Šajkača

The ''šajkača'' ( sr-Cyrl, шајкача, ) is the Serbian national hat or cap. Traditionally worn by men in the Serbian countryside, it is named after Serb river troops known as '' šajkaši'', who protected the Austrian Empire against the Ottoman Turks in the 18th century. A popular national symbol in Serbia since the beginning of the early 20th century, it is typically black, grey or green in colour and is usually made of soft, homemade cloth. It became widely worn by Serb men beginning in the 1880s and was a key component in the uniform of the Serbian military from the end of the 19th century. Today, it is mostly worn by elderly men in rural communities.

History

The ''šajkača'' is a traditional hat worn by men in the Serbian countryside. It is the national hat of Serbia and is believed to have originated in the Serbian region of Banat during the 18th century, when '' šajkaši'' (Serb river troops in the service of the Austrian Empire) guarded the Danube and Sava rivers against the Ottoman Empire and wore caps in the shape of an overturned '' chaika'' ( sr, Шајка) boat.

Through most of the 19th century, the fez was the dominant choice of headwear for both Muslims and Christians in the Balkans, and fezzes were frequently emblazoned with national or religious symbols. In Serbia, for example, regulations for ministerial uniforms from 1850 required the Serbian coat of arms be featured on officials' red fezzes. It was not until the decade following the Serbian-Ottoman Wars of 1876-1878 that the šajkača began to overtake the fez in popularity among Serbs and thus very few paintings or photographs exist featuring the šajkača in use prior to the early 20th Century.

The typical cap of peasants from the Šumadija region of Serbia, the ''šajkača'' eventually acquired a dual purpose: during times of peace it was worn in the countryside, and in wartime it became part of the standard Serbian military uniform. During World War I, the cap was regularly worn by the soldiers of the Kingdom of Serbia. Serbia was eventually overrun by a combined Austro-Hungarian, German and Bulgarian invasion in 1915, and in 1916 the wearing of the ''šajkača'', alongside other Serbian folk attire, was outlawed by Bulgarian authorities in the wake of the Bulgarian occupation of southern Serbia. After the war, the wearing of the hat in Bosnia was made obligatory by Serbian authorities in place of the fez.

During World War II, the ''šajkača'' was the standard hat worn by Serbian Chetnik irregulars in the Axis-occupied Kingdom of Yugoslavia. It was also worn by Serbian Partisans. After the war, it was replaced by the '' Titovka'' cap in the armed forces of communist Yugoslavia.

The ''šajkača'' was worn by Serb soldiers during the breakup of Yugoslavia. Bosnian Serb reservists and paramilitaries wore the cap during the 1992–95 Bosnian War, and it was later adopted by Bosnian Serb forces to be the official headgear of the Army of Republika Srpska ( sr, Vojska Republike Srpske, VRS). Following the 1991 Battle of Vukovar, fought during the Croatian War of Independence, Croatian Serb authorities erected gravestones to the Serb soldiers who were killed fighting for the city. These were originally topped with sculptural evocations of the ''šajkača'' cap. After Vukovar's reintegration into Croatia the gravestones were repeatedly vandalized, leading the Serb community in the town to replace them with more neutral gravestones without any overt military connotations. The 1999 NATO bombing of Yugoslavia saw McDonald's chains in Serbia promote their products by distributing posters and lapels which depicted the ''šajkača'' standing atop the golden arches of the McDonald's logo in an attempt to bolster Serbian national pride.

The ''šajkača'' has been a popular national symbol in Serbia since the beginning of the 20th century. It is commonly worn by elderly men in the Serbian countryside, whereas Serbian youth wear traditional costumes only for folklore concerts.

Design

Designed with a V-shaped top in the form of an overturned ''chaika'', the ''šajkača'' is narrow and typically black or grey in colour. It is usually made of soft, homemade cloth and is worn without any symbols during peacetime. During times of war, cockades featuring the Serbian double-headed eagle and the motto ''Only Unity Saves the Serbs'' are often seen on the cap. The ''šajkača'' worn by Serbian soldiers during World War I had a non-reflecting peak and was topped with a royal monogram.

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{{DEFAULTSORT:Sajkaca
Serbian clothing
Serbian culture
Headgear
Caps
Hats