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Indonesia prez to suggest APEC leaders to try on traditional Bali shirts

The summit organizers are full of determination to revive the tradition which has been maintained for 20 years now

DENPASAR (Bali Island, Indonesia), October 7 (Itar-Tass) - President Vladimir Putin of the Russian Federation and other leaders of the APEC economies, who will gather Monday for a regular summit on Bali Island, will get an opportunity to try on natinal Indonesian shirts.

The summit organizers are full of determination to revive the tradition which has been maintained for 20 years now -- the guests appearing together wearing the traditional attire of the receiving side.

A minor alteration of the custom will be only that this time the host of the summit, Indonesian President Susilo Bambang Yudhonoyo, will suggest that his guests appear in the national Indonesian attire at a reception to be given on his behalf in the evening, not at the official photo taking ceremony.

Organizers have chosen Bali shirts, made from endek fabric, as traditional attire. The fabric has been made from woven fibres on the island for a long time. It usually took about a month for three weavers to produce one shirt. As a rule, endek fabric is made in bright tones.

However nonserious the custom would seem, an original concept was that the photo of a person in national attire has got to attract attention to the cultural roots of Pacific Rim countries. Incidentally, in order to maintain national traditions and local culture, Bali authorities earlier resolved that endek shirts be a compulsory wear on definited days for public servants and students.