Headgear: Encyclopedia II - Headgear - Purpose of headgear

Headgear - Purpose of headgear

Headgear - Protection or defense

The most common use of headgear is as protection for the head and eyes.

A baseball cap is used by sports players to keep the sun out of their eyes, and by some chefs to keep the hair out of their food. Traditionally, silk chef's hats are used for this purpose. A rain hat has a wide rim to keep the rain out of the wearer's face. Some traditional types of hat such as the Mexican sombrero also serve this purpose.

There are also the full range of helmets. There are also hats that are worn for protection from the cold. These include many varieties of fur hats, and also the Canadian tuque.

Tin foil hats are worn by some as defense against mind control rays, although the existence of any such threat has yet to be substantiated.

Headgear - Fashion

Headgear is also an article of fashion. The formal man's black silk top hat was formerly an indispensable portion of the suit, and women's hats have, over the years, attained a fantastic number of shapes ranging from immense confections to no more than a few bits of cloth and decorations piled on top of the head. Recently, the hat as an article of formal wear has fallen out of fashion, though some kinds of hats other than baseball caps may be included in young people's subcultural fashions.

Headgear - Religious significance

Some headgear is worn for religious practice. Observant Jewish men wear yarmulkes, small cloth skull-caps, because they believe the head should be covered in the presence of God. Some Jewish men wear yarmulkes at all times, others in the synagogue. Similar to the yarmulke is the zucchetto worn by Roman Catholic clergy. Other forms of apostolic head-gear include the mitre, biretta, tasselled cardinal's hat, and the papal tiara. Orthodox Christian clergy and monastics often wear a skufia, a kamilavkion, or a klobuk. Male Sikhs are required to wear turbans. See also the fez (clothing). The term red hat when used within the Roman Catholic Church refers to the appointment of a Cardinal, a senior Prince of the Church who is a member of the electoral college that chooses the Pope. A person on being appointed to the cardinalate is said to have received the red hat or cardinal's biretta.

Headgear - Symbol of status or office

Headgear such as crowns, and tiaras are worn in recognition of noble status especially among royalty. Wigs are worn traditionally by judges and barristers of Commonwealth nations. Feathered headpieces are worn by various Native American tribes as a sign of tribal rank.

Adapted from the Wikipedia article "Purpose of headgear", under the G.N U Free Docmentation License. Please also see http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki