Winter Hats With Ear Flaps

Shapka - Ushanka

The one could exaggerate scarcely the direction of shapka-ushanka in the life of Russian man. The popularity of this incidental one of head had been fantastic since the Second World War until the dawn of the Soviet Union at the start of 90IES.

With the opening of the Russian trims the direct flow of the new modern clothing, the incidental and the hats of all styles and of commerces have fallen seriously down below the privileged position of shapka-ushanka. That is why you can vigorous encounter a person in a big city carrying it now with the exception for the maybe military or orthodox men.

Military officer ...Since 1940 ushanka became a part of the uniform of army and Russian militsia (the police) Choosing the Fact that the half of male Russian population is the army or "menty" (the cops) and practically male the whole population serves in the army at the age of 18 (we have an obligatory draft) the advantages and the advantages of shapka - ushanka was tried and was

Then, do we consider the hat that became a simultaneous party of the picture of stereotype of the Russian man (for example in Hollywood, on the caricatures, etc) and that simply is called "shapka" in the English.

Shapka - ushanka - a hat of fur of winter, fabric or combined (at first - A male hat) a wide hat known and shed in Russia. It takes his name after its "ears" - (ushi - in Russian) that could be lowered or could be refused but in top and attached of ordinary one crowns it. On asks: -) When the it is necessary "the ears" could be slender and could be refused with the flap of nape of the neck (the back from head) to save true ears of the frost and the wind, partially the cheeks, the chin of the person carries "ushanka".

If we dig down below the "ushanka" descending the history will see ourselves that it comes from the Baltic (I would add) the Finnish hats, that already had ears and the bands added to clog in the century of XIX.

The method for the circular crowned hats appeared first among the St Pedtersbourg working the class was spread then through Russia.

The factories of fur of USSR began the manufacture "shapka - ushanka" The basic production - for the population mass as call us the mass market - was established on the skin of rare one. Every mother "packing" his childlike one to the garden of children and secure the bands of "ushanka" under the chin of the childlike one were been sure and confiding that his childlike one would not be frozen. I should mention that during the Soviet one supplies populates them ordinary Russian were not spoiled with the personal cars and the private transportation. : It took the long time to obtain to work on one hand from one city to another and shapka-ushanka was true usage and of true assistance during the harsh frosts that are not a rare thing in Russia. Then, the one could overestimate scarcely the role of shapka-ushanka in his life: -)

If the this was not too cold outside the "ears" hat was raised and attached the crown. If a person works outside on the fresh air (during the winter) then there was a special variant to secure the "ears" - behind on the nape of the neck (the head back) that worked better (as on the a hand the person ears kept save and on the other hand did not suffer from the heat) BUT in case of the harsh frosts no one was shy to refuse in top under the chin to avoid the chilblain of Ded Moroz (Father Christmas)

I should admit that there were also hats do different furs in the workshops of special fur. Shapka-ushanka did edcureuil, the bear, the dog, nutria, the polar fox, the martre of vison of course! Oh, my God, the hat of vison! The it was beyond a dreams more wild. The dream of Soviet citizen during the period of the last stagnation and the beginning of Perestroika! The person was proud to carry it and when it/she has it left it/she put it in front of oneself on the table. Then, everyone could see it. The it was the prosperity sign. If the one did not possess such a hat of vison in the province the boy to the restaurant that is tried to go through you: -) The owner of the hat of vison never lowered of "ear" same hat in the cutting of the frosts but pulled his hat on its eyes more deeply.