Slastion-Ukrainian women's traditional headgear

The ochipok ( uk, очіпок, also намітка, ''namitka''; перемітка, ''peremitka''; серпанок, ''serpanok''; рантух, ''rantukh''; склендячка, ''sklendyachka''; хустка, ''khustka'') is a married woman's

headdress Headgear, headwear, or headdress is the name given to any element of clothing which is worn on one's head, including hats, helmets, turbans and many other types. Headgear is worn for many purposes, including protection against the elements, d ...

as part of traditional Ukrainian folk dress, often decorated with embroidery. It is a cap that covers the entire head with a slit in the back and laces that pull it tightly around the head. They were mainly worn by women in the middle

Dnieper River } The Dnieper () or Dnipro (); , ; . is one of the major transboundary rivers of Europe, rising in the Valdai Hills near Smolensk, Russia, before flowing through Belarus and Ukraine to the Black Sea. It is the longest river of Ukraine an ...

region, including the Left-Bank and

steppe In physical geography, a steppe () is an ecoregion characterized by grassland plains without trees apart from those near rivers and lakes. Steppe biomes may include: * the montane grasslands and shrublands biome * the temperate gras ...

areas, however the ochipok was also used in other regions of Ukraine. It is thought to have originated during the Hetmanate period. The specific characteristics of the ochipok varied from region to region. In Europe in the

Middle Ages In the history of Europe, the Middle Ages or medieval period lasted approximately from the late 5th to the late 15th centuries, similar to the post-classical period of global history. It began with the fall of the Western Roman Empire ...

, uncovered hair was a sign of virginity. A married woman covered her hair completely, including forehead, ears and often the neck. Namitka is a long, thin fabric wrapped around the head and tied in the back. It was the original Slavic head covering for men and women, and could be used to cover the face. Eventually, it gave rise to the Russian

kokoshnik The kokoshnik ( rus, коко́шник, p=kɐˈkoʂnʲɪk) is a traditional Russian headdress worn by women and girls to accompany the sarafan. The kokoshnik tradition has existed since the 10th century in the ancient Russian city Veliky No ...

. The ends of the fabric are embroidered, usually with red thread. During the Ukrainian wedding ceremony, the bride's hair was covered by an ochipok and namitka. She would wear the ochipok for the rest of her life with various types of headgear on top of it. Ukraine Ochipok with Kerchief

Peremitka is part of traditional

Hutsul The Hutsuls (sometimes the spelling variant: Gutsuls; uk, Гуцули, translit=Hutsuly; pl, Huculi, Hucułowie; ro, huțuli) are an ethnic group spanning parts of western Ukraine and Romania (i.e. parts of Bukovina and Maramureș). They ...

dress. It is a long strip of cloth ornamented on both ends and tied with a knot on each side. It is worn wrapped around the hair, neck, and chin. Bavnytsia is an embroidered ring of cloth fitted around the head, open at the top, with a ring of fringe or gathers stitched to the top edge. It was covered with a namitka or a

kerchief A kerchief (from the Old French ''couvrechief'', "cover head"), also known as a bandana, bandanna, or "Wild Rag" (in cowboy culture), is a triangular or square piece of cloth tied around the head, face or neck for protective or decorative purpos ...

.Costume of Javoriw [Yavoriw] county, Halychyna, Ukraine
/ref> Bavnytsia was traditional dress in

Galicia Galicia may refer to: Geographic regions * Galicia (Spain), a region and autonomous community of northwestern Spain ** Gallaecia, a Roman province ** The post-Roman Kingdom of the Suebi, also called the Kingdom of Gallaecia ** The medieval King ...

. Instructions and examples of traditional Ukrainian headgear are on display at the

Ivan Honchar Museum Ivan Honchar Museum (''National Centre of Folk Culture'') is a museum in Kyiv, Ukraine showcasing the culture of Ukraine and preserving Ukrainian folklore, folk art. The museum was founded on a private collection of Ivan Makarovych Honchar sho ...

Kyiv Kyiv, also spelled Kiev, is the capital and most populous city of Ukraine. It is in north-central Ukraine along the Dnieper River. As of 1 January 2021, its population was 2,962,180, making Kyiv the seventh-most populous city in Europe. Ky ...

. Ukraine Ochipok.jpg, Ochipok and kerchief from

Lviv Lviv ( uk, Львів) is the largest city in Western Ukraine, western Ukraine, and the List of cities in Ukraine, seventh-largest in Ukraine, with a population of . It serves as the administrative centre of Lviv Oblast and Lviv Raion, and is o ...

Ukraine Namitka.jpg, Namitka from

Rivne Rivne (; uk, Рівне ),) also known as Rovno (Russian: Ровно; Polish: Równe; Yiddish: ראָוונע), is a city in western Ukraine. The city is the administrative center of Rivne Oblast ( province), as well as the surrounding Rivne ...

Ukraine Bavnytsia.jpg, Bavnytsia and kerchief, from Lviv Ukraine Caul.jpg,

Caul A caul or cowl ( la, Caput galeatum, literally, "helmeted head") is a piece of membrane that can cover a newborn's head and face. Birth with a caul is rare, occurring in fewer than 1 in 80,000 births. The caul is harmless and is immediately remov ...

and kerchief Ukraine Wedding Head dress.jpg, Bavnytsia, Pokuttia Ukraine Hutsulschyna.jpg, Peremitka

style Ukraine Peremitka.jpg, Ochipok and peremitka Пасха красная 45.JPG, Bavnytsia,

Donetsk Donetsk ( , ; uk, Донецьк, translit=Donets'k ; russian: Донецк ), formerly known as Aleksandrovka, Yuzivka (or Hughesovka), Stalin and Stalino (see also: cities' alternative names), is an industrial city in eastern Ukraine loc ...

Vasily Tropinin 58.jpg, Namitka, 1820 Tropinin.jpg, ''Girl from

Podillya Podolia or Podilia ( uk, Поділля, Podillia, ; russian: Подолье, Podolye; ro, Podolia; pl, Podole; german: Podolien; be, Падолле, Padollie; lt, Podolė), is a historic region in Eastern Europe, located in the west-central ...

'' c. 1800 by

Vasily Tropinin Vasily Andreevich Tropinin (russian: Васи́лий Андре́евич Тропи́нин; – ) was a Russian Romantic painter. Much of his life was spent as a serf; he didn't attain his freedom until he was more than forty years old. ...

References

* Natalya Poklad
Ukrainian National Costume As a Witness of the Past
''Welcome to Ukraine'' magazine

at the ''

Encyclopedia of Ukraine The ''Encyclopedia of Ukraine'' ( uk, Енциклопедія українознавства, translit=Entsyklopediia ukrainoznavstva), published from 1984 to 2001, is a fundamental work of Ukrainian Studies. Development The work was creat ...

''
"Традиційні головні убори подільських українців та їх роль у весільній обрядовості"
at the Vinnytsia ethnographic museum

{{Historical clothing Ukrainian clothing Ukrainian folk clothing Headgear

See also

References