National hats

The strength of every nation is in its traditions. These are holidays, lifestyle, and cuisine and, of course, clothes. All nations carefully, from generation to generation, convey the features and subtleties of their national costume, shoes, accessories and hats, including hats.

At present, the reconstruction of the national costume is gaining great popularity. This phenomenon has captured many enthusiasts who set themselves the task of recreating, preserving and conveying the traditions of their ancestors to their contemporaries. That is why more and more often in museums and exhibition halls there are expositions dedicated to the national costume of various nationalities, and in particular, to headgear.

Visitors to such exhibitions can see with their own eyes a variety of hats, hats, caps, caps, caps, berets, bowlers, headbands, kokoshniks from around the world. They were made of wool, silk, felt, palm leaves, knitted linen, cork, fur and other materials. By their appearance it was possible to determine the age, social, marital status of a person.

Some hats, caps and other hats are of real historical and cultural value. And the hats of individual nations are a truly unique spectacle. For example, the calabash customary to drink today in some ethnic groups of Ethiopia is also a lightweight, durable headgear for protection from rain or sun.

The traditional headdress of the leaders of the tribes of Nigeria is a huge crown, decorated with beads. It is decorated with figures of animals, birds and people made of beads. A thick veil covering the face of the leader is also created from several thin bead pendants.

One of the most beautiful hats is a hat that a young Chinese woman puts on on her wedding day. The cap is made of pure silver and decorated with the image of a long-tailed bird. Such a piece weighs about 10 kilograms, and in order to purchase it for their daughter, many Chinese people start saving money almost from her very birth.

The first hats appeared in Russia around the 30s of the XVII century. Then they were purchased for the courtiers, as well as officers of some regiments. Basically they were sewed from dense materials, for example, felt or felt. Especially valuable hats were decorated with beaver down.

At the very beginning of the XVIII century, thanks to Peter I, the hats gradually began to spread outside the palace and the army. Hats were sewn from hare-skin, wool, beaver fur, and tucked from one side. Gradually the hats changed, new models appeared, for example, coaches.

The shape and height of the crown and the width of the fields, the very shape of the headgear, were modified. For example, one of the popular models of the middle of the XVIII century was a buckwheat hat, which looked like an English top hat. And the hat received its name due to the fact that it was made of sheep wool and molded it on pots for buckwheat porridge.

In the XIX century cylinders came into fashion. They were worn not only by representatives of the aristocratic or diplomatic circle, but also by all those who wanted to look noble and modern. Fashion was still not standing still, oriental fez or student caps were popular.

At the beginning of the 20th century, a hat was still a mandatory attribute of a man’s wardrobe. Popular cylinders and neat bowlers. By the middle of the last century, the hat remained the same element only in the wardrobe of wealthy men.The felt hat perfectly complemented the elegant three-piece suit.

In the second half of the 20th century, straw hats came into vogue, which could often be found on the beach, in the city, on tourists. Today, a hat is not a mandatory element of male or female wardrobe. For the most part, it can be found as a supplement to a men's suit or part of a beach set.

Vietnamese national hat is a cone-shaped headdress made of straw. Traditionally, she was considered to be the constant companion of the peasants: she perfectly protected a man working on the field from the rays of the hot sun or heavy rain. At the same time, the hat was also used as a basket for picking fruit or a water jug.

The appearance of this hat is associated with an ancient Vietnamese legend, according to which, once upon a time a woman wore a hat of wide leaves on her head. The hat was magical: wherever this woman appeared, clouds immediately disappeared there, and the weather became clear and sunny. Since then, almost all Vietnamese have become wearing such a hat.

Interesting is the process of creating this hat. To do this, take underdeveloped bamboo leaves and immerse them in water to prevent delamination. Then they were cleaned and dried to white. To preserve the color of the leaves were processed gray, and then divided into the thinnest strips, of which then sewed a hat.

Once this hat adorned the head of simple peasants, but today it can be easily found in combination with elegant evening dresses. You can meet this headdress almost everywhere, including souvenir shops.

Hat with a crown in the form of a trapezoid and a small longitudinal fold. Her narrow fields are tucked on the sides and back. The traditional hat of the Alpine region is made of soft dark green felt and decorated with a twisted cord, tassel or feathers. Depending on the social position occupied, such a hat could be sewn from different materials and be decorated with a usual green thread or golden cantle.

This hat is also popular in Bavaria, so it is often called Bavarian.

According to the most ancient canons of etiquette, the head of the Chinese should not be uncovered. For this, many different hats were designed and created according to the situation, age or position in society. For example, young men wore small metal caps on their heads. Young people from noble families - caps of gold and precious stones.

When the boy was 20 years old, a special ritual of putting on a hat (“guanli”) was performed with him. The head of the Chinese emperor was decorated with "mian" - a design, each part of which had a certain meaning.

During the Middle Ages, the most popular headdress of ordinary Chinese was a reed hat or a felt cap. Most often, the caps had a conical shape, which is perfectly preserved to this day. Small Chinese hats made of cardboard and covered with silk are also very well known.

A luxurious black hat with a wide brim and a red satin ribbon wrapped around the crown is certainly one of the main decorations of the traditional Spanish costume. Gold cord, decorating the field, gives the headdress even more elegance and dignity.

In addition to wide-brimmed hats, the Spaniards wore cockedheads and fitters (flat hats made of thick cloth). They were decorated with bright braid, cords, unusual prints and tied under the chin.

The traditional headdress of the Spaniards was Kofya de Papos, consisting of tattoos with a metal frame and bedspread.

At the mention of the Mexican traditional hat, the name "sombrero" immediately comes to mind. Despite the fact that this item is part of the national costume of the Mexican, its roots originate in Spain.

"Sombra" in translation means "shadow."Therefore, initially the Spaniards called “sombreros” all hats with very wide brim. The classic model does have fields that cast a shadow on a person’s face and shoulders. Fields can be flat or slightly turned out. The hat is completed with a cord or ribbon for tying under the chin.

By the way, a sombrero is a part of a national costume not only in Mexico, but also in other countries. For example, in Colombia, this hat is made of reeds and is painted black and white. In Panama, this hat is woven by hand and the more thin turns used to create the hat, the higher its quality and value.

For the manufacture of sombrero used a variety of materials. Poor men weave a hat from ordinary straw, they know to buy hats made of felt or velvet. Sombrero is decorated with embroidery of gold threads, flowers, other ornaments. The crown may be flat or slightly elongated and pointed.

Today, a sombrero is not only an element of the Mexican costume, it is an invariable attribute of a summer wardrobe, an excellent souvenir, and even a part of the interior, made in ethnic style.

If you set a goal and recall a traditional Japanese costume, you will immediately recall kimono, obi and other elements, but not a headdress. And indeed, hats were not an obligatory part of the national Japanese costume. But the hairstyles, especially men, were of great importance. The ancient Japanese often wore loose, loose hair that could be tied into a bun or braided.

In the XIV - XV centuries, hairstyles became more complex, for their decoration were used combs and hairpins, special rollers to give volume.

The traditional hat of the Australians is called Akubra. It is a model with a high crown, slightly concave in the middle and wide upturned fields. For its production the wool of the Australian rabbit was used. This hat won worldwide popularity and fame after the premiere of the film “Dundee nicknamed“ Crocodile ”.

Today this hat is still popular. It is worn by farmers, shepherds, hunters, etc.

The Germans of the nineteenth and early twentieth century had a rather wide selection of various headdresses. The Germans wore shawls, caps and straw hats. Caps had a different shape: from a tiny cap, barely covering the top, to luxurious golden caps on the whole head. They were decorated with ribbons, lace, flowers.

In some areas of Germany, the Germans wore beaver, marten or otter fur hats. They were worn by men and women. Sometimes these hats were worn right over the caps.

The traditional German men's hat had a small neat shape and curved at the sides and behind the field. The lace around the crown and a small bunch of bird feathers were used as decoration.

When it comes to the headgear of an English gentleman, he always recalls a neat hemispherical felt hat - a bowler hat. At the end of the 19th century, this elegant hat replaced a no less elegant, but more bulky top hat. Today, the English bowler is rarely seen on the streets of London, this item of clothing has remained only for ceremonial or ceremonial occasions.

A traditional Bavarian hat was decorated with laces, feathers or hair brushes. A neat hat with small curved margins and today is part of the daily or festive costume of the Bavarian resident. Bavarians sacred honor traditions, this also applies to the reverent attitude to national dress. Despite the fact that the traditional folk costume is quite expensive, wearing it is considered a sign of good taste.

Hats Italians vary considerably depending on the area where they live. Women put on small caps, neat kokoshniks and bright coverlets on the metal frame.

The men wore different hats, tweed caps (coppola), rounded caps with a top hanging down and baggy berets, which, by the way, can still be found in some parts of Italy.

Asian hat is a generic name for models popular in the countries of East and Southeast Asia. Most often it is a conical headdress, although models with a dedicated crown are sometimes found. Cone-shaped hat was originally intended to protect against sunlight and heavy rain.

Straw, palm leaves or textiles are used as materials to create these hats. For convenience, some models are additionally equipped with silk ribbons for tying under the chin.

For the most part, these models are made in natural colors, but sometimes they are painted, for example, in the colors of the national flag, favorite sports team, decorated with inscriptions, prints, etc.

The traditional headdress of the French - Kanto, is a hard-shaped hat with a cylindrical crown and straight fields. The hat is made of straw. It first appeared around the middle of the 19th century and was first used by rowing athletes for sun protection. The kanote'e gained enormous popularity already in the 20th century, when the hat became a fashionable and stylish addition not only to the male, but also to the female costume. A great admirer of this elegant hat was, for example, the trendsetter Coco Chanel.

Kanote is popular not only in France, but also in many other countries of the world. For example, in the USSR, the hat became insanely in demand after the movie “Old Man Hottabych” was released on the country's screens, where a kind magician appeared before the audience in this French headdress.

Hawaii is the sun, hot summer, exotic vegetation and colorful light clothing. It is very easy to present a Hawaiian costume even to those who are not strong in knowledge about the traditions of different nations of the world: these are light shirts, shorts, skirts and bustiers, painted with flowers, exotic vegetation, birds of paradise, etc. An essential element of the costume is a bright, fragrant wreath of flowers that is worn on the neck. As for the decoration of the head, most often it is either a large fragrant exotic flower that adorns the woman’s hair, or a wreath of flowers.

For men, it is a straw hat decorated with fresh flowers or a floral border, ribbon and other decorations.

The popularity of Czech national clothing lies in the simplicity of the cut and the rich and diverse finishes. First of all, it is embroidery, and its ornaments were used in different parts of the Czech Republic. As for hats, for women it is a small hat decorated with an embroidered ribbon and a lace border. Under her, as a rule, a beautiful cape was worn. Married Czechs wore small firmly starched caps. For men, a high fur hat served as a headdress or, on the contrary, a castor hat with twisted fields and a low crown.