He didn't take off his hat. I never took off my hat. Caucasian papakha: customs and traditions. History and traditions

X Abib made a speech at the awards ceremony after his fight with Dustin Poirier that offended some women in the Caucasus. Women reacted sharply on social networks, calling Khabib a sexist and a Freudian, and today a flash mob - photos of women in hats - is gaining momentum.

KU wrote the following about this.

For me, this whole story is divided into 3 parts: about Khabib; about the hat; about in what cases womenin the North Caucasuswore men's clothing.

About Khabib. Khabib is, of course, an outstanding athlete who has already gone down in history. It has a colossal influence on millions of people. In the next 1-2 years, we will observe the politicization of everything related to Khabib and power sports in the Caucasus. We have observed this before, but now this process will take place within completely different boundaries. Or rather, it will be a cross-border process. The dignity with which Khabib speaks about the North Caucasus, his culture and identity is worthy of respect. But when he tries to be a spiritual leader and go beyond the profession, he does not always succeed as brilliantly as fighting in the octagon.

The triumphant in Abu Dhabi was a little tongue-tied, but still, it seems to me, he did not intend to offend or humiliate women, much less “show them his place.” I can’t imagine that he, as a person brought up on traditional culture, doesn’t know what “woman’s honor” means among the peoples of the Caucasus - how many folklore texts there are about it; how many blood fights, even at the beginning of the twentieth century, were arranged because a woman’s honor was hurt!

“If you put on a hat, you must match it, do not lose your honor and dignity. Our women traditionally do not wear a hat, because a hat (like, for example, a dagger or a belt for a Circassian coat) is an exclusively male attribute,” - when “deciphering” Khabib’s text, I read this way.

About the hat. Papakha in the North Caucasus is a whole Universe. In many Caucasian cultures, a man wearing a papakha or, in general, a headdress, is a priori endowed with such qualities as courage, wisdom, and self-esteem. The person who put on the hat seemed to be adapting to it, trying to fit in - after all, the hat did not allow him to bow his head, and therefore, to bow to someone in the broad sense.Many mountaineer customs are associated with the papakha - it is not only a headdress that keeps you warm in winter and cool in summer; it is a symbol and a sign. A man should never take off his hat, with the exception of only one case: the hat can be removed when asking for the forgiveness of blood relatives.

The administration of the Kuban region, realizing that the highlanders will not accept the custom of removing their headdress indoors, in the end XIX century, issued a special order allowing mountaineers to wear hats indoors.

In Dagestan, a young man who was afraid to openly woo the girl he liked once threw his hat at her window. If the hat remained in the house and did not immediately fly back, then you can count on reciprocity.

It was considered an insult if a person's hat was knocked off his head. If a person took off his hat and left it somewhere, under no circumstances should it be touched or moved to another place.

Journalist Milrad Fatulaev recalls in his article that, going to the theater, the famous Azerbaijani composer Uzeyir Hajibeyov bought two tickets: one for himself, the second for his hat.

Did women in the North Caucasus wear men's clothing? Yes, they did. In exceptional cases, at weddings or when participating in certain rituals. In anthropology this is called “ritual dressing”. However, not only women dressed as men, but also men dressed as women.

For example, ethnographer Vilen Uarziati wrote that “in Central Ossetia - in Urstual, Khudygom, Tyrsygom - at weddings, girls 12–15 years old wore men's clothes, glued on their mustaches and pulled their hats down on their foreheads. In this form they appeared in the evening at the end of the wedding feast.” Changing their voices, they introduced themselves as guests of the neighboring gorge and made fun of the men who were already tipsy.

In Dagestan, at weddings (Batsada village, Rugudzha village) there were permanent characters - mummers. Mummers could be men and women, boys and girls. Sometimes a woman would dress up in men's clothes and add a mustache, or, conversely, a man would dress up as a woman. The mummers joked, threw flour and ash into the crowd, and got dirty with soot. It was not customary to take offense at their jokes.

In the village During the wedding, in Rugudja, the woman dressed in men's clothes and danced the “men's dance” (chirisani).

At a Dargin wedding, female mummers were usually the groom’s sisters, sisters-in-law or aunts, aged from 25 to 40 years. They dressed in men's clothes, attached mustaches, and attached a dagger to their belts. The face was smeared with soot or a dough mask was placed on it.

Ruslan Seferbekov, an ethnographer from Dagestan, believes thatSuch ritual disguises “were resorted to to enhance the laughter component of the ritual ritual. At the same time, cross-dressing was a reaction to the strict regulation of gender roles in traditional mountain society.”

A woman could wear men's clothing not only to amuse the public at weddings, but also on more serious occasions. Among the Abkhazians, if men died, women dressed in men's clothing and took revenge. In rare cases, a woman became an abrek and dressed in men's clothing. For example, historian Aslan Mirzoev reports:

“There is a rare case in the history of Kabarda when a woman became an abrek. Her name was Zurumkhan Shogenova, and her activities date back to the end of the 19th and beginning of the 20th centuries. Zurumkhan was born in the Little Kabardian village of Kanshuey (now Nizhny Kurp) in the family of a simple peasant. When her father died, her mother and four children moved to her brother Batyrbek Naloev. From a young age, Zurumkhan dressed like a man, carried weapons, rode horses, and then became an accomplice of the abreks, with whom she led a life of robbery. By the beginning of the civil war she was about 40 years old. Robbery began to bore her, she began to think about family life. Soon she married a Chechen, and in 1944, when the Chechens were deported, she did not leave her husband and went with everyone to Central Asia. After the death of her wife, she returned to Kabardino-Balkaria and served as a night watchman at the Argudan MTS.”

That is, Khabib is not entirely right. For women in the Caucasus, a papakha is quite possible. And how!

The legendary Taimasha Gekhinskaya, a Chechen, commanded a detachment for 10 years during the Caucasian War.

The papakha is a symbol of honor. Since ancient times, the Chechens have revered headdresses - both women's and men's. A Chechen's hat, a symbol of honor and dignity, is part of his costume. “If the head is intact, it should be wearing a hat”; “If you have no one to consult with, consult with your hat” - these and similar proverbs and sayings emphasize the importance and obligation of a hat for a man. With the exception of the bashlyk, hats were not removed indoors. When traveling to the city and to important, important events, as a rule, they wore a new, festive hat. Since the hat has always been one of the main items of men's clothing, young people sought to purchase beautiful, festive hats. They were very carefully preserved, wrapped in clean cloth. Knocking someone's hat off was considered an unprecedented insult. A person could take off his hat, leave it somewhere and leave for a while. And even in such cases, no one had the right to touch her, understanding that they would have to deal with her owner. If a Chechen took off his hat in a dispute or quarrel and hit it on the ground, this meant that he was ready to do anything to the end. It is known that among the Chechens, a woman who took off and threw her scarf at the feet of those fighting to the death could stop the fight. Men, on the contrary, cannot take off their hats even in such a situation. When a man asks someone for something and takes off his hat, this is considered baseness, worthy of a slave. In Chechen traditions there is only one exception to this matter: the hat can be removed only when asking for forgiveness of blood feud. Makhmud Esambaev knew well the value of a hat and in the most unusual situations forced him to take Chechen traditions and customs into account. Traveling all over the world and being accepted in the highest circles of many states, he never took off his hat in front of anyone. Mahmud never, under any circumstances, took off his world-famous hat, which he himself called the crown. Esambaev was the only deputy of the Supreme Soviet of the USSR who sat in a fur hat at all sessions of the highest body of power of the Union. Eyewitnesses say that the head of the Supreme Council L. Brezhnev, before the start of the work of this body, looked carefully into the hall, and, seeing a familiar hat, said: “Mahmud is in place, we can begin.” M. A. Esambaev, Hero of Socialist Labor, People's Artist of the USSR. Sharing with readers of his book “My Dagestan” about the peculiarities of Avar etiquette and how important it is for everyone to have their own individuality, uniqueness and originality, the people’s poet of Dagestan Rasul Gamzatov emphasized: “There is a world-famous artist Mahmud Esambaev in the North Caucasus. He dances dances of different nations. But he wears and never takes off his Chechen hat. Let the motives of my poems be varied, but let them wear a mountain hat.”

Until relatively recently, a hat was considered to be an integral accessory of proud mountaineers. In this regard, they even said that this headdress should be on the head while it is on the shoulders. Caucasians put much more content into this concept than the usual hat, even comparing it to a wise adviser. The Caucasian papakha has its own history.

Who wears a hat?

Nowadays, it is rare for any of the representatives of modern youth of the Caucasus to appear in society wearing a hat. But just a few decades before this, the Caucasian papakha was associated with courage, dignity and honor. To come with your head uncovered to a Caucasian wedding as an invitee was regarded as an insult to the guests of the celebration.

Once upon a time, the Caucasian hat was loved and respected by everyone - both old and young. It was often possible to find a whole arsenal of papas, as they say, for all occasions: for example, some for everyday wear, others for a wedding, and others for mourning. As a result, the wardrobe consisted of at least ten different hats. The wife of every true mountaineer had a pattern for a Caucasian hat.

Military headdress

In addition to horsemen, Cossacks also wore a hat. For servicemen of the Russian army, a papakha was one of the attributes of the military uniform of some branches of the military. It was different from the one worn by Caucasians - a low fur hat, inside of which there was a fabric lining. In 1913, the low Caucasian papakha became the headdress of the entire tsarist army.

In the Soviet army, according to the regulations, only colonels, generals and marshals were supposed to wear a papakha.

Customs of the Caucasian people

It would be naive to think that the Caucasian hat in the form in which everyone is accustomed to seeing it has not changed over the centuries. In fact, the peak of its development and greatest distribution occurred at the end of the 19th - beginning of the 20th centuries. Before this period, the heads of Caucasians were covered with fabric hats. In general, there were several types of hats, which were made from the following materials:

• felt;
• textile;
• combination of fur and fabric.

A little-known fact is that for some time in the 18th century, both sexes wore almost identical headdresses. Cossack hat, Caucasian hat - these hats were valued and occupied an honorable place in the wardrobe of men.

Fur hats are gradually beginning to dominate, replacing other types of this item of clothing. Adygs, also known as Circassians, wore felt hats until the beginning of the 19th century. In addition, pointed hoods made of cloth were common. Turkish turbans also changed over time - now fur hats were wrapped in white narrow pieces of fabric.

The elders treated their hats with care, kept them in almost sterile conditions, and each of them was specially wrapped in clean cloth.

Traditions associated with this headdress

The customs of the peoples of the Caucasus region obliged every man to know how to wear a hat correctly and in what cases to wear one or another of them. There are many examples of the relationship between the Caucasian papakha and folk traditions:

1. Checking whether a girl really loves a guy: I should have tried to throw my hat out of her window. Caucasian dances also served as a way to express sincere feelings towards the fair sex.
2. Romance ended when someone knocked down someone else's hat. Such an act is considered offensive; it could provoke a serious incident with very unpleasant consequences for someone. The Caucasian papakha was respected, and it could not just be torn off one’s head.
3. A person could have forgottenly left his hat somewhere, but God forbid someone touches it!
4. During the argument, the temperamental Caucasian man took off his hat from his head and heatedly threw it on the ground next to him. This could only mean that the man is convinced that he is right and is ready to answer for his words!
5. Almost the only and very effective act that can stop the bloody battle of hot horsemen is a handkerchief of some beauty thrown at their feet.
6. Whatever a man asks for, nothing should force him to take off his hat. An exceptional case is to forgive blood feud.

Caucasian papakha today

The tradition of wearing a Caucasian hat has faded into oblivion over the years. Now we will have to go to some mountain village to make sure that it is not completely forgotten. Maybe you’ll be lucky to see it on the head of a local young man who decided to show it off.

And among the Soviet intelligentsia there were representatives of the Caucasian peoples who honored the traditions and customs of their fathers and grandfathers. A striking example is the Chechen Makhmud Esambaev - People's Artist of the USSR, famous choreographer, choreographer and actor. Wherever he was, even at receptions with the country's leaders, the proud Caucasian was seen wearing his crown hat. There is either a fact or a legend, allegedly General Secretary L.I. Brezhnev began a meeting of the Supreme Soviet of the USSR only after he spotted Mahmud’s hat among the delegates.

You can have different attitudes towards wearing a Caucasian hat. But, without any doubt, the following truth must remain unshakable. This headdress of peoples is closely connected with the history of proud Caucasians, the traditions and customs of their grandfathers and great-grandfathers, which every contemporary should sacredly honor and respect! The Caucasian papakha in the Caucasus is more than a headdress!

Hello, dear blog readers. In the Caucasus, the saying has long been known: “If the head is intact, it should be wearing a hat.” Really, Caucasian papakha for the Caucasians themselves it is more than just a headdress. Since childhood, I remember how my grandfather very often quoted some eastern sage: “If you have no one to consult with, then ask the papakha for advice.”

Nowadays it’s quite rare to see a young man with a Caucasian hat on his head. Several decades ago, a hat personified masculinity and was a kind of symbol of honor and dignity. If a guy allowed himself to appear without a headdress, then it was considered almost an insult to all those invited.

Caucasian papakha was loved and respected by everyone. I remember when we lived in, we had a neighbor who wore a new hat every day. We were very surprised by this and one day they asked him where he got so many hats from. It turned out that he inherited 15 selected dads from his father, which he wears with pleasure. The most interesting thing is that every time he went out to sit with local elders at an impromptu godekan, he put on a new hat. When he was invited to a wedding, there was another one, but if he was at a funeral, then a third one was on his head.

Caucasian papakha - the personification of traditions and customs

Of course, Caucasian hats were not always the way we imagine them today. They received their most rapid development and distribution in the late 19th and early 20th centuries. Before this, they mostly wore cloth hats. By the way, it should be noted that all the hats of that time, based on the material made, can be divided into four types:

• Fabric hats
• Hats combining fabric and fur
• Fur
• Felt

Over time, fur hats almost everywhere replaced all other types of hats. The only thing that should be noted is that felt hats were widespread among the Circassians until the beginning of the 19th century. Of course, this also includes “bashlyks”, Turkish turbans, which, by the way, were later very skillfully replaced by a small white strip of fabric that was wound around a fur hat.

But all these nuances are more interesting for researchers. I won’t be mistaken if I assume that you are much more interested in finding out what place you occupied hat V. As I noted above, any self-respecting man was simply obliged to wear a hat on his head. Moreover, most often he had over a dozen of them. There was also a whole system for servicing papas. I know that they were cherished like the apple of their eye and stored in special clean materials.

I think that after watching this video, you learned a lot about how folk traditions were combined with the Caucasian papakha. For example, it was a great discovery for me when I learned that a young man threw his headdress through the window of his beloved in order to find out whether his love was reciprocated. I know that they were often used to express their feelings to a girl.

It should be noted that not everything was so romantic and beautiful. Very often there were cases when it came to bloodshed just because a man’s headdress was knocked off his head. This was considered a great insult. If a person himself took off his hat and left it somewhere, no one had the right to touch it, understanding that he would have to deal with its owner. It happened that in a quarrel a Caucasian man would take off his hat and hit it on the ground - this meant that he was ready to stand his ground until death.

As I said above, Caucasian youth have practically stopped wearing hats in recent years. Only in mountain villages can you meet guys who happily flaunt these hats. Although, many great Caucasians (such as) never parted with their hats. The great dancer called his hat “Crown” and did not take it off even when he was received in the highest echelons of power. Moreover, Esambaev, being a deputy of the Supreme Soviet of the USSR, sat in a fur hat at all meetings of the highest body of power of the Soviet Union. Rumor has it that L.I. Brezhnev looked around the hall before each meeting and, seeing a familiar hat, said: “Mahmud is in place - we can begin.”

In conclusion, I want to say this: whether or not to wear a Caucasian headdress is the business of every person, but I have no doubt that we simply must know and respect its significance in the lives of our fathers and grandfathers. Caucasian papakha– this is our history, these are our legends and, perhaps, a happy future! Yes, watch another video about papakha:

Friends, it will be very interesting to discuss your views on this topic in the comments. Yes, and don't forget. There are a lot of interesting and useful articles ahead of you.

| 18.11.2015

Papakha in the North Caucasus is a whole world and a special myth. In many Caucasian cultures, a man wearing a papakha or, in general, a headdress, is a priori endowed with such qualities as courage, wisdom, and self-esteem. The person who put on the hat seemed to be adapting to it, trying to match the object - after all, the hat did not allow the highlander to bow his head, and therefore to bow to someone in the broad sense.

Not long ago I was in the village of Thagapsh visiting Batmyz Tlif, the chairman of the village “Chile Khase”. We talked a lot about the traditions of aul self-government, preserved by the Black Sea Shapsugs, and before leaving, I asked our hospitable host for permission to photograph him in a ceremonial hat - and Batmyz seemed to look younger before my eyes: immediately a different posture and a different look...

Batmyz Tlif in his ceremonial astrakhan hat. Aul Tkhagapsh, Lazarevsky district, Krasnodar region. May 2012. Photo by the author

“If the head is intact, there should be a hat on it,” “A hat is worn not for warmth, but for honor,” “If you have no one to consult with, consult with a hat” is an incomplete list of proverbs that exist among many mountain peoples of the Caucasus.

Many mountaineer customs are associated with the papakha - it is not only a headdress that keeps you warm in winter and cool in summer; it is a symbol and a sign. A man should never take off his hat if he asks anyone for anything. With the exception of only one case: the hat can be removed only when they ask for forgiveness of blood feud.

In Dagestan, a young man who was afraid to openly woo the girl he liked once threw his hat at her window. If the hat remained in the house and did not immediately fly back, then you can count on reciprocity.

It was considered an insult if a person's hat was knocked off his head. If a person himself took off his hat and left it somewhere, no one had the right to touch it, understanding that he would have to deal with its owner.

Journalist Milrad Fatulaev recalls in his article a famous case when, going to the theater, the famous Lezgin composer Uzeir Gadzhibekov bought two tickets: one for himself, the second for his hat.

Hats were not removed indoors (with the exception of the bashlyk). Sometimes, when taking off the hat, they put on a light cloth cap. There were also special night caps - mainly for old people. The highlanders shaved or cut their heads very short, which also preserved the custom of constantly wearing some kind of headdress.

The oldest form was considered to be tall, shaggy hats with a convex top made of soft felt. They were so high that the top of the cap tilted to the side. Information about such hats was recorded by Evgenia Nikolaevna Studenetskaya, a famous Soviet ethnographer, from old Karachais, Balkars and Chechens, who retained in their memory the stories of their fathers and grandfathers.

There was a special kind of papakha - shaggy papakhas. They were made from sheepskin with a long pile facing outwards, lined with sheepskin with sheared wool. These hats were warmer and provided better protection from the rain and snow that flowed into the long fur. For a shepherd, such a shaggy hat often served as a pillow.

For festive papas, they preferred the fine curly fur of young lambs (kurpei) or imported astrakhan fur.

Circassians in hats. The drawing was kindly provided to me by history scientist from Nalchik Timur Dzuganov.

Astrakhan hats were called “Bukhara”. Hats made from the fur of Kalmyk sheep were also prized.

The shape of a fur hat could be varied. In his “Ethnological Studies on Ossetians” V.B. Pfaff wrote: “the papakha is very subject to fashion: sometimes it is sewn very high, an arshin or more in height, and at other times quite low, so that it is only slightly higher than the cap of the Crimean Tatars.”

It was possible to determine the social status of a highlander and his personal preferences by his hat, but “it is impossible to distinguish a Lezgin from a Chechen, a Circassian from a Cossack by his headdress. Everything is quite monotonous,” Milrad Fatullaev subtly noted.

At the end of the 19th – beginning of the 20th centuries. fur hats (made from sheepskin with long wool) were worn mainly as shepherd's hats (Chechens, Ingush, Ossetians, Karachais, Balkars).

A high astrakhan fur hat was common in Ossetia, Adygea, flat Chechnya and rarely in the mountainous regions of Chechnya, Ingushetia, Karachay and Balkaria.

At the beginning of the twentieth century, low, almost head-length, tapering caps made of astrakhan fur came into fashion. They were worn mainly in the cities and adjacent areas of flat Ossetia and Adygea.

Papakhas were and are expensive, so rich people had them. Rich people had up to 10-15 papas. Nadir Khachilayev said that he bought a hat of a unique iridescent golden hue in Derbent for one and a half million rubles.

After the First World War, a low hat (band 5-7 itself) with a flat bottom made of fabric spread in the North Caucasus. The band was made from kurpei or karakul. The bottom, cut from one piece of fabric, was located at the level of the top line of the band and was sewn to it.

Such a hat was called a Kubanka - it was first worn by the Kuban Cossack army. And in Chechnya - with a carabiner, due to its low height. Among young people it replaced other forms of papas, and among the older generation it coexisted with them.

The difference between Cossack hats and mountain hats is their diversity and lack of standards. Mountain hats are standardized, Cossack hats are based on the spirit of improvisation. Each Cossack army in Russia was distinguished by its hats in the quality of fabric and fur, shades of color, shape - hemispherical or flat, dressing, sewing ribbons, seams and, finally, in the manner of wearing those same hats.

People in the Caucasus took great care of hats - they kept them covered with a scarf. When traveling to a city or on a holiday in another village, they took a festive hat with them and put it on only before entering, taking off a simpler cap or felt hat.

For both the highlander and the Cossack, a papakha is not just a hat. This is a matter of pride and honor. The hat cannot be dropped or lost; the Cossack votes for it in the circle. You can only lose your hat along with your head.

A papakha is not just a hat

Neither in the Caucasus, where she comes from, nor among the Cossacks, a papakha is considered an ordinary headdress, the purpose of which is only to keep warm. If you look at the sayings and proverbs about papakha, you can already understand a lot about its significance. In the Caucasus they say: “If the head is intact, it should be wearing a hat,” “A hat is worn not for warmth, but for honor,” “If you have no one to consult with, consult with a hat.”

The Cossacks even have a saying that the two most important things for a Cossack are a saber and a hat. Removing your hat is allowed only in special cases. In the Caucasus - almost never.

You cannot take off your hat when someone is asked for something, the only exception is when they ask for forgiveness of blood feud. The specificity of a hat is that it does not allow you to walk with your head down. It’s as if she herself is “educating” a person, forcing him “not to bend his back.”

In Dagestan there was also a tradition of proposing with a papakha. When a young man wanted to get married, but was afraid to do it openly, he could throw his hat out the girl’s window. If the hat did not fly back for a long time, then the young man could count on a favorable outcome.

Knocking your hat off your head was considered a serious insult. If, in the heat of an argument, one of the opponents threw his hat to the ground, this meant that he was ready to stand until his death. It was possible to lose a hat only completely, which is why valuables and even jewelry were often worn in hats.

Fun fact: the famous Azerbaijani composer Uzeyir Hajibeyov, going to the theater, bought two tickets: one for himself, the second for his hat. Makhmud Esambaev was the only deputy of the Supreme Soviet of the USSR who was allowed to sit at meetings wearing a headdress.

They say that Leonid Brezhnev, looking around the hall before his speech, saw Esambaev’s hat and said: “Makhmud is in place, we can start.”

Types of hats

There are different hats. They differ both in the type of fur and in the length of the pile. Also, the types of embroidery on the top of the papakhas differ in different regiments. Before the First World War, hats were most often made from bear, ram and wolf fur; these types of fur best helped soften a saber blow. There were also ceremonial hats. For officers and servants, they were trimmed with silver braid 1.2 centimeters wide.

Since 1915, it was allowed to use gray hats. The Don, Astrakhan, Orenburg, Semirechensk, Siberian Cossack troops wore hats similar to a cone with short fur. It was possible to wear hats of any shade except white, and during the period of hostilities - black. Fur hats of bright colors were also prohibited.

The sergeants, constables and cadets had a white cross-shaped braid sewn on the top of their hats, and the officers, in addition to the braid, also had a galloon sewn on the device. Don hats - with a red top and a cross embroidered on it, symbolizing the Orthodox faith. The Kuban Cossacks have a scarlet top. The Tersky ones have blue. In the Trans-Baikal, Ussuri, Ural, Amur, Krasnoyarsk and Irkutsk units they wore black hats made of lamb wool, but exclusively with long pile.

The friendship between the legend of Soviet cinema Vladimir Zeldin and the famous dancer, “magician of dance” Makhmud Esambaev lasted more than half a century. Their acquaintance began on the set of Ivan Pyryev’s film “The Pig Farmer and the Shepherd,” which became both Zeldin and Esambaev’s film debut.

Esambaev, who came to Moscow at the age of 17, worked part-time at Mosfilm. In Pyryev’s film, he got the role of a friend of the Dagestan shepherd Musaib, played by Zeldin. In the scene when Zeldin walks along the alley of the Exhibition of Achievements of the National Economy and encounters Glasha, they are surrounded by mountaineers, Musaib’s friends. One of them was Makhmud Esambaev.

In one of his interviews, Vladimir Zeldin told how the director of the film, Ivan Pyryev, commanded all the time: “Keep your head down! Don't look into the movie camera! It was he who addressed Mahmud, who kept peeking over his shoulder, trying to get into the frame. Everyone wanted to be noticed - a naive, funny, cheerful guy in a black Circassian coat,” says Zeldin.

Once, during a break between filming, Zeldin sent young Esambaev for lemonade - the actor was tormented by thirst, and there was no time to run away. Gave Mahmud 15 kopecks. He happily ran to carry out the assignment, but brought two bottles instead of one - like a true Caucasian, he showed respect. This is how the friendship between the two legendary people began. Subsequently, when Esambaev became a great dancer, he, for the sake of a joke, kept remembering Zeldin of the times when he “chased him for a bottle”, saying that Zeldin owed him 15 kopecks...

Zeldin has repeatedly emphasized that he has always treated Caucasians with respect, and has never hidden the fact that he has many Caucasian friends - Azerbaijanis, Georgians, Dagestanis, Chechens, etc. “Ever since my student years I loved the Circassian coat, the hat, these boots, soft and slippery, and in general I sympathized with the peoples of the Caucasus,” said Zeldin. - I really like playing them, they are amazingly beautiful, unusually musical, flexible people. When I play, I feel this Caucasian spirit. I know their traditions well and feel good and organic in their national clothes. Even fans once gave me all this “Caucasian uniform”.

And one day Makhmud Esambaev presented Zeldin with his famous silver hat, which he wore in public without taking it off, and which became an integral part of his owner’s everyday image. If you know what this hat meant to Esambaev, you can say that he gave Zeldin a truly royal gift, he tore it from his heart.

Why Esambaev never takes off his hat was the subject of endless jokes and conversations. And the answer is simple - this is a tradition, mountain etiquette: a Caucasian man never bares his head. In this regard, Zeldin noted that Mahmud was “an amazing guardian of national culture.”

Esambaev himself used to jokingly say that a Caucasian man even goes to bed wearing a fur hat. Makhmud Esambaev became the only person in the USSR who was allowed to have his passport photograph taken wearing a traditional headdress. The respect for him was so strong. Esambaev never took off his hat in front of anyone - neither in front of presidents, nor in front of kings. And on Zeldin’s 70th birthday, he said that he was taking off his hat in front of his talent and gave it with the words that he was giving the most precious thing he had.

In response, Zeldin danced Esambaev’s lezginka. And since then, the actor kept the gift from his dear friend, sometimes wearing it to concerts.

During his colorful life, Zeldin received many gifts from famous people. He had a unique double-barreled shotgun with a dedicatory engraving from Marshal Zhukov, the painting “Don Quixote”, which Nikas Safronov painted especially for Zeldin, an icon from the Spanish La Mancha, all kinds of orders - three Orders of the Red Banner of Labor, the Order of Friendship, the Order of the Spanish King Juan II - for the one hundred and fiftieth performance of “Man of La Mancha” in the year of the 400th anniversary of Cervantes.” But the most expensive and sincere gift always remained Esambaev’s papakha...

Zeldin always considered Esambaev a great man. “Mahmoud is a man sent to us by heaven. This is a legendary man. But this legend is real, the legend of the most striking actions he showed. This is not only spiritual generosity. This is the need to help do good. Getting people out of the most incredible situations. The huge role of the example of existence and feeling of life. Mahmud is a great man because, despite his greatness, he saw a person, he could listen to him, help him, and kindly speak with him. This is a good man.

When he called me, without any preamble, he began to sing “The Song of Moscow”: “And no matter where I go, no matter what grass I walk on...” He didn’t just come into the house - he burst into it. He put on a whole show from his parish... A handsome man (ideal figure, wasp waist, posture), he lived beautifully, turning his life into a picturesque show. He treated him beautifully, looked after him beautifully, spoke beautifully, dressed beautifully. I sewed only from my own tailor; I didn’t wear anything ready-made, not even shoes. And he always wore a hat.

Mahmud was a pure genius. I didn’t study anywhere, I didn’t even finish high school. But nature was rich. Incredible capacity for work and incredible ambition, the desire to become a master... The halls at his performances were crowded, he was a huge success, both throughout the Union and abroad... And he was an open person, of extraordinary kindness and breadth. He lived in two cities - Moscow and Grozny. He had a house in Chechnya, his wife Nina and daughter lived there... When Mahmud came to Moscow, his two-room apartment on Presnensky Val, where we often came, was immediately filled with friends. And God knows how many people could fit there; there was nowhere to sit. And the owner greeted newly arrived guests in some incredibly luxurious robe. And everyone immediately felt at home with him: politicians, pop and theater people, his fans. In any company, he became its center... He could stir up everything around him and bring pleasure to everyone...”

The last time Vladimir Zeldin appeared in a fur hat was at the celebration of the 869th anniversary of Moscow in September this year on City Day, the main theme of which was the Year of Cinema. This exit was the final chord in the long-term friendship of the two legendary artists.

Until relatively recently, a hat was considered to be an integral accessory of proud mountaineers. In this regard, they even said that this headdress should be on the head while it is on the shoulders. Caucasians put much more content into this concept than the usual hat, even comparing it to a wise adviser. The Caucasian papakha has its own history.

Who wears a hat?

Nowadays, it is rare for any of the representatives of modern youth of the Caucasus to appear in society wearing a hat. But just a few decades before this, the Caucasian papakha was associated with courage, dignity and honor. To come with your head uncovered to a Caucasian wedding as an invitee was regarded as an insult to the guests of the celebration.

Once upon a time, the Caucasian hat was loved and respected by everyone - both old and young. It was often possible to find a whole arsenal of papas, as they say, for all occasions: for example, some for everyday wear, others for a wedding, and others for mourning. As a result, the wardrobe consisted of at least ten different hats. The wife of every true mountaineer had a pattern for a Caucasian hat.

Military headdress

In addition to horsemen, Cossacks also wore a hat. For servicemen of the Russian army, a papakha was one of the attributes of the military uniform of some branches of the military. It was different from the one worn by Caucasians - a low fur hat, inside of which there was a fabric lining. In 1913, the low Caucasian papakha became the headdress of the entire tsarist army.

In the Soviet army, according to the regulations, only colonels, generals and marshals were supposed to wear a papakha.

Customs of the Caucasian people

It would be naive to think that the Caucasian hat in the form in which everyone is accustomed to seeing it has not changed over the centuries. In fact, the peak of its development and greatest distribution occurred at the end of the 19th - beginning of the 20th centuries. Before this period, the heads of Caucasians were covered with fabric hats. In general, there were several types of hats, which were made from the following materials:

• felt;
• textile;
• combination of fur and fabric.

A little-known fact is that for some time in the 18th century, both sexes wore almost identical headdresses. Cossack hat, Caucasian hat - these hats were valued and occupied an honorable place in the wardrobe of men.

Fur hats are gradually beginning to dominate, replacing other types of this item of clothing. Adygs, also known as Circassians, wore felt hats until the beginning of the 19th century. In addition, pointed hoods made of cloth were common. Turkish turbans also changed over time - now fur hats were wrapped in white narrow pieces of fabric.

The elders treated their hats with care, kept them in almost sterile conditions, and each of them was specially wrapped in clean cloth.

Traditions associated with this headdress

The customs of the peoples of the Caucasus region obliged every man to know how to wear a hat correctly and in what cases to wear one or another of them. There are many examples of the relationship between the Caucasian papakha and folk traditions:

1. Checking whether a girl really loves a guy: I should have tried to throw my hat out of her window. Caucasian dances also served as a way to express sincere feelings towards the fair sex.
2. Romance ended when someone knocked down someone else's hat. Such an act is considered offensive; it could provoke a serious incident with very unpleasant consequences for someone. The Caucasian papakha was respected, and it could not just be torn off one’s head.
3. A person could have forgottenly left his hat somewhere, but God forbid someone touches it!
4. During the argument, the temperamental Caucasian man took off his hat from his head and heatedly threw it on the ground next to him. This could only mean that the man is convinced that he is right and is ready to answer for his words!
5. Almost the only and very effective act that can stop the bloody battle of hot horsemen is a handkerchief of some beauty thrown at their feet.
6. Whatever a man asks for, nothing should force him to take off his hat. An exceptional case is to forgive blood feud.

Caucasian papakha today

The tradition of wearing a Caucasian hat has faded into oblivion over the years. Now we will have to go to some mountain village to make sure that it is not completely forgotten. Maybe you’ll be lucky to see it on the head of a local young man who decided to show it off.

And among the Soviet intelligentsia there were representatives of the Caucasian peoples who honored the traditions and customs of their fathers and grandfathers. A striking example is the Chechen Makhmud Esambaev - People's Artist of the USSR, famous choreographer, choreographer and actor. Wherever he was, even at receptions with the country's leaders, the proud Caucasian was seen wearing his crown hat. There is either a fact or a legend, allegedly General Secretary L.I. Brezhnev began a meeting of the Supreme Soviet of the USSR only after he spotted Mahmud’s hat among the delegates.

You can have different attitudes towards wearing a Caucasian hat. But, without any doubt, the following truth must remain unshakable. This headdress of peoples is closely connected with the history of proud Caucasians, the traditions and customs of their grandfathers and great-grandfathers, which every contemporary should sacredly honor and respect! The Caucasian papakha in the Caucasus is more than a headdress!

Each nation has its own national headdress. Most Turkic-speaking peoples call them “papakh”. Including in Azerbaijan.

At one time, even Soviet generals wore hats. But today the papakha remains only part of the men's toilet in the countries of the East. And also, according to tradition, it was preserved as part of the traditional Cossack uniform.

So what is a papakha?

A papakha is a cylindrical headdress made from animal skins with a fabric inner lining. Making a hat takes a considerable amount of time and effort. And how this is done, we spied in the workshop of the Baku master Sabir kishi.

As Sabir kishi said, it takes a very long time to choose the skin for a papakha, since not only its appearance, but also its price will depend on it.

The skin must be well processed. In addition, you need to look at what kind of skin it is, what animal it is. Preference is given to lamb skin. Well, then, the master smiles, instinct is already necessary. For example, 50 skins may be laid out in front of you, your job is to choose the most beautiful one, the one that will be a pleasure to sew and wear...

Well, then, the master smiles, instinct is already necessary. For example, 50 skins may be laid out in front of you, your job is to choose the most beautiful one from them

In the Caucasus they say that if the head is intact, it should be wearing a hat. Today, of course, in Baku you rarely see a man in a traditional hat, especially among young people. Young people prefer caps, Panama hats, berets, knitted hats, etc. And hats are worn more in rural areas, and only by people of the older generation or on holidays.

The traditional Azerbaijani papakha can be seen more often in historical films and on folk dance performers. The hat is an indispensable attribute of mugham performers and folk musicians.

Papakhas look different among different peoples. They differ in height, color, style, etc. Various types of this headdress were also used in Azerbaijan.

“All papakhas are initially white,” says Sabir Kishi, “and those that are black are in most cases colored. It all depends on the skin of which animal it was made from. Papakhas are divided into long-haired and short-haired. Long-haired ones are made from the skins of adult animals, and for short-haired ones, lamb skin was mainly used.

They are also divided into fine-haired and coarse-haired. Hats in Azerbaijan had and have many types and names - these are choban hats, Bukhara hats, Bey hats, Gyumush hats, Gara hats, etc. Each of these types belonged either to a village, or was worn according to some tradition, or belonged to a certain class of the population. For example, only people from the bek class could wear bey hats; the poorer sections of the population had neither the rights nor the means to do so.”

For example, bey hats could only be worn by people from the bek class; the poor segments of the population had neither the rights nor the means to do so

If someone accidentally touched another so that his hat fell to the ground, this could lead to bloodshed, since it meant an insult to the honor of the wearer of the hat. In the case when the owner himself, having taken off his hat, threw it on the ground, this indicated that he was ready to stand his ground to the end and would never change his decision.

Usually, with the older generation, the younger ones took off their hats as a sign of respect, but this was not accepted among all nations.

Sewing a hat is quite a difficult task, the slightest wrong seam and that’s it - the goods are lost. After the skin is processed, it is given a shape, then, turning it inside out, it is covered with cotton wool for softness. In order for the hat to retain the shape that it was given, it is put on a blank - a sugar loaf, which is cut in advance to the shape of the hat. A fabric lining is sewn on top. Then the finished hat is sprinkled with water and put back on the blank in anticipation of its owner.

Hat hats require special care, Sabir Kishi emphasized. “I understand that in our time it does not have the same value as it used to. But before, people knew not only how to wear a hat, but also how to care for it. The hat should be put on with both hands and not pulled too much over the head. If the hat is your size, then it will sit in its place without much effort,” he said.

The hat should be put on with both hands and not pulled too much over the head.

But to save your hat, you need to work a little harder. According to the master, hats used to be stored wrapped in clean linen in a dark place. The temperature had to be low, as the fur could dry out. Nowadays, many people neglect these rules and neglect all points of these rules. That’s why today’s hats don’t last long, sighs Sabir Kishi.

The master also shared with us some tricks that those who wear hats should know. If anything spills on your hat, you should immediately take flour and gasoline. Dilute flour in gasoline, as if kneading batter, and spread this mixture onto the stain. Gasoline absorbs fat well, thanks to which the papakha can be saved.

Interestingly, the master is also not against dry-cleaning papakhas, since, according to him, most local dry cleaners know how to properly care for this hat...

And finally - about the cost of the traditional Azerbaijani papakha. Prices for hats in Baku today start from 50 manats and can reach up to 300 manats...

No matter how fashion changes, many Azerbaijani homes still keep hats that belonged to the older generation of the family. Even if young people do not wear them today, they still remain a symbol of honor and respect for tradition.