Pajamas

:"Pyjama" redirects here. For other meanings of "pyjama" or "pajama" or similar see Pajamas (disambiguation). Pajamas, also spelled pyjamas (see also spelling differences), can refer to several related types of clothing. The original paijama are loose, lightweight trousers fitted with drawstring waistbands and worn in South and West Asia by both sexes. In many English-speaking nations, pajamas are loose-fitting, two-piece garments derived from the original garment and worn chiefly for sleeping, but sometimes also for lounging, also by both sexes. More generally, pajamas may refer to several garments, for both daywear and nightwear, derived from traditional pajamas and involving variations of style and material.

The word "pyjama" or "pajama", which originally derives from the Persian word پايجامه (Peyjama meaning "foot garment"), was incorporated into the English language during British Raj through the Hindustani (the progenitor language of modern-day Urdu and Hindi).

Image:Muslim girl india1844.jpg|Muslim girl, India, in paijama and kurti, 1844. Image:JessiePyjamas.jpg|Girl in short sleeve PJs; doll in traditional. Image:Kids in pajamas.jpg|Boys in stretch-knit pajamas. Image:American sleepers1.jpg|Toddler in footed pajamas.

Types of pajamas

Traditional

Traditional pajamas consist of a jacket-and-trousers combination made of soft fabric, such as flannel; the jacket has a placket front and its sleeves have no cuffs. In colloquial speech, these are often called pjs, jim jams or jammies; in South Asia, and sometimes in South Africa, they are known as night suits.

Contemporary

These are derived from traditional pajamas, and may be variations of style only, such as short sleeve pajamas, pajama-bottoms of varying length, or, on occasion, one-piece pajamas, or may involve variation in material used as well. Chiefly in the US, the latter type may refer to stretch-knit sleep apparel with rib-knit trimmings. Usually worn by children, these garments have pullover tops (if two-piece) or have zippers down the fronts (if one-piece), and may also be footed. Although pajamas are usually distinguished from non- sleeping garments such as nightgowns, in the US, they can sometimes include the latter, as in babydoll pajamas.

Daywear

Even more generally, pajamas may refer to women's combination daywear, consisting of short-sleeved or sleeveless blouses and lightweight pants; examples of these are capri pajamas, beach pajamas, and hostess pajamas.

Material

Pajamas are usually loose fitting and designed for comfort, using softer materials such as cotton or the more luxurious silk or satin. Synthetic materials such as polyester and Lycra are also available.

Designs and patterns

Pajamas often contain visual references to a thing that may hold some special appeal to the wearer. Images of sports, animals, balloons, polka dots, stripes, and other things may all be used to decorate them. Pajamas may also be found in plainer designs, such as plaid or plain gray, but when worn in public, they are usually designed in such a way that makes their identity unambiguous. Older styles of children's pajamas have been depicted as having a square button-up flap covering the buttocks.

Custom

Pajamas are often worn with bare feet and sometimes without underwear, although these vary by personal preference. They are often worn as comfort wear even when not in bed, and are also sometimes worn as a fashion statement. In North America, some people have started to wear pajama pants in public as fashion. In the world, it is not unusual in the late afternoon or evening, to have adults wear their pajamas in public around their local neighborhood. The supermarket Tesco in St Mellons, Cardiff, Great Britain started a ban on pajamas in January 2010.

History

The word "pajama" was incorporated into the English language from Persian. The word originally derives from the Persian word پايجامه Payjama meaning "leg garment." Image:Attendant indian camp1844.jpg|Courier in white paijama, India, 1844. Image:Cheetahs nawab oudh1844.jpg|Men in white paijama with hunting cheetahs, India 1844. Image:Muslim men bombay1867.jpg|Muslim men in paijamas (various styles), Bombay, 1867 Image:Muslim girl sind1870.jpg|Muslim woman in salwar-style pyjamas, Sindh, 1870. The worldwide use of pajamas (the word and the garment) is the result of British presence in South Asia in the 18th and 19th centuries. According to Yule and Burnell's Hobson-Jobson (1903) the word originally referred to loose trousers tied around the waist.

According to Encyclopaedia Britannica, "They were introduced in England as lounging attire in the 17th century but soon went out of fashion. About 1870 they reappeared in the Western world as sleeping attire for men, after returning British colonials brought (them) back ...."

L. M. Montgomery, a contemporary, mentions how pyjamas were viewed by Canadian provincial culture in the 1930s in her novel A Tangled Web: "The night before, as he was sitting on his bed, studying if there were any way to wheedle the secret out of Dandy Dark, he had absently put both feet into one pyjama leg. Then when he stood up he fell on the floor in what his terrified wife at first thought was a fit. Very few of the clan sympathized with him as to his resulting shoulder. They thought it served him right for wearing new-fangled duds. If he had had a proper nightshirt on it couldn't have happened."

References in popular culture

The Pajama Game was a Broadway musical and film highlighting workers at a pajama factory.

Pajamas played a prominent role on a popular kids television show known as Bananas in Pyjamas. The show detailed the adventures of two bananas while wearing their pajamas.

Pajamas Media is an online advertising and publishing company created by bloggers Roger L. Simon and Charles Johnson. The term derives from CNN president Jonathan Klein's 2004 dismissal of bloggers as "a guy sitting in his living room in his pyjamas.".

See also

Blanket sleeper

Sleepover

Nightie

Sleep

References

External links

Gao Yubin, The Pajama Game Closes in Shanghai. New York Times. May 14, 2010. Accessed May 18, 2010.

Category:Children's clothing Category:Nightwear Category:Persian loanwords Category:Hindi loanwords Category:Suits (clothing) Category:History of clothing (Western fashion) Category:History of fashion Category:History of Asian clothing