On March 5th every year, many men in various parts of Kyrgyzstan don traditional high-crowned felt hats and take to the streets to celebrate the arrival of the “White Felt Hat Festival”.
The white high-crowned felt hat, known as “Kalpak” or “Ak-kalpak” in Kyrgyz, is made from pure sheep’s wool and is meticulously designed, crafted, and decorated. The top of the hat is square-shaped with beads and tassels, while the bottom edge is often lined with black velvet. The hat has openings on both sides that fold upwards, exuding a rich nomadic grassland charm.
As a traditional headgear for Kyrgyz men, the “Kalpak” serves to protect from cold winds in winter and shield from the sun in summer. It holds significant historical and cultural importance. Throughout Kyrgyz history, all males, whether noble or common, young or old, are required to wear the “Kalpak” felt hat when attending weddings, funerals, or major festive events.
In Kyrgyz culture, the high-crowned felt hat carries rich symbolic meanings. The color white symbolizes purity, while the towering shape of the hat evokes the country’s majestic snow-capped mountains. The hat’s four sides represent the four elements – air, water, fire, and earth, while the tassels symbolize prosperity and continuity.
Kyrgyz boys undergo a hat-wearing ceremony at the age of 12. Kyrgyz ancestors believed that 12 years represent a human lifecycle, a concept reflected in the making of the “Kalpak” hats. Each age group’s hat differs in color combinations and decorative patterns based on the division by 12 years.
On the other hand, traditional headgear for young Kyrgyz girls often consists of beautifully adorned cone-shaped hats with feathers. Middle-aged and elderly Kyrgyz women, on the other hand, prefer wearing a white circular headgear called “Elechek”, made up of a skullcap and a long piece of white fabric wrapped like a turban, typically embellished with embroidery, ribbons, and jewels.