A () is a type of traditional

Korea Korea is a peninsular region in East Asia consisting of the Korean Peninsula, Jeju Island, and smaller islands. Since the end of World War II in 1945, it has been politically Division of Korea, divided at or near the 38th parallel north, 3 ...

n winter

cap A cap is a flat headgear, usually with a visor. Caps have crowns that fit very close to the head. They made their first appearance as early as 3200 BC. The origin of the word "cap" comes from the Old French word "chapeau" which means "head co ...

with earflaps which was worn by women and was made of

silk Silk is a natural fiber, natural protein fiber, some forms of which can be weaving, woven into textiles. The protein fiber of silk is composed mainly of fibroin and is most commonly produced by certain insect larvae to form cocoon (silk), c ...

. Since its first appearance in the late Joseon period, it has been widely worn as a substitute for the '' ayam'' (a cap with a big

ribbon A ribbon or riband is a thin band of material, typically cloth but also plastic or sometimes metal, used primarily as decorative binding and tying. Cloth ribbons are made of natural materials such as silk, cotton, and jute and of synthetic mate ...

on the back). Although the was worn by the upper class as well as by commoners, it was mostly used by the

yangban The ''yangban'' () were part of the traditional ruling class or gentry of dynastic Korea during the Joseon period. The ''yangban'' were mainly composed of highly educated civil officials and military officers—landed or unlanded aristocrats wh ...

aristocracy of that time as a decorative

headgear Headgear, headwear, or headdress is any element of clothing which is worn on one's Human head, head, including hats, helmets, turbans and many other types. Headgear is worn for many purposes, including protective clothing, protection against t ...

when they went out. In addition, the was worn not only as formal

, but also for special occasions. Even though a wearer was not in formal attire, if she wore a , the overall outfit could be considered as simple formal clothing. The does not cover the top of the head just like other unisex winter caps such as the ''ayam'', ''

nambawi A ''nambawi'' () is a type of traditional Korean winter hat worn by both men and women during the Joseon period for protection against the cold. The other names for it are ''pungdengi'' and ''nani'' (literally warming ears). The ''nambawi'' is a ...

'' and the '' pungcha''. But it fully covers the forehead and the ears on the sides with round earflaps to protect against the cold. The outer surface is generally made of several varieties of silk called ''sa'' (사, ) or ''dan'' (단, ) while its inner surface is made of ''dan'', ''myeongju'' (명주, more lustrous silk), or

cotton Cotton (), first recorded in ancient India, is a soft, fluffy staple fiber that grows in a boll, or protective case, around the seeds of the cotton plants of the genus '' Gossypium'' in the mallow family Malvaceae. The fiber is almost pure ...

Tassel A tassel is a finishing feature in fabric and clothing decoration. It is a universal ornament that is seen in varying versions in many cultures around the globe. History and use In the Hebrew Bible, the Lord spoke to Moses instructing him to ...

s are attached to both front and back side of the ; they can also be adorned with

jewelry Jewellery (or jewelry in American English) consists of decorative items worn for personal adornment such as brooches, ring (jewellery), rings, necklaces, earrings, pendants, bracelets, and cufflinks. Jewellery may be attached to the body or the ...

. Some were decorated with accessories made from

silver Silver is a chemical element; it has Symbol (chemistry), symbol Ag () and atomic number 47. A soft, whitish-gray, lustrous transition metal, it exhibits the highest electrical conductivity, thermal conductivity, and reflectivity of any metal. ...

jade Jade is an umbrella term for two different types of decorative rocks used for jewelry or Ornament (art), ornaments. Jade is often referred to by either of two different silicate mineral names: nephrite (a silicate of calcium and magnesium in t ...

agate Agate ( ) is a banded variety of chalcedony. Agate stones are characterized by alternating bands of different colored chalcedony and sometimes include macroscopic quartz. They are common in nature and can be found globally in a large number of d ...

or other gems on the left and right side of the forehead as well as on the bottom part of the back side. The front and back of the 's top are loosely linked by a string which either consists of

coral Corals are colonial marine invertebrates within the subphylum Anthozoa of the phylum Cnidaria. They typically form compact Colony (biology), colonies of many identical individual polyp (zoology), polyps. Coral species include the important Coral ...

beads or is made of silver strings in a floral or simple

braid A braid (also referred to as a plait; ) is a complex structure or pattern formed by interlacing three or more strands of flexible material such as textile yarns, wire, or hair. The simplest and most common version is a flat, solid, three-strand ...

. There were embroidered with

bead A bead is a small, decorative object that is formed in a variety of shapes and sizes of a material such as stone, bone, shell, glass, plastic, wood, or pearl and with a small hole for threading or stringing. Beads range in size from under 1 ...

s or adorned with ''

geumbak ''Geumbak'' () is a Korean traditional art for applying extremely thin gold leaf on ''hanbok The hanbok () is the traditional clothing of the Koreans, Korean people. The term ''hanbok'' is primarily used by South Koreans; North Koreans refer ...

'' (

gold leaf upA gold nugget of 5 mm (0.2 in) in diameter (bottom) can be expanded through hammering into a gold foil of about 0.5 m2 (5.4 sq ft). The Japan.html" ;"title="Toi gold mine museum, Japan">Toi gold mine museum, Japan. Gold leaf is gold that has ...

decoration) which were usually worn by children or young females. The patterns of the ''geumbak'' were usually flowers or letters in

hanja Hanja (; ), alternatively spelled Hancha, are Chinese characters used to write the Korean language. After characters were introduced to Korea to write Literary Chinese, they were adapted to write Korean as early as the Gojoseon period. () ...

reading ''bugwi'' (부귀, , wealth and honors), ''danam'' (다남, , many sons), ''subok'' (수복, , long life and happiness), or ''gangnyeong'' (강녕 , happiness and peace). This decoration was on the edge of the . At present, baby girls wear such on the occasion of their ''

doljanchi ''Dol'' () or ''doljanchi'' () is a Korean tradition that celebrates a baby's first birthday. The tradition has been practiced since the early Joseon period. The ceremony typically involves the ritual offering of a '' samsinsang'' to the god Sa ...

'', which celebrates their first birthday.

References

* {{Hats Korean headgear Caps

See also

References