People, of course, are the primary reason folk art exists. People create art for all sorts of reasons; to decorate their homes, work places, churches and places of worship and to adorn their bodies with attractive and functional clothing, jewelry for fashion and cultural identification.
In most cultures women have traditionally woven, knitted and sewn or embroidered decorative clothing such as bonnets, shawls, skirts and dresses, waistcoats, trowsers, shirts and blouses and the like for their families.
Designs, colors and styles of peasant art in clothing can vary greatly from one culture to the next. Many times this difference was intentional to establish or identify with ethnic, cultural or religious affiliation.
Here is a Diversity Calendar which lists ethnic and religious holidays by month.
Visit cultural celebrations and events such as ethnic dance festivals, Chinese festivals, Cinco de Mayo or Japanese New Year, for instance, to view historic period and cultural folk costumes.
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