“One morning I shot an
elephant in my pajamas. How he got into my pajamas I'll never know.”
(Groucho Marx)
The word “pajama” came from Persia
where it means clothes you wear on your legs. Before the time of pajamas, women
wore nightdresses and most men slept either with long nightshirts and caps or
naked. Around 1880 pajamas were
introduced to the western civilization by British colonials returning from the
East. The English colonist adopted the light Indian jackets and trousers as bedtime clothing. This was soon worn by many people all over the country as this clothing was both comfortable and durable to wear to sleep. You might be surprised about how much you do not know about this nighttime garment?
·
Before
1950, it was common for pajamas to have a drop seat to make it easy to use the
bathroom.
·
During the 1920s it became trendy to
wear pajamas at the beach. The reason was Coco Chanel's new lounging pajamas
meant for the outdoors and for evening events. These fashionable pajamas got
women’s attention and convinced the ladies that this garment could be an
alternative to the nightdress.
·
In
eastern China, it is not unusual in the late afternoon or evening, for adults
to wear their pajamas in public around their local neighborhood.
·
Initially, when pajamas were introduced
in Europe and USA, women were not interested in the new garment as they had the
nightdress, their main sleeping clothing. It took pajamas some time to conquer
the opposite sex.
·
Michael Williams, a Louisiana
commissioner, proposed in 2012 an ordinance prohibiting people from wearing pajamas
in public.
·
Nightcaps
were popular to wear to bed in the 19th century. The were intended to
keep people’s heads warm, but got their long pointy shape so that they were
long enough to wear as a scarf, but not long enough to pose a choking hazard.
·
People
in Africa and South Asia call their pajamas “night suits.”
·
Portuguese adopted the idea of wearing
pants for sleeping long before England. It has been noted by travelers that the
Portuguese had the custom of wearing cotton pants to bed as early as 1610.
·
Termites, which were very common in
India, were the reason for the invention of footed pajama. It is believed that
someone first sewed socks to the bottom of pajamas to protect their feet from
bugs.
·
The
traditional pajama set of a jacket-style shirt and pants came through Britain,
but originated from Muslims in India.
·
The
World’s Largest Footed Pajama Party was held in Austin, Texas on March 11, 2012
where 309 adults were dressed in their footies and broke the Guinness World
Record.
Sometimes I'm so tired, I look down at what I'm wearing, and if it's
comfortable enough to sleep in, I don't even make it into my pajamas. I'm
looking down, and I'm like, 'T-shirt and stretchy pants? Yup, that's fine. It's
pajama-y, good night.' (Rebecca Romijn)[i]
[i] Sources used:
·
“10 Things you don’t know about pajamas” by the
Pajama Company Blog
·
“Fun Facts about Pyjamas” By Anthony Husher
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