How's this for a hat?

@JudyEv (382104)

Rockingham, Australia

December 1, 2015 8:17pm CST

This beautiful hat was in the Open Air Museum in the Black Forest area of Germany. Known as the Bollenhut, the pompom hat come in two colours. My research tells me it's made of fourteen pompoms but only eleven are visible. The pompoms are hand-made and the hat can weigh up to two kilograms. Unmarried women may wear a red hat but once they are married, the hat should be black. And Anna (@LadyDuck) tells me the pompoms are always arranged in the shape of a cross. The origins of the hat and costume which goes with it can be traced back to the mid-1700s. Nowadays it is worn on holidays or at festivals or other big events.

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24 responses

Arthur Chappell

@arthurchappell (44941)

• Preston, England

2 Dec 15

looks fabulous - we have a hat museum in Manchester - Stockport, which is very good. Hats from round the World and a working Victorian hat factory in the basement

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Arthur Chappell

@arthurchappell (44941)

• Preston, England

2 Dec 15

@JudyEv it is one of our cities lesser known gems - well worth a visit

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@JudyEv (382104)

• Rockingham, Australia

2 Dec 15

How interesting would that be! We must try to get there if we're over that way again.

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@JudyEv (382104)

• Rockingham, Australia

2 Dec 15

@arthurchappell We found some real gems and often in smaller towns rather than large ones.

@marlina (154103)

• Canada

2 Dec 15

The ugliest hat I have ever seen so far!

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Margaret Mwangi

@Missmwngi (12915)

• Nairobi, Kenya

4 Dec 15

Hahaa @Marie don't make me laugh I wonder what shock you would get if someone brought you that as a gift lol

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@JudyEv (382104)

• Rockingham, Australia

3 Dec 15

Well, it's certainly different!

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@Rollo1 (16676)

• Boston, Massachusetts

2 Dec 15

I rather like hats, and some from the 19th century and 20th century were quite becoming, but I think I would give that one a pass.

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@JudyEv (382104)

• Rockingham, Australia

2 Dec 15

It is sort of making a statement, isn't it? What it's trying to say I'm not quite sure.

@sofssu (23660)

•

2 Dec 15

LOL imagine wearing such heavy hats.. I do like hats but not such fancy ones.. I love the lacy stuff.

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@JudyEv (382104)

• Rockingham, Australia

2 Dec 15

It would certainly be weighty. They look a bit strange though, don't they?

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@sofssu (23660)

•

2 Dec 15

@JudyEv They certainly look far too strange for me..

Just imagine the giggles this would draw if someone wore on of these on our streets today.

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@JudyEv (382104)

• Rockingham, Australia

2 Dec 15

@sofssu They are certainly a cultural statement aren't they?

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@LadyDuck (502491)

• Italy

2 Dec 15

This hat is a sort of symbol of the Black Forrest, the 14 wool pompoms must be arranged in the shape of a cross.

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@JudyEv (382104)

• Rockingham, Australia

2 Dec 15

Oh, I didn't know that. Do you mind if I add it in the post? It is a unique hat, isn't it?

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@LadyDuck (502491)

• Italy

2 Dec 15

@JudyEv You can add this to your discussion, no problem, I thought it was important to be mentioned.

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@JudyEv (382104)

• Rockingham, Australia

3 Dec 15

@LadyDuck Thanks Anna. It is always to know a bit more about something, especially when it is important.

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@TheHorse (238313)

• Walnut Creek, California

2 Dec 15

It would work with my favorite t-shirt color (black), but I still think I'd get some strange looks if I wore it. Interesting information about red being OK for unmarried women only.

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@JudyEv (382104)

• Rockingham, Australia

2 Dec 15

When we were in Thailand at a Karen village, the girls wore pastel long dresses on Sundays. Once they married that would change but for the life of me I can't remember what the married women wore. Maybe it was white.

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@JudyEv (382104)

• Rockingham, Australia

2 Dec 15

@TheHorse ulandari (below) has copied your comment. I don't know what you want to do about it.

@TheHorse (238313)

• Walnut Creek, California

2 Dec 15

@JudyEv Sometimes I like to be "anonymous" with regard to whether I'm married or not. I wonder if some women "rebel" against that tradition.

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@salonga (27775)

• Philippines

2 Dec 15

I can't imagine myself wearing such heavy hat. In our country, it not usual for women to wear hats although few fashionable ones wear hats once in a while.

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@salonga (27775)

• Philippines

3 Dec 15

@JudyEv I wonder how much discomfort it brought them if the hat is too heavy.

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@JudyEv (382104)

• Rockingham, Australia

2 Dec 15

These hats were a custom from years ago. They would only be worn on very special occasions now. It would be a lot of weight to carry.

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@marguicha (230350)

• Chile

2 Dec 15

Although I was sad that hats (and gloves) came out of fashion for us, everyday people, I think I would have passed on such an elaborate and heavy one.

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@marguicha (230350)

• Chile

3 Dec 15

@JudyEv I imagine that it was a sort of ethnic hat of the area. Maybe each pompom meant something, just as the colours.

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@JudyEv (382104)

• Rockingham, Australia

3 Dec 15

It was very much confined to a particular area in Germany so wouldn't have been in general use.

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@JudyEv (382104)

• Rockingham, Australia

4 Dec 15

@marguicha It was certainly confined to specific regions and wouldn't have been in common usage. And quite possibly each pompom did signify something. I wonder what?

@SIMPLYD (90717)

• Philippines

2 Dec 15

It must be heavy to wear on the head . But they look nice actually .

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@SIMPLYD (90717)

• Philippines

3 Dec 15

@JudyEv Yes, very different . I haven't seen one like that yet .

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@JudyEv (382104)

• Rockingham, Australia

2 Dec 15

They are certainly different aren't they?

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@simone10 (54180)

• Louisville, Kentucky

2 Dec 15

That has to be a very heavy hat. I wonder why married ladies had to wear black versus another color?

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@simone10 (54180)

• Louisville, Kentucky

5 Dec 15

@JudyEv Yes, but I wonder why they chose black. Oh well, we will never know.

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@JudyEv (382104)

• Rockingham, Australia

5 Dec 15

@simone10 Because black is dull and wouldn't call attention to them. Once they're married they don't want to draw any admiring looks.- at least their husbands don't want them to.

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@JudyEv (382104)

• Rockingham, Australia

3 Dec 15

I suppose it let young single men know who was available and who wasn't.

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@Inlemay (17712)

• South Africa

29 Jul 16

Ah ha - that one is for the MAIDENS not the married ladies - they wear black - I have to share a photo with you - plese forgive me for doing this on one of your older posts, just cannot resist.

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@Inlemay (17712)

• South Africa

1 Aug 16

@JudyEv Yes it was taken at the Largest working clock in the Black Forrest

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@JudyEv (382104)

• Rockingham, Australia

29 Jul 16

That is such a great photo! Was that taken in Germany?

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@JudyEv (382104)

• Rockingham, Australia

1 Aug 16

@Inlemay We probably walked in each other's footsteps in some places.

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@xFiacre (14785)

• Ireland

2 Dec 15

@judyev I should think you would need fairly strong neck muscles to run about wearing one of those. You would also need to have very little self respect to be seen in one!

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@JudyEv (382104)

• Rockingham, Australia

2 Dec 15

For me, the self-respect (or lack thereof) would be more of a problem than the neck muscles.

@PainsOnSlate (21845)

• Canada

28 Dec 15

That looks like a heavy hat. So interesting that married and singles are made to wear different colors - or once married color is not allowed.

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@JudyEv (382104)

• Rockingham, Australia

28 Dec 15

We noticed the same in the Karen tribe in Thailand where we spent a few weeks once.

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Margaret Mwangi

@Missmwngi (12915)

• Nairobi, Kenya

4 Dec 15

2kgs sound much to carry around

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Margaret Mwangi

@Missmwngi (12915)

• Nairobi, Kenya

6 Dec 15

@JudyEv Oooh yeah

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@JudyEv (382104)

• Rockingham, Australia

5 Dec 15

It's a lot to have on your head isn't it?

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@GardenGerty (169477)

• United States

3 Dec 15

It looks interesting, but I would wear it about ten minutes and it would come off. I just do not care for wearing hats.

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@JudyEv (382104)

• Rockingham, Australia

3 Dec 15

I don't mind hats if they stay on but some are just a pain.

Belle Starr (Iz)

@BelleStarr (61463)

• United States

3 Dec 15

Wow I wonder if my ancestor's mother wore one of these? His wife was half French and native American so I don't imagine she would have. It is very imrpessive.

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@JudyEv (382104)

• Rockingham, Australia

5 Dec 15

I think the hat is confined to several small areas of the Black Forest.

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@mom210 (9170)

• United States

2 Dec 15

Oh it is beautiful. Not one I could get away with wearing but I love it. I love the story too, I did not know that.

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@JudyEv (382104)

• Rockingham, Australia

3 Dec 15

I'd never seen or heard of them before. We turned up at the museum and there were posters, postcards, all sorts of mementos featuring these hats.

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@Dragonairy1 (1722)

• Newcastle Upon Tyne, England

3 Dec 15

That's an impressive hat, and pretty heavy.

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@JudyEv (382104)

• Rockingham, Australia

3 Dec 15

Pretty swish, isn't it? I bet they were glad to take them off once they got inside.

@jillybean1222 (6406)

•

2 Dec 15

oh i'd love a hat museum, how cool! so many neat styles, trends, etc

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@JudyEv (382104)

• Rockingham, Australia

3 Dec 15

I have a friend whose daughter is a milliner. She has made some lovely hats too.

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@noni1959 (13048)

• United States

3 Dec 15

This is very interesting. I like learning about history and why some fashions came about.

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@JudyEv (382104)

• Rockingham, Australia

3 Dec 15

I wonder how this one came about? I didn't really find out when I went looking - just that the hats are traditional.