Origins of Pajamas

Origins of Pajamas

Pajamas are garments for sleeping or lounging worn by men, women, and children. They may come as one-piece or two-piece garments, but they always include loosely fitting pants of various widths and lengths. While pajamas are traditionally viewed as practical garments, they often reflect fashionable silhouettes and the image of the exotic "other" in popular imagination.

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The word "pajama" comes from the Hindi "pae jama" or "pai jama," meaning leg clothing, with its usage dating back to the Ottoman Empire. Alternate spellings include: paejamas, paijamas, pyjamas, and the abbreviated pj's. Traditionally, pajamas were loose drawers or trousers tied at the waist with a drawstring or cord, worn by both sexes in India, Iran, Pakistan, and Bangladesh. These garments could be either tight-fitting throughout the entire leg or very full at the waist and knees with tightness at the calves and ankles. They were usually paired with a belted tunic extending to the knees. Although the word is Hindi, similar garments are found in traditional costumes throughout the Middle and Far East.

Pajamas were adopted by Europeans while in these countries and brought back as exotic loungewear. Although they did not gain widespread popularity until the twentieth century, pajamas were appropriated as early as the seventeenth century as a signifier of status and worldly knowledge.

The garment and name were soon adopted by Europeans living in Asia. A 1610 French account from Goa suggests that the Portuguese in India wouldn't sleep without them; and "mogul's breeches" as lounging attire were introduced in the 17th century to England (a fashion then short-lived). The first documentation in English is an 1801 reference to "Tippoo Sultaun's wardrobe [...] pai jamahs, or drawers"; and by 1854 visitors to British India were advised that most Europeans wore "pajamas" for afternoon naps. From about 1870, during the Victorian period, pyjamas steadily replaced the traditional nightdress in England and Europe as male sleeping attire.

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