National hats

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

Currently, the reconstruction of the national costume is gaining great popularity. This phenomenon has embraced 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 different nationalities, and in particular, headdresses.

Visitors to such exhibitions can see with their own eyes a variety of hats, caps, caps, caps, caps, berets, bowlers, headbands, kokoshniks from all over the world. They were made from wool, silk, felt, palm leaves, knitted fabric, 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 headdresses are of real historical and cultural value. And the hats of individual nations are a truly unique sight. For example, the vessel for the calabash drink, which is common today, among some ethnic groups of Ethiopia is also a light, durable headdress 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 figurines of animals, birds and people made of beads. A thick veil covering the leader's face is also created from several thin bead pendants.

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

The first hats appeared in Russia around the 30s of the 17th century. Then they were purchased for courtiers, as well as officers of some regiments. Mostly they were made of dense materials such as felt or felt. Especially valuable hats were decorated with beaver down.

At the very beginning of the 18th century, thanks to Peter I, hats gradually began to spread beyond the palace and the army. Hats were sewn from hare skins, wool, beaver fur and were tucked from one side. Gradually, hats changed, new models appeared, for example, cocked hats.

The shape and height of the crown and the width of the fields, the very shape of the headdress, have changed. For example, one of the popular models of the mid-18th century was a buckwheat hat, which outwardly resembled an English top hat. And the hat got its name due to the fact that it was made from sheep's wool, and molded on pots for buckwheat porridge.

In the 19th century, cylinders came into vogue. 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 still did not stand still; either oriental fez or student caps were popular.

At the beginning of the 20th century, the hat was still an obligatory attribute of a man's wardrobe. Cylinders and neat bowlers were popular. By the middle of the last century, the hat remained an unchanged 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 fashion, which could often be found on the beach, in the city, and on tourists. Today, a hat is not a must-have for a man's or a woman's wardrobe. For the most part, it can be found as an addition to a men's suit or as part of a beach set.

The Vietnamese national hat is a cone-shaped headdress made of straw. Traditionally, it was considered the constant companion of the peasants: it perfectly protected a person working in the field from the rays of the hot sun or pouring rain. At the same time, the hat was also used as a basket for collecting fruits or a jug for water.

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

The process of creating this hat is interesting. To do this, they took underdeveloped bamboo leaves and immersed them in water to prevent delamination. Then they were cleaned and dried to white. To preserve the color, the leaves were treated with gray, and then divided into thinnest strips, from which a hat was then sewn.

Once such a hat adorned the head of ordinary peasants, 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 trapezoid-shaped crown and a small longitudinal pleat. Its narrow margins are tucked up 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 status held, such a hat could be sewn from different materials and decorated with ordinary green thread or gold thread.

A similar hat is also popular in Bavaria, therefore it is often called Bavarian.

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

When the young man 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 construction, each part of which had a specific 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 has been perfectly preserved to this day. Small Chinese hats made on a cardboard base and covered with silk are also very famous.

A luxurious black hat with wide brim and a red satin ribbon wrapped around the crown is definitely one of the main adornments of traditional Spanish costume. The gold cord decorating the brim gives the headdress even more elegance and dignity.

In addition to wide-brimmed hats, the Spaniards wore cocked hats 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 Spanish women was cofia de papos, which consisted of a headdress with a metal frame and a bedspread.

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

"Sombra" in translation means "shadow". Therefore, initially the Spaniards called all hats with very wide brims "sombrero". The classic model does have fields that cast a shadow over the person's face and shoulders. The margins can be flat or slightly turned outward. The hat is completed with a cord or a band for tying under the chin.

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

A variety of materials are used to make a sombrero. Poor people weave hats out of ordinary straw, the nobility buys hats out of felt or velvet. The sombrero is decorated with embroidery with gold threads, flowers and other ornaments. The crown can be flat or slightly elongated and pointed.

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

If you set a goal and remember the traditional Japanese costume, then you will immediately remember the kimono, obi and other elements, but not the headdress. Indeed, hats were not an obligatory part of the national Japanese costume. But hairstyles, especially for men, were of tremendous importance. The ancient Japanese often wore loose, long hair that could be pinned in a bun or braided.

In the XIV-XV centuries, hairstyles became more complex, combs and hairpins, special rollers were used to add volume to them.

The traditional Australian hat is called akubra. It is a model with a high crown, slightly concave in the middle and wide brim curved upwards. For its manufacture, the wool of the Australian rabbit was used. This hat gained worldwide popularity and fame after the premiere of the film "Dundee nicknamed the Crocodile".

This hat is still popular today. It is worn by farmers, shepherds, hunters, etc.

The Germans of the 19th and early 20th centuries had a fairly wide selection of various headdresses. German women wore headscarves, bonnets, and straw hats. Caps were of different shapes: from a tiny cap that barely covered the top of the head, to luxurious gold caps for 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 both men and women. Sometimes such hats were worn directly over the bonnets.

The traditional men's hat of the Germans had a small, neat shape and was bent at the sides and back of the brim. A lace around the crown and a small bundle of bird feathers were necessarily used as decoration.

When it comes to the headdress of an English gentleman, one invariably comes to mind a neat felt hemispherical hat - a bowler hat. At the end of the 19th century, this elegant hat replaced the equally elegant, but more bulky top hat. Today, the English bowler hat is rarely seen on the streets of London; this piece of clothing remained only for solemn or ceremonial occasions.

The traditional Bavarian hat was decorated with laces, feathers or hair brushes. A neat hat with small curled brim is still part of the everyday or festive costume of a Bavarian. The Bavarians sacredly respect traditions, this also applies to the reverent attitude towards national dress. Despite the fact that traditional folk costume is quite expensive, wearing it is considered a sign of good taste.

The headdresses of Italians vary greatly depending on the locality where they live. Women wore small caps, neat kokoshniks and brightly colored bedspreads-capes on a metal frame.

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

Asian hat is a generalized name for models popular in the countries of East and Southeast Asia. Most often it is a conical headdress, although sometimes models with a highlighted crown are found. The cone-shaped hat was originally intended for protection from sunlight and heavy rain.

These hats are made from straw, palm leaves or textiles. 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, your favorite sports team, decorated with inscriptions, prints, etc.

The traditional headdress of the French, the boater, is a rigid-shaped hat with a cylindrical crown and straight brim. 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 boater gained immense popularity already in the 20th century, when the hat became a fashionable and stylish addition not only to a man's, but also to a woman's suit. A big admirer of this elegant hat was, for example, the trendsetter Coco Chanel.

Boater 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 release of the film “Old Man Hottabych” on the screens of the country, where the kind wizard appeared before the viewer in this particular French headdress.

Hawaii is full of sunshine, hot summers, exotic vegetation and colorful light clothing.It is very easy to imagine a Hawaiian costume even for those who are not strong in knowledge of the traditions of different peoples of the world: these are light shirts, shorts, skirts and bustiers painted with flowers, exotic vegetation, birds of paradise, etc. An obligatory element of the costume is a bright, fragrant wreath of flowers worn around the neck. As for head decoration, most often it is either a large fragrant exotic flower that adorns a woman's hairstyle, or a wreath of flowers.

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

The popularity of Czech national dress lies in its simplicity of cut and rich and varied decoration. First of all, this is embroidery, and in different regions of the Czech Republic their own ornaments were used. As for the hats, for women it is a small hat, decorated with an embroidered ribbon and a lace border. As a rule, a beautiful cape was worn under it. Married Czech women wore small, firmly starched caps. For men, the headdress was a high fur hat or, on the contrary, a castor hat with crooked brim and a low crown.