Tibetan Hats

Tibetan people like to wear hats because Tibet has frequent windstorms, cold weather, and strong sunshine. The styles they choose are more than just to protect them from the elements, but also relate to status, genders and regions.

The most common hat in Tibet is golden thread hat, also called "Xamo Gyaise" in Tibetan language. Typically, linings are made of felt. The top is decorated with golden silk and the edges are inlaid with silk ribbon. Hats are designed with four edges, with the front and back larger than the left and right. All sides are furlined.

The golden thread hat made of fine materials are very warm and loved by both men and women. When worn by women, the two larger edges are placed inside, leaving the left and right parts outside. In snowy weather, all four edges are placed outside. However, the elderly usually keep all four edges outside.

In cold areas of Tibet, like Chamdo, Tibetan people, nomadic people in particular, usually wear a hat made of fox skin, felt or leather, to ward off cold.The fox-fur hat made from the high level fox furs and particular silk fabrics, this kind of hat makes the young look handsome. Designed to deal with the cold weather in the highland, the brim is long and can be stretched to the shoulder to prevent cold air. All fox fur hat are handmade by herbs. Among the florid Tibetan trappings, the fox-fur hats are particularly remarkable.

Felt hat may be the oldest hat in Tibet. Till now, people in Gansu and Qinghai provinces still wear this kind of hats. Taking the white felt as the main material, form into a high peaked hat with a narrow brim. The making process of felt hat is simple. And the modern hats in Amdo area and the summer felt hats in Gongbo area are developed from the original felt hats. They keep the form of the original one and improved by decorating by colorful materials.

For Tibetan women, they wear a special hat called Sang Ge Si You in dustpan shape during summer. The framework is made by four bamboo stripes, sallows or chopsticks. The outside material is black cloth bordered by flowered satin or silk satin. The brim of the hat can hang over the forehead which is adumbral.