“For honor, not for warmth” - hats in the North Caucasus. Who should not wear a hat?

07.07.2021

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.

Caucasian hats

History and traditions

For a long time, the mountaineers of the Caucasus have been wearing fur hats, which have been improved over many centuries, eventually turning into the same hats that have become widely known since the Caucasian War of the 19th century. The Cossacks, and then the regular Russian troops, immediately appreciated the irreplaceability, practicality and universal qualities of the papakha, which in mountain conditions served not only as a headdress, but also as a pillow. A papakha is an undoubted attribute of the costume of a highlander and a Cossack. Among the Caucasian highlanders, a white papakha was considered part of the ceremonial costume worn on special occasions.

Before the outbreak of the First World War, such a headdress as a papakha was made from bear, ram and wolf fur, since the durable and tough fur helped to withstand saber blows well. To increase this effect, metal plates were placed into the wedge-shaped cap of the hat. The military had not only ordinary, but also ceremonial hats. For example, officer's ones were distinguished by the fact that they were trimmed with centimeter-long silver braid.

The Don, Astrakhan, Semirechensk and other Cossack troops wore cone-shaped hats with short-cropped fur. Beginning in 1915, it was possible to wear gray fur hats, but during combat operations only black ones could be worn. White fur hats were strictly prohibited. The sergeants and cadets had the top of their hats decorated with white braid in the shape of a cross.

The Don hats differed from the others in that they had a red top with a cross. The top of the Kuban Cossacks' papas was also red.

Currently, you can buy a Caucasian hat of any color, shape and type in the store of Caucasian souvenir and gift craftsmen “Caucasian Craftsmen”.

Types and varieties of hats

Hats can be very diverse; they are made from different types of fur and can have different pile lengths, sizes and embroidery. At first, in the mountainous regions, hats were made from fabric, felt, fur, and combinations of fabric and fur. But it is fur hats that have earned great popularity, so today it is almost impossible to find a hat made of any other material other than fur.

Types of hats existing today:

Karakulevaya. It is the most expensive and most beautiful, covered with uniform smooth, tight and dense curls. In addition, such a hat is very practical and can last for many years.
Classic. The most common type of headdress in the mountainous part of the Caucasus, this type of hat is characterized by long and thick wool, most often from lamb. This type is often called shepherd's hats.
Cossack It is also popular in the Caucasus, also common among the Terek and Kuban Cossacks, and has its own name - kubanka. The papakha can have different shapes, both short and long fur.

If you want to buy a hat in Moscow, you should get acquainted with the extensive assortment that is presented in the Caucasian Craftsmen store. There are a variety of types of dads, which are made exclusively from high-quality materials.

Papakhas also differ in the material they are made from. For example, astrakhan hats are made from astrakhan varieties such as Valek, Pulat and Antika.

Thanks to innovative technologies, the color palette of karakul is very diverse; such unusual colors as platinum, steel, golden, amber, beige, chocolate and many others are available. Astrakhan fur keeps its shape well, so hats made from it can be either ordinary or very tall.

Classic and Cossack hats can be made from:

goatskin,
sheep skin,
lamb skin.

They can be white, black and brown, with very different coat lengths. All modern models are equipped with a special cord that allows you to easily and conveniently adjust the size.

Lamb and sheep skin hats are good because they are very warm and durable. And if the skin has been pre-treated, then the hat will also be moisture resistant. Hat hats with long pile are most often made from goat skins; they can be in natural colors such as gray, brown and milky, or dyed.

You can always purchase any hat in the store of Caucasian souvenir and gift makers “Caucasian Craftsmen” by going to the website and placing an order, which couriers will deliver at a convenient time, or by visiting the store located in Moscow on Semenovskaya Square.

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.

Not just a hat
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.

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.

Fun fact: The famous Lezgin composer Uzeyir Hajibeyov, going to the theater, bought two tickets: one for himself, the second for his hat.

Types of hats

There are different hats. They differ both in the type of fur and in the length of the pile. Also, different regiments have different types of embroidery on the top of papakhas. Before the First World War, papakhas 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.

Kubanka, klobuk, trukhmenka
The word papakha itself is of Turkic origin; Vasmer’s dictionary clarifies that it is Azerbaijani. The literal translation is a hat. In Rus', the word papakha took root only in the 19th century; before that, hats of a similar cut were called hoods. During the period of the Caucasian wars, the word papakha migrated into the Russian language, but at the same time, other names derived from ethnonyms were also used in relation to the high fur hat. The Kabardinka (Kabardian papakha) later became the Kubanka (its difference from the papakha is, first of all, in height). In the Don troops, the papakha was called a trukhmenka for a long time.

Papakha with a cuff
We all know the expression: "Punch." Tumak was a wedge-shaped cap sewn to a hat, which was common among the Don and Zaporozhye Cossacks in the 16th and 17th centuries. Before the battle, it was customary to insert metal plates into the cuff, which protected the Cossack from checker attacks. In the heat of battle, when it came to hand-to-hand combat, with a hat and a cuff it was quite possible to fight back and “cuff” the enemy.

Astrakhan
The most expensive and honorable hats are astrakhan hats, which are also called “Bukhara”. The word Karakul comes from the name of one of the oases located on the Zerashvan River, which flows in Uzbekistan. Karakul was the name given to the skins of lambs of the Karakul breed, taken a few days after the birth of the lamb.
General's hats were made exclusively from astrakhan fur.

The return of the hat
After the revolution, restrictions were introduced for Cossacks in wearing national clothing. Hats replaced budenovkas, but already in 1936, hats returned again as an element of clothing. Cossacks were allowed to wear low black hats. Two stripes were sewn on the cloth in the form of a cross, gold for officers, black for ordinary Cossacks. On the front of the hats, of course, was a red star.
Terek, Kuban and Don Cossacks received the right to serve in the Red Army, and Cossack troops were also present at the parade in 1937.
Since 1940, the hat became an attribute of the military uniform of the entire senior command staff of the Red Army, and after Stalin’s death, hats became fashionable among members of the Politburo.

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. The only way to lose your hat was with your head. That 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.”

Annotation: the genesis and evolution of the hat, its cut, methods and manner of wearing, the cult and ethical culture of the Chechens and Ingush are described.

Usually the Vainakhs have questions about when the papakha finally appeared in the everyday life of the mountaineers and how. My father Mokhmad-Khadzhi from the village. Elistanzhi told me a legend he had heard in his youth associated with this popularly revered headdress and the reason for its cult.

Once upon a time, back in the 7th century, Chechens who wished to convert to Islam went on foot to the holy city of Mecca and met there with the Prophet Muhammad (pbuh), so that he would bless them with a new faith - Islam. Prophet Muhammad, (pbuh) was extremely surprised and saddened by the sight of the wanderers, and especially by their broken, bloody legs from a long journey, and gave them astrakhan skins so that they would wrap their legs with them for the return journey. Having accepted the gift, the Chechens decided that it was unworthy to wrap their feet with such beautiful skins, and even those received from such a great man as Muhammad (pbuh). From them, they decided to sew tall hats that should be worn with pride and dignity. Since then, this type of honorary, beautiful headdress has been worn by the Vainakhs with special reverence.

People say: “On a highlander, two elements of clothing should attract special attention - a headdress and shoes. The papakha must be of an ideal cut, since a person who respects you looks at your face and sees your headdress accordingly. An insincere person usually looks at your feet, so the shoes should be of high quality and polished to a shine.”

The most important and prestigious part of the men's clothing complex was the hat in all its forms that existed in the Caucasus. Many Chechen and Ingush jokes, folk games, wedding and funeral customs are associated with the hat. At all times, the headdress was the most necessary and most stable element of the mountain costume. It was a symbol of masculinity and the dignity of a highlander was judged by his headdress. This is evidenced by various proverbs and sayings inherent to the Chechens and Ingush, which we recorded during field work. “A man should take care of two things - his hat and his name. The hat will be saved by the one who has a smart head on his shoulders, and the name will be saved by the one whose heart burns with fire in his chest.” “If you have no one to consult with, consult with your dad.” But they also said: “A lush hat does not always adorn a smart head.” “A hat is worn not for warmth, but for honor,” the old people used to say. And therefore, the Vainakh had to have the best one, no expense was spared on the hat, and a self-respecting man would appear in public wearing a papakha. She was running around everywhere. It was not customary to take it off even when visiting or indoors, whether it was cold or hot there, or to pass it on to another person to wear.

When a man died, his things were supposed to be distributed to close relatives, but the headdresses of the deceased were not given to anyone - they were worn in the family, if there were sons and brothers, if there were none, they were presented to the most respected man of his type. Following that custom, I wear my late father’s hat. We got used to the hat from childhood. I would like to especially note that for the Vainakhs there was no gift more valuable than a papakha.

Chechens and Ingush traditionally shaved their heads, which also contributed to the custom of constantly wearing a headdress. And women, according to the adat, do not have the right to wear (put on) a man’s headdress other than a felt hat worn during agricultural work in the field. There is also a popular belief that a sister cannot wear her brother’s hat, since in this case the brother may lose his happiness.

According to our field material, no element of clothing had as many varieties as a headdress. It had not only utilitarian, but often sacred meaning. A similar attitude towards the hat arose in the Caucasus in ancient times and persists in our time.

According to field ethnographic materials, the Vainakhs have the following types of headdresses: khakhan, mesal kuy - fur hat, kholkhazan, suram kuy - astrakhan hat, zhaunan kuy - shepherd's hat. The Chechens and Kists called the hat - kuy, the Ingush - kiy, the Georgians - kudi. According to Iv. Javakhishvili, Georgian kudi (hat) and Persian khud are the same word, meaning helmet, i.e. iron hat. The term also meant caps in ancient Persia, he notes.

There is another opinion that Chech. kui is borrowed from the Georgian language. We do not share this point of view.

We agree with A.D. Vagapov, who writes that forge a “hat”, generally speaking. (*kau > *keu- // *kou-: Chech. dial. kuy, kudda kuy. Therefore, we bring to comparison the I.-E. material: *(s)keu- “to cover, cover”, Proto-German *kudhia, Iran. *xauda “hat, helmet”, Pers. xoi, xod “helmet”. These facts indicate that the –d- we are interested in is most likely an expander of the root kuv- // kui-, as in I.-e. (s)neu- “twist”, *(s)noud- “twisted; knot”, Pers. ney “reed”, corresponding Chech nui “broom”, nuida “braided button”. from the Georgian language remains open. As for the name suram: suram-kui “astrakhan hat”, its origin is unclear.

Possibly related to the Taj. sur “a variety of karakul brown with light golden ends of the hair.” And then here’s how Vagapov explains the origin of the term kholkhaz “karakul”: “Actually Chechen. In the first part - huol - “gray” (Cham. khkholu-), khaal - “skin”, oset. khal – “thin skin”. In the second part there is a basis - haz, corresponding to lezg. haz "fur", tab., tsakh. haz, udin. hez "fur", varnish. haz. "fitch". G. Klimov derives these forms from Azerbaijani, in which khaz also means fur (SKYA 149). However, the latter itself comes from Iranian languages, cf., in particular, Persian. haz "ferret, ferret fur", Kurdish. xez “fur, skin.” Further, the geography of distribution of this basis expands at the expense of Old Russian. хъзъ “fur, leather” hoz “morocco”, Russian. household "tanned goatskin". But sur in the Chechen language also means army. This means that we can assume that suram kuy is a warrior’s hat.

Like other peoples of the Caucasus, Chechens and Ingush headdresses were typologically divided according to two characteristics - material and shape. Headdresses of various shapes, made entirely of fur, belong to the first type, and to the second are hats with a fur band and a head made of cloth or velvet; both types of these hats are called papakha.

On this occasion E.N. Studenetskaya writes: “The material for making hats was sheep skins of varying quality, and sometimes the skins of goats of a special breed. Warm winter hats, as well as shepherd's ones, were made from sheepskin with long pile facing outwards, often lined with sheepskin with trimmed wool. Such hats were warmer and better protected from rain and snow flowing from long fur. For a shepherd, a shaggy hat often served as a pillow.

Long-haired papakhas were also made from the skins of a special breed of sheep with silky, long and curly hair or Angora goat skins. They were expensive and rare; they were considered ceremonial.

In general, for festive papas they preferred the fine curly fur of young lambs (kurpei) or imported astrakhan fur. Astrakhan hats were called “Bukhara”. Hats made from the fur of Kalmyk sheep were also prized. “He has five hats, all made from Kalmyk lamb, and he wears them out bowing to guests.” This praise is not only for hospitality, but also for wealth.”

In Chechnya, hats were made quite high, widened at the top, with a band protruding above the velvet or cloth bottom. In Ingushetia, the height of the hat is slightly lower than the Chechen one. This is apparently due to the influence of the cut of hats in neighboring Ossetia. According to the authors A.G. Bulatova, S.Sh. Gadzhieva, G.A. Sergeeva, in the 20s of the 20th century, hats with a slightly expanded top were distributed throughout Dagestan (the height of the band, for example, 19 cm, the width of the base - 20, the top - 26 cm), They are sewn from merlushka or astrakhan wool with a fabric top. All the peoples of Dagestan call this papakha “Bukhara” (meaning that the astrakhan fur from which it was mostly made was brought from Central Asia). The head of such hats was made of cloth or velvet in bright colors. A hat made of golden Bukhara astrakhan fur was especially prized.

The Avars of Salatavia and the Lezgins considered this hat to be Chechen, the Kumyks and Dargins called it “Ossetian,” and the Laks called it “Tsudaharskaya” (probably because the hatmakers were mainly Tsudaharians). Perhaps it penetrated into Dagestan from the North Caucasus. This type of hat was a ceremonial form of headdress; it was worn more often by young people, who sometimes had several covers made of multi-colored fabric for the bottom and changed them often. Such a hat consisted of two parts: a fabric cap quilted with cotton wool, sewn to the shape of the head, and a high (16-18 cm) and wide at the top (27 cm) fur band attached to it on the outside (in the lower part).

The Caucasian astrakhan hat with a slightly widened band at the top (its height gradually increased over time) was and remains the most favorite headdress of Chechen and Ingush elders. They also wore a sheepskin hat, which the Russians called a papakha. Its shape changed over different periods and had its differences from the caps of other peoples.

Since ancient times, there has been a cult of headdress for both women and men in Chechnya. For example, a Chechen guarding an object could leave his hat and go home to have lunch - no one touched it, because he understood that he would have to deal with the owner. Taking off someone's hat meant a deadly quarrel; if a highlander took off his hat and hit it on the ground, it meant that he was ready to do anything. “Tearing off or knocking a hat off someone’s head was considered a great insult, the same as cutting off the sleeve of a woman’s dress,” said my father Magomed-Khadzhi Garsaev.

If a person took off his hat and asked for something, it was considered indecent to refuse his request, but the one who approached in this way enjoyed a bad reputation among the people. “Kera kui bittina hilla tseran iza” - “They got it by beating their caps,” they said about such people.

Even during a fiery, expressive, fast dance, a Chechen should not drop his headdress. Another amazing custom of the Chechens associated with headwear: the owner’s papakha could replace it during a date with a girl. How? If a Chechen guy, for some reason, could not get a date with a girl, he would send his close friend there, giving him his headdress. In this case, the hat reminded the girl of her beloved, she felt his presence, and she perceived her friend’s conversation as a very pleasant conversation with her fiancé.

The Chechens had a hat and, to tell the truth, still remains a symbol of honor, dignity or “cult”.

This is confirmed by some tragic incidents from the life of the Vainakhs during their stay in exile in Central Asia. Prepared by the absurd information of the NKVD employees that the Chechens and Ingush deported to the territory of Kazakhstan and Kyrgyzstan were horned cannibals, representatives of the local population, out of curiosity, sometimes tried to tear off the high hats from the special settlers and discover the notorious horns under them. Such incidents ended with either a brutal fight or murder, because The Vainakhs did not understand the actions of the Kazakhs and considered it an attack on their honor.

In this regard, it is permissible to cite here one tragic case for the Chechens. During the celebration of Eid al-Adha by the Chechens in the city of Alga, Kazakhstan, the commandant of the city, a Kazakh by nationality, appeared at this event and began making provocative speeches towards the Chechens: “Are you celebrating Eid al-Adha? Are you Muslims? Traitors, murderers. You have horns under your hats! Come on, show them to me! - and began to tear off the hats from the heads of the respected elders. Elistanzhin resident Janaraliev Jalavdi tried to besiege him, warning that if he touched his headdress, he would be sacrificed in the name of Allah in honor of the holiday. Ignoring what was said, the commandant rushed to his hat, but was knocked down with a powerful blow from his fist. Then the unthinkable happened: driven to despair by the commandant’s most humiliating action for him, Zhalavdi stabbed him to death. For this he received 25 years in prison.

How many Chechens and Ingush were imprisoned then, trying to defend their dignity!

Today we all see how Chechen leaders of all ranks wear hats without taking them off, which symbolizes national honor and pride. Until the last day, the great dancer Makhmud Esambaev proudly wore his hat, and even now, driving through the new third ring of the highway in Moscow, you can see a monument over his grave, where he is immortalized, of course, in his hat.

NOTES

1. Javakhishvili I.A. Materials for the history of the material culture of the Georgian people - Tbilisi, 1962. III - IU. P. 129.

2. Vagapov A.D. Etymological dictionary of the Chechen language // Lingua–universum – Nazran, 2009. P. 32.

3. Studenetskaya E.N. Clothes // Culture and life of the peoples of the North Caucasus - M., 1968. P. 113.

4. Bulatova A.G., Gadzhieva S.Sh., Sergeeva G.A. Clothing of the peoples of Dagestan-Pushchino, 2001.P.86

5. Arsaliev Sh. M-Kh. Ethnopedagogy of Chechens - M., 2007. P. 243.

... He had only six years of high school behind him, but was born a dancer by inclination and talent - and became an artist in defiance of the will of his father, who considered his son’s choice unworthy of a real man. In 1939-1941, Esambaev studied at the Grozny Choreographic School, and then began dancing in the Chechen-Ingush State Song and Dance Ensemble. During the Great Patriotic War, he performed for soldiers on the front line and in hospitals with a front-line concert brigade. In 1944-1956, Mahmud danced at the opera house in the city of Frunze. The expression of his gesture and eagle appearance were useful for the Evil Genius, Girey, Taras in Taras Bulba and the fairy Carabosse, the negative heroine of The Sleeping Beauty. Later he will create a unique monotheater of dance miniatures and travel around the world with the program “Dances of the Peoples of the World”. He choreographed many of the compositions himself, using one hundred and fifty percent of his naturally phenomenal stride, his penchant for the grotesque and his masculine grace of a rare scale. Performing alone, Esambaev easily dominated any stage and masterfully knew how to attract attention and keep it. He created an original dance theater in which the artist had and still has no competitors. Knowing the laws of the stage, Esambaev checked his effects using a stopwatch - and at the same time captured incredible ecstasy. All his numbers became hits. In 1959, Esambaev performed his program in Moscow, then, as part of the Stars of Soviet Ballet troupe, he toured France and South America. Next to world-famous ballerinas, he was a triumphant success. And wherever the tour took place, Esambaev, like a keen collector, collected dances of different nations. He learned them with lightning speed and performed them in the same country that gave them to him. Esambaev was repeatedly elected as a deputy of the Supreme Council of the Chechen-Ingush Autonomous Soviet Socialist Republic, RSFSR, and USSR. With his active support, a new drama theater and circus building was built in the Chechen capital Grozny. He is People's Artist of the USSR and eight republics. The great dancer has died Makhmud Alisultanovich Esambaev January 7, 2000 in Moscow.

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.

Since ancient times, the Chechens have had a cult of headdress - both female and male.

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 an argument or quarrel and hit it on the ground, this meant that he was ready to do anything to the end.

We know that 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 only be removed when asking for blood feud.

Makhmud Esambaev, the great son of our people, a brilliant dancer, knew well the value of a papakha and in the most unusual situations forced people 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, saw a familiar hat, and said: “Mahmud is in place, we can begin.” The only person in the Soviet era who had a passport with a headdress. He was the only one in the USSR who had such a passport; Even in this, he retained the etiquette of the Chechen people - not to take off your hat to anything. They told him that if you don’t take off your headdress, then we don’t have the right to issue a passport, to which he answered briefly: In that case, I don’t need it.” This is how he responded to the higher authorities.

M.A. Esambaev, Hero of Socialist Labor, People's Artist of the USSR, throughout his life and work carried the high name - Chechen konakh (knight).
Sharing with readers of his book “My Dagestan” about the features of Avar etiquette and how important it is for everything and 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.”