Szalinówka headscarf

The factory-made kerchief, acquired in the inter-war period, was bought for the museum in the village of Wronów, in the Puławy region. It is made of fine wool, has a square shape with a side of 150 cm. It was worn for festive costumes by both girls and married women. Worn on the head, it was tied under the chin, sometimes at the back of the head or thrown over the shoulders, so it covered the upper part of the body.

This is one of the more decorative shawls, with an elaborate floral motif dividing the surface into four parts. Each of the surfaces is in a different colour (red, violet, green and blue), which is why this type of shawl was called ‘for four sides of the world’, ‘for four Sundays’. The bordure and fringe are red. By folding it diagonally, the background colour was chosen according to the occasion, for example, with purple for fasting. It could replace four kerchiefs, which was vital as having many of them proved the wealth of the owner. At the beginning of the 20th century, such factory-made kerchiefs replaced an old women's garment, i.e., a white linen sheet, which was still worn at the end of the 19th century in the Puławy region. Thicker kerchiefs than the one presented here, also made of wool, were still commonly used in the post-war years as outer garments for less-wealthy women. They made it possible to protect the upper part of the body from the cold. They were sometimes worn over coats or placed on the head during rain or severe frost. They were then tied with two horns crossed at the back or placed in front.