A barretina (; plural: ''barretines'', diminutive of ''barret'' "cap") is a traditional

hat A hat is a Headgear, head covering which is worn for various reasons, including protection against weather conditions, ceremonial reasons such as university graduation, religious reasons, safety, or as a fashion accessory. Hats which incorpor ...

that was frequently worn by men in parts of the

Christian culture Christian culture generally includes all the cultural practices which have developed around the religion of Christianity. There are variations in the application of Christian beliefs in different cultures and traditions. Christian culture has i ...

s of the

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such as

Catalonia Catalonia is an autonomous community of Spain, designated as a ''nationalities and regions of Spain, nationality'' by its Statute of Autonomy of Catalonia of 2006, Statute of Autonomy. Most of its territory (except the Val d'Aran) is situate ...

, the

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, the

Balearic Islands The Balearic Islands are an archipelago in the western Mediterranean Sea, near the eastern coast of the Iberian Peninsula. The archipelago forms a Provinces of Spain, province and Autonomous communities of Spain, autonomous community of Spain, ...

Provence Provence is a geographical region and historical province of southeastern France, which stretches from the left bank of the lower Rhône to the west to the France–Italy border, Italian border to the east; it is bordered by the Mediterrane ...

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Sicily Sicily (Italian language, Italian and ), officially the Sicilian Region (), is an island in the central Mediterranean Sea, south of the Italian Peninsula in continental Europe and is one of the 20 regions of Italy, regions of Italy. With 4. ...

Malta Malta, officially the Republic of Malta, is an island country in Southern Europe located in the Mediterranean Sea, between Sicily and North Africa. It consists of an archipelago south of Italy, east of Tunisia, and north of Libya. The two ...

Sardinia Sardinia ( ; ; ) is the Mediterranean islands#By area, second-largest island in the Mediterranean Sea, after Sicily, and one of the Regions of Italy, twenty regions of Italy. It is located west of the Italian Peninsula, north of Tunisia an ...

, part of

Naples Naples ( ; ; ) is the Regions of Italy, regional capital of Campania and the third-largest city of Italy, after Rome and Milan, with a population of 908,082 within the city's administrative limits as of 2025, while its Metropolitan City of N ...

, part of the

Balkans The Balkans ( , ), corresponding partially with the Balkan Peninsula, is a geographical area in southeastern Europe with various geographical and historical definitions. The region takes its name from the Balkan Mountains that stretch throug ...

and parts of

Portugal Portugal, officially the Portuguese Republic, is a country on the Iberian Peninsula in Southwestern Europe. Featuring Cabo da Roca, the westernmost point in continental Europe, Portugal borders Spain to its north and east, with which it share ...

. It was also worn by

Muslim Muslims () are people who adhere to Islam, a Monotheism, monotheistic religion belonging to the Abrahamic religions, Abrahamic tradition. They consider the Quran, the foundational religious text of Islam, to be the verbatim word of the God ...

men in

Majorca Mallorca, or Majorca, is the largest of the Balearic Islands, which are part of Spain, and the List of islands in the Mediterranean#By area, seventh largest island in the Mediterranean Sea. The capital of the island, Palma, Majorca, Palma, i ...

until the Christian conquest of the island in the

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

History

In Catalonia and Ibiza, men wore barretinas until the 19th century, especially in rural areas. Even in the 1940s and the 1950s, children in rural areas still commonly wore it. It took the form of a bag, made of

wool Wool is the textile fiber obtained from sheep and other mammals, especially goats, rabbits, and camelids. The term may also refer to inorganic materials, such as mineral wool and glass wool, that have some properties similar to animal w ...

, usually red, or sometimes purple. Today, the ''barretina'' is no longer commonly worn in everyday life, but is still used in traditional dances, or as a symbol of Catalan identity. A watercolor image dated 1885 of a seller of newspapers (private collection) is perhaps one of the most iconic Catalan images, as it portrays a weathered man standing resolute, new independent newspapers falling from his portable wooden box, a look of tolerance and endurance in his face, while all the while wearing his barretina proudly. Painter

Salvador Dalí Salvador Domingo Felipe Jacinto Dalí i Domènech, Marquess of Dalí of Púbol (11 May 190423 January 1989), known as Salvador Dalí ( ; ; ), was a Spanish Surrealism, surrealist artist renowned for his technical skill, precise draftsmanship, ...

sometimes wore the ''barretina'' in the 20th century. Some Catalan folkloric characters also wear a barretina, as: the Catalan Christmas figurine ''

caganer A Caganer () is a figurine depicted in the act of defecation appearing in nativity scenes in Catalonia and neighbouring Traditions of Catalonia, areas such as Andorra, Valencian Community, Valencia, Balearic Islands, and Northern Catalonia (in so ...

'', the Christmas log or '' tió'', as well as the fictional characters Patufet, first drawn on the

En Patufet ''En Patufet'' was an illustrated children's magazine, written in Catalan, published in Barcelona (Spain), between 1904 and 1938. Later, between 1968 and 1973, it was resumed under the name ''Patufet''. It had a great popularity, to the point tha ...

magazine by , and "The Catalan" drawn by .Lluís Solà i Dachs, ''«Cu-cut! Setmanari de gresca ab ninots (1902-1912)».'' Ed. Bruguera. Barcelona, 1967

In popular culture

Moments before the 2010 FIFA World Cup Final between

Spain Spain, or the Kingdom of Spain, is a country in Southern Europe, Southern and Western Europe with territories in North Africa. Featuring the Punta de Tarifa, southernmost point of continental Europe, it is the largest country in Southern Eur ...

and the

Netherlands , Terminology of the Low Countries, informally Holland, is a country in Northwestern Europe, with Caribbean Netherlands, overseas territories in the Caribbean. It is the largest of the four constituent countries of the Kingdom of the Nether ...

, pitch invader

Jimmy Jump Jaume Marquet i Cot (), more popularly known as Jimmy Jump (born 14 March 1976), is a streaker from Sabadell, Catalonia, Spain, known for interfering in several major entertainment and sporting events. Incidents Football On 4 July 2004, durin ...

rushed onto the field and attempted to place a barretina on the World Cup trophy before being apprehended by several security guards.

References

External links

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Description and history of the barretina
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Barretina.com, all you need to know about barretines and Catalan culture
*

{{Webarchive, url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110723113125/http://www.eivissaweb.net/sabodega/cat/imatges.html , date=2011-07-23 . Catalan folklore Catalan symbols Hats Catalan words and phrases Spanish clothing Italian clothing Portuguese clothing Medieval European costume category:Medieval costume Men's clothing category:Islamic male clothing

History

In popular culture

See also

References

External links