Hat

A grass hat with a large brim, worn by a bachelor to go with his festive outfit during the summer in Garbowo. It is made very carefully from thin cane, called ‘psiarka’, broomstick or brush, using the spiral technique, which involves the spiral arrangement of previously prepared material, usually soaked to make it flexible. The plaiting began from the centre of the head, and subsequent strands were joined together, in this case with strong linen thread. The farmers made them for everyday use or sale, the former less carefully and without decoration.

The hat shown here is decorated on the brim with a narrow, dark blue piping, and the headband is tied with a wide, blue silk ribbon arranged in a flat bow on the left side. It is also where the peacock feather, a bouquet of pale pink artificial flowers and a pink bow with a metal pin are attached one behind the other. Bachelors used to wear their hats to draw attention to themselves and, above all, to communicate their marital status in a non-verbal way. Older and married farmers in the Powiśle Lubelskie region had their hats decorated only with black trimming and ribbon, while unmarried men – with colourful ribbons: blue, sapphire, pink, green, and sprigs made of peacock feathers, artificial flowers, and candle brooches pinned to them. Ribbons were sometimes made of cotton, grosgrain, silk or half-silk, and were called ‘Warsaw ribbons’ or ‘minted ribbons’.