Variants Name of Poncho

A poncho is a simple garment designed to keep the body warm, or if made from an impermeable material, to keep dry during rain. It is essentially a single large sheet of fabric with an opening for the head and sometimes for the arms. Some ponchos, especially those made toward off rain, also have hood attached.

Alternative ponchos are now designed as fashion accessories, they are the same shape but of different material. They are designed to look fashionable and be loose and comfortable, rather than ward off cold and rain. These are often made out of wool or yarn, knitted or crocheted.

While a traditional clothing in the whole world it is nowadays a standard in military field uniforms, and as a raincoat for wandering and biking. Traditional and more local names and variants are:

- Poncho, most of Latin America, Spain and worldwide.

- Chamanto, only in central Chile, poncho in the north and south.

- Jorongo or Sarape, Mexico.

- Kotze or “Wetterfleck” in Austria, Switzerland and Bavaria, a dark green or brown clothing for hunting.

- Paenula, in ancient Rome; some kind of cape or jacket.

- Kasel or Pluviale, Roman Catholic Church clothing.

- Pelerine, Redingote and Cape; a weather jacket without arms.

- Poncho Chilote, a heavy poncho made of wool.

- Gurgle, in the Middle Ages; short, sometimes with hood.

- In the cold regions of Colombia there’s a clothing similar to a poncho called the Ruana.

Military Equipment

In the infantry of Australia and the UK, a poncho is a shelter half that may also serve as a raincoat or as an individual shelter. In operations in which ponchos are used, one is carried by each person, and when combined with another forms a two-person tent.

(This entry is from Wikipedia)

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Poncho

Meaning :

1. a blanket-like cloak with a hole in the center for the head.
2. a multi purpose rectangle of rubberized canvas with a hole in the middle so that the head can be inserted. It was used to fend off rain, as a tent or to carry bodies, among many other uses.
3. a similar garment having a hood used as a raincoat.

Poncho, from Mapudungun, this word originated in Chile. In the southern regions of Chile live a people, the Mapuche, who managed to avoid Spanish conquest and have held on to their culture and language under the independent Chilean government as well. The Mapuche learn military tactics from the Spanish so that they could fend them off, the Spanish learned from the Mapuche to fend off the rain with an ingenious garment they called a poncho.

To make a poncho, the Mapuche take a watertight wool blanket and make a slit in it so it can be worn as a cloak. It was discussed in English as early as 1717: “The Spaniards have taken up the use of the Chony, or poncho....to ride in. because the poncho keeps out the rain.” As that remark indicates, it is through Spanish that poncho came to English.

The Mapuche invention is used by soldiers, campers, and other outdoors people the world around. Now sometimes equipped with a hood, it serves not only as a cloak but also as a pillow and blanket. When it isn’t needed for protection against the elements, a wool poncho makes a fine wall decoration.

Mapudungun or Araucano is spoken by 400,000 people in Chile today and 40,000 more in Argentina. It is in a language family by itself. The Mapudungun language has also given us to the Coypu (1793), an otter-like rodent also known as the nutria (a Spanish word). Valued for its fur, the coypu has been imported into North America along with its name, where it has escaped from fur farms and become a pest.

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Fictional trenchcoat wearers

Comics and Graphic Novels
Trenchcoat are used in a number of comics, animated series, and graphic novels. The use could be traced back to the Golden Age of Comics. Most of the heroes in question owned their creation in earlier pulp detective archetypes. This include Doctor Occult, Green Hornet and Crimson Avenger, among others. John Constantine, the main protagonist of the Hellblazer series, wears a trenchcoat as an integral part of his image and refers to himself as a member of the Trenchcoat Brigade. Rorschach from Watchmen wears a trenchcoat. Marvel comics thief and supersoldier Fantomex wore a white trenchcoat as part of his costume. During Grant Morrison’s run on the X-Men comics, titled New X-Men, the characters Jean Grey and Emma Frost wore leather trenchcoats. Gambit (comics) from the X-Men wears a brown trenchcoat over his armor.

Many of the characters in Frank Miller’s Sin City wear trenchcoats. Comic book villain The Joker occasionally wears a grey or purple trenchcoat, often accompanied by a matching wide-brimmed zoot hat. Osmosis Jones’s nemesis, Thrax, wears a trenchcoat. Tommy Monaghan, the titular star of the comic book Hitman, regularly wears a dark green trenchcoat. The Phantom (aka Mr. Walker) wears a signature trenchcoat and a Fedora when walking in town as an ordinary man. The Punisher AKA Frank Castle also wears a trenchcoat to conceal his skull t-shirt.

The Crimson Avenger & The Question in Justice League Unlimited
In Garry Trudeau’s comic trip Doonesbury, television news reporters are frequently depicted wearing trenchcoats. The military details, like the D-rings and the collar strap, are carefully drawn, indeed exaggerated.

Science Fiction
The Tenth Doctor in the British science-fiction series Doctor Who, played by David Tennant, wears a brown trenchcoat over his ‘greek chic’ brown pin-stripe suit. Most of the characters of the Matrix trilogy belonging to the human faction, such as Neo and Morpheus, wore trenchcoats during their incursions in the Matrix. The Replicant Roy Batty in Bladerunner wore a black leather trenchcoat, while Deckard wore an original Burberry trenchcoat. A leather trenchcoat was used as one of the trademarks of Vampire Spike in Buffy the Vampire Slayer and Angel. Likewise, the vampire Angel, also a Buffyverse character, often wore trenchcoats, especially during the second season of Buffy the Vampire Slayer, when he reverted to his evil self, Angelus.

In the 2002 sci-fi series Firefly, the rebellious independent Faction of the Unification War became known as Browncoats for wearing brown trenchcoats in combat (as opposed to the sophisticated battle suits of the Alliance).

Others Film
Eric Draven, portrayed by Brandon Lee, wore a trenchcoat as part of his infamous wardrobe in the film “The Crow”. Kevin Smith’s character creation Silent Bob always wears a green trenchcoat. Lemony Snicket, fictitious author of the book series A Series Of Unfortunate Events, is often shown in photoghraps wearing a brown trenchcoat. Carmen Sandiego wears a red trenchcoat and a red fedora hat as her main costume. On the movie Jeepers Creepers, Creeper would wear a trenchcoat that disguised himself. The characters Mark and Ken Gor of the A Better Tomorrow films are also famous for their long-dark trenchcoats known as “dusters”.

In an important scene in Kramer Vs. Kramer, Ted Kramer (Dustin Hoffman) tell his boss over lunch that he has finally bought a “Burberry Coat”. He says,”My hand was trembling as I wrote out the check.” This marks one of the rare occasions when a Burberry trenchcoat was bought with a check, rather than a credit card. The point is that such a coat is an expensive status symbol, thus making its purchase a rite of passage. (in a later scene in the same restaurant, Kramer’s boss fires him over lunch.)

Miscellaneous
Many characters from the game Deus Ex, including the lead (JC Denton) and his brother (Paul Denton). The Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles wore tan colored trenchcoats as disguises when they had to traverse the streets of New York City. Mark Calaway AKA The Undertaker wears a black long leather trenchcoat in WWE. Kino from Kino’s Journey also wears two trenchcoats. She wears a much shorter olive green trenchcoat that is more like a regular coat but still holds many of the properties of a trenchcoat such as a distinctive military style. Her second trenchcoat is more of a traditional style and beige coloring that she wears as an outer layer. It used to belong to the older Kino from episode 4. Organization XIII from Kingdom Hearts 2 wore black trenchcoats with hoods. Sephiroth, one of the most famous villains from the Final Fantasy series of video games, has a rather unique trenchcoat as part of his outfit.

(This entry is from Wikipedia)

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