“Hats in Tibet | Art on the Head Compared with many ethnic groups in the world, the hat culture in Tibet is definitely of long standing and with numerous varieties. Some modern scholars point out that there were about 140 different kinds of hats in Tibet in the past. Traditionally, hats in Tibet are roughly divided into summer hats and winter hats by season. But in fact, Tibetan hats can also be classified according to different occupations, such as monk hats, artist hats, official hats for officers and soldiers, and so on. Just for monk hats, there are different hats according to different sects and academic degrees. The same is true for official hats, which can have different styles according to different official ranks, not to mention that people who wear them will have different hats on different occasions. Hat - is a kind of culture. There is a proverb in Tibet: “Don't put a black hat on an innocent person.” “A smooth person loses his hat.” Obviously, hats appear here with their profound cultural meaning. In fact, this is also the case. Not only in Tibet, but for the entire human society and history, hats have transcended from their initial practicality and become an important symbol in folk costume culture, not only having aesthetic significance but also showing unique charm at the cultural level. In the Yuan Dynasty, a large amount of Mongolian culture entered Tibet, and thus there appeared many Tibetan hats of Mongolian style. The red tassel hat is a typical representative. The red tassel hat is generally called “Soxia” (Mongolian hat) by Tibetans. At that time, it was the preference of princes and nobles. But interestingly, after a long time, it became the hat of knights and servants. Nowadays, we can still see this kind of hat on every Tibetan festival.”
