President Joko Widodo was acting as an inspector of the Commemoration of the Proclamation of Independence of the Republic of Indonesia at the State Palace in Jakarta on August 17, 2021. At the ceremony, he wore traditional Pepadun clothes from Lampung. The traditional clothes worn are dominated by red and white colors. President Joko Widodo wore white long sleeves and pants. At the waist, it was wrapped with a typical red Lampung sarong and woven with gold thread. The President also pinned a red scarf with the same motif as the sarong. At the waist of the President, there was a red belt with gold-colored circle accessories. He also wore a red headband with a yellow pattern. Meanwhile, Vice President Ma'ruf Amin was present wearing blue Sundanese traditional clothes.
Lampung traditional clothes are known as Tulang Bawang clothes. Tulang Bawang clothes are usually worn on certain events, such as weddings. The Tulang Bawang clothes are divided into Lampung Pepadun and Lampung Saubatin. The striking difference between the two traditional clothes is the dominance of color in which Lampung Pepaduan is more identical with white, while Lampung Saubatin is red. Basically, there are several main components of Lampung traditional clothes worn by men and women. For men, this traditional dress consists of a long-sleeved shirt, long pants, tumpal sarong, sesapuran, and khikat akhir.
The main point of Lampung traditional clothes is the sarong tumpal, which is a typical Lampung cloth woven with gold thread. On the clothes worn by President Joko Widodo, there is a red tumpal sarung with gold thread decoration in it. Then, there is also khikat akhir or bujur scarf. This scarf is draped over the shoulders to cover the shoulders. In addition to the main components, there are also supporting accessories that are usually used. They are a necklace from jakum fruit, papan jalar necklace, selempang pinang, various bracelets, and belts equipped with a dagger.
This traditional Pepadun clothing from Lampung has a very beautiful philosophical meaning. Clothing with a predominance of white color depicts the nature of wisdom, cleanliness and purity. The white color is also mentioned as a symbol that the people of Lampung are civilized and obedient to religious norms. Then, the gold color in these traditional clothes shows strength and prayer for abundance of sustenance.