirt. The traditional Osaria and the Nilame costume are mostly worn by the Kandiyan people (Udarata). The Saree and national costume are mostly worn by the down south people (Pahatha Rata).

_{This is me wearing a Kandiyan Saree on my wedding day}

Both costumes can vary in style and are dressed elegantly to show the proud culture of the upper country and lower country. These costumes are commonly worn during weddings and religious functions.

⭐List and describe the activities for which you use this cultural attire.

Females - As I mentioned above Saree and the Osaria are designed and stitched in various styles to suit different occasions:

• Like for weddings - The bride wears it with wedding jewelry.

• Religious functions - Plain white Osariya or Saree is worn in a way that does not show off much skin.

• Office attire - In most government services, females should wear a saree or the Osariya as their formal dress. And also teachers wear them for school.

_{I wore a Saree for one of my friend's wedding day}

Males - Mostly Nilame costume is worn during weddings and religious functions like Kandy Perahara. It is a costume that comes from the Kandiyan kingdom. In ancient times Kings in Srilanka has worn the Nilame costume to depict their ranks and power. National costume is also worn by the groom and it is also used during religious activities and other cultural functions such as Sinhala and Tamil new year's day.

⭐Do you think your cultural attire is unique and how much does it cost in your country's currency?

As I feel Saree is not much unique as I have seen many other Asian countries wear sarees. But the Kandiyan saree is very unique in Sinhalese culture. Anywhere in the world, you can identify a Sri Lankan female in this costume. I feel very proud and confident when I'm wearing a Kandiyan. Males' costumes are unique. And it is only worn on special occasions.

When it comes to cost, It depends on the material and the design we choose. It can vary a lot to those two factors. In general, a Kandiyan and saree can be found in the range of LKR 5,000 - 100,000 (minimum). Male costumes can be found in the range of LKR 8,000 - 100,000 (minimum). These days many people prefer taking rented costumes or one-time use costumes for weddings as it is very expensive to bear all alone.

⭐Share your cultural attire price in cryptocurrency like Steem.

I have shared the approximate prices in Steem, for cultural attire used by brides and grooms for weddings. All these prices may vary on the design, material, and added embellishments.

Costume	AttireType	Price in LKR	Price in Steem
Kandiyan Saree or Osariya	Wedding	40,000	464.53
Saree	Wedding	30,000	348.40
Nilame Costume or Mul Aduma	Wedding	25,000	290.33
National Costume	Wedding	15,000	174.20

This is our Cultural fashion, hope this post helped to get an idea of our traditional costumes. I love wearing my cultural costume Osariya it is very comfortable and easy to drape. Each time I wear an Osariya, It makes me stand out of the crowd. My loves to see me in Osariya more than in Saree.

Thanks for visiting my post! I end here by inviting my loving friends @dasudi @liasteem and @strecoza to take up this wonderful challenge.