Preserving Palestine's Cultural Identity by Spicing Up School Uniforms with Palestinian Embroidery

We can all agree that school uniforms are not exactly known for their lavish style. Recently, an all girls school in Bethlehem, Palestine decided to take it upon themselves to spice up their mundane school uniforms with traditional embroidery. Banat Al-Awda Primary School chose to incorporate traditional Palestinian embroidery into their uniforms, as a way to preserve their Palestinian cultural identity, and to encourage the girls to not be so bored with their uniforms!

The principal of the school, Suha Awwad, came up with this idea because of the recent wrongful Israeli adoption of the Palestinian embroidery as their own. She is determined to prove that Palestinian embroidery, which has been a part of the culture since the Canaanite times, is only Palestinian and nothing else.

The girls have placed embroidered detailing in various places in their uniforms. The embroidery is sewn in different colors, mainly burgundy, on the trim of the sleeves and collar, or as belts around the waist. It is even sewn into headbands worn by the students and even the teachers, who are rocking this new school fashion!

This idea is the first of its kind in Palestine, and hopefully it will spread to the rest of the schools as a symbol of their stand to embrace the Palestinian cause, culture, and tradition within the young people of the nation.

Don’t forget to leave a smile 🙂