View source for Šajkača

{{Short description|Traditional Serbian cap}}
{{good article}}
{{italic title|noerror|all=yes}}
{{Infobox clothing type
| name          = Šajkača
| image_file    = Шајкача.jpg
| image_size    = 
| caption       = Šajkača
| type          = Cap
| material      = 
| location      = Serbia
| introduced    = 18th century 
}}
The '''''šajkača''''' ({{langx|sr|шајкача}}, {{IPA|sh|ʃǎjkatʃa|pron}}) is the [[Serbia]]n national [[hat]] or [[cap]]. Traditionally worn by men in the Serbian countryside, it is named after Serb river troops known as ''[[šajkaši]]''. A popular national symbol in Serbia since the beginning of the 20th century, it is typically black, grey or green in colour and is usually made of soft, homemade cloth. It became widely worn by Serb men beginning in the 1880s and was a key component in the uniform of the Serbian military from the end of the 19th century.<ref name="Бјеладиновић2011">{{cite book|author=Јасна Бјеладиновић|title=Народне ношње Срба у XIX и XX веку. &#91;Књ. 2&#93;: Serbian Ethnic Dress in Nineteenth and Twentieth Centuries. &#91;Book 2&#93;|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=B5omBAAAQBAJ|date=1 September 2011|publisher=Etnografski muzej u Beogradu|isbn=978-86-7891-059-3|page=49}}</ref> Today, it is mostly worn by elderly men in rural communities.

==History==
[[File:Српски_Регрути_1901.JPG|thumb|[[Royal Serbian Army]] conscripts, 1901]]
[[File:Borci Ariljske čete.jpg|thumb|Serbian [[Yugoslav Partisans|partisans]], 1941]]

The ''šajkača'' is believed to have originated in the Serbian region of [[Banat]] during the 18th century, when ''[[šajkaši]]'' (Serb river troops in the service of the [[Austrian Empire]]) guarded the [[Danube]] and [[Sava]] rivers against the [[Ottoman Empire]] and wore caps in the shape of an overturned ''[[Chaika (boat)|chaika]]'' ({{langx|sr|шајка}}) boat.{{citation needed|date=August 2023}}

Through most of the 19th century, the [[Fez (hat)|fez]] was the dominant choice of headwear for both Muslims and Christians in the Balkans, and fezzes were frequently emblazoned with national or religious symbols. In Serbia, for example, regulations for ministerial uniforms from 1850 required the Serbian coat of arms be featured on officials' red fezzes.<ref name="Maxwell2014">{{cite book|author=A. Maxwell|title=Patriots Against Fashion: Clothing and Nationalism in Europe’s Age of Revolutions|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=JLpCBAAAQBAJ|date=5 August 2014|publisher=Springer|isbn=978-1-137-27714-5}}</ref> It was not until the decade following the [[Serbian–Turkish Wars (1876–1878)|Serbian-Ottoman Wars]] of 1876–1878 that the šajkača began to overtake the fez in popularity among Serbs and thus very few paintings or photographs exist featuring the šajkača in use prior to the early 20th century.<ref name="Пантелић">{{cite book|author=Никола Пантелић|title=Гласник Етнографског музеја у Београду, књ. 48|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=yR93CAAAQBAJ|publisher=Etnografski muzej u Beogradu|page=192|id=GGKEY:9N17LX3FNL2}}</ref><ref name="Бјеладиновић2011"/> 

The typical cap of peasants from the [[Šumadija]] region of Serbia,{{sfn|Resić|Plewa|2002|p=48}} the ''šajkača'' eventually acquired a dual purpose: it was worn by civilians in the countryside, and it became part of the standard Serbian military uniform other than in [[Full dress uniform|full dress]].<ref>{{cite book|first=Richard|last=Knotel|pages=314-315|title=Uniforms of the World. A Compendium of Army, Navy and Air Force Uniforms 1700-1937|ISBN=0-684-16304-7}}</ref>{{sfn|Jovanović|2000|p=268}} During [[World War I]], the cap was regularly worn by the soldiers of the [[Kingdom of Serbia]].{{sfn|Jordan|2008|p=20}} Serbia was eventually overrun by a combined [[Austria-Hungary|Austro-Hungarian]], [[German Empire|German]] and [[Kingdom of Bulgaria|Bulgarian]] invasion in 1915, and in 1916 the wearing of the ''šajkača'', alongside other Serbian folk attire, was outlawed by Bulgarian authorities in the wake of the Bulgarian occupation of southern Serbia.{{sfn|Mitrović|2007|p=224}}

During [[World War II]], the ''šajkača'' was the standard hat worn by Serbian [[Chetnik]] irregulars in the [[Axis powers|Axis]]-occupied [[Kingdom of Yugoslavia]].{{sfn|Denitch|1996|p=74}} It was also worn by Serbian [[Yugoslav Partisans|Partisans]]. After the war, it was replaced by the ''[[Titovka (cap)|Titovka]]'' cap in the armed forces of [[communist]] [[Socialist Federal Republic of Yugoslavia|Yugoslavia]].{{sfn|''Serbian Mirror''}}

The ''šajkača'' was worn by Serb soldiers during the [[breakup of Yugoslavia]]. Bosnian Serb reservists and paramilitaries wore the cap during the 1992–95 [[Bosnian War]], and it was later adopted by Bosnian Serb forces to be the official headgear of the [[Army of Republika Srpska]] ({{langx|sr|Vojska Republike Srpske}}, VRS).{{sfn|Taylor|2008|p=143}} Following the 1991 [[Battle of Vukovar]], fought during the [[Croatian War of Independence]], Croatian Serb authorities erected gravestones to the Serb soldiers who were killed fighting for the city. These were originally topped with sculptural evocations of the ''šajkača'' cap. After [[Vukovar]]'s reintegration into [[Croatia]] the gravestones were repeatedly vandalized, leading the Serb community in the town to replace them with more neutral gravestones without any overt military connotations.{{sfn|Kardov|2007|pp=71–73}} The 1999 [[NATO bombing of Yugoslavia]] saw [[McDonald's]] chains in Serbia promote their products by distributing posters and lapels which depicted the ''šajkača'' standing atop the golden arches of the McDonald's logo in an attempt to bolster Serbian national pride.{{sfn|Ungson|Wong|2008|p=211}}

The ''šajkača'' has been a popular national symbol in Serbia since the beginning of the 20th century.{{sfn|Deliso|2009|p=97}} It is commonly worn by elderly men in the Serbian countryside,{{sfn|Deliso|2009|p=97}} whereas Serbian youth wear traditional costumes only for folklore concerts.{{sfn|Zamurović|Slani|Phillips-Tomašević|2002|p=194}}

==Design==
Designed with a V-shaped top in the form of an overturned ''chaika'',{{sfn|''Vesti Online''|30 April 2010}} the ''šajkača'' is narrow and typically black or grey in colour.{{sfn|Mitchell|2010|p=41}} It is usually made of soft, homemade cloth{{sfn|''Upoznaj Srbiju''|17 May 2011}} and is worn without any symbols during peacetime. During times of war, [[cockade]]s featuring the Serbian [[double-headed eagle]]{{sfn|Thomas|Mikulan|2006|p=59}} and the motto ''[[Only Unity Saves the Serbs]]'' are often seen on the cap.{{sfn|Deliso|2009|p=97}} The ''šajkača'' worn by Serbian soldiers during World War I had a non-reflecting peak and was topped with a royal [[monogram]].{{sfn|Thomas|2001|p=38}}

<gallery class="center" widths="200" heights="150">
File:Srpska nosnja.jpg|Youths in traditional costumes of [[Šumadija]]
File:Praha, Staré Město, Prašná brána, srbští tanečníci II.JPG|Boys wearing the ''šajkača''
</gallery>

==See also==
*[[National symbols of Serbia]]
*[[List of hat styles]]

==Notes==
{{reflist|2}}

==References==
;Books
{{refbegin|2}}
* {{cite book
  | last = Bjeladinović
  | first = Jasna
  | year = 2011
  | title = Serbian Ethnic Dress in the Nineteenth and Twentieth Centuries
  | publisher = Belgrade Ethnographic Museum
  | location = [[Belgrade]]
  | isbn = 978-86-7891-059-3
  | url = https://books.google.com/books?id=B5omBAAAQBAJ
  }}
* {{cite book
  | last = Deliso
  | first = Christopher
  | year = 2009
  | title = Culture and Customs of Serbia and Montenegro
  | publisher = Greenwood Publishing Group
  | location = [[Westport, Connecticut]]
  | isbn = 978-0-313-34436-7
  }}
* {{cite book
  | last = Denitch
  | first = Bogdan Denis
  | author-link = Bogdan Denitch
  | year = 1996
  | title = Ethnic Nationalism: The Tragic Death of Yugoslavia
  | publisher = University of Minnesota Press
  | location = [[Minneapolis, Minnesota]]
  | isbn = 978-0-8166-2947-3
  | url = https://books.google.com/books?id=v-VWhYkECOMC
  }}
* {{cite book
  | last = Đorđević
  | first = Mirko
  | editor1-last = Popov
  | editor1-first = Nebojša
  | editor2-last = Gojković
  | editor2-first = Drinka
  | year = 2000
  | title = The Road to War in Serbia: Trauma and Catharsis
  | chapter = Populist Wave Literature
  | publisher = Central European University Press
  | location = [[Budapest]]
  | isbn = 978-963-9116-56-6
  | url = https://books.google.com/books?id=GkBmdCwHuDsC
  }}
* {{cite book
  | last = Jordan
  | first = David
  | year = 2008
  | title = The Balkans, Italy & Africa 1914–1918: From Sarajevo to the Piave and Lake Tanganyika
  | publisher = Amber Books Ltd.
  | location = [[London]]
  | isbn = 978-1-906626-14-3
  }}
* {{cite book
  | last = Jovanović
  | first = Goran
  | editor1-last = Halpern
  | editor1-first = Joel Martin
  | editor2-last = Kideckel
  | editor2-first = David A.
  | year = 2000
  | title = Neighbors at War: Anthropological Perspectives on Yugoslav Ethnicity, Culture, and History
  | chapter = The Yugoslav War Through Cartoons
  | publisher = Penn State University Press
  | location = [[University Park, Pennsylvania]]
  | isbn = 978-0-271-04435-4
  | url = https://books.google.com/books?id=EEBkON-ySQUC
  }}
* {{cite book
  | last = Kardov
  | first = Kruno
  | year = 2007
  | editor1-last = Ramet
  | editor1-first = Sabrina P
  | editor2-last = Matić
  | editor2-first = Davorka
  | title = Democratic Transition in Croatia: Value Transformation, Education, and Media
  | chapter = Remember Vukovar
  | publisher = Texas A&M University Press
  | location = [[College Station, Texas]]
  | isbn = 978-1-58544-587-5
  | url = https://books.google.com/books?id=LIAOo5oYThUC
  }}
* {{cite book
  | last = Mitchell
  | first = Laurence
  | year = 2010
  | title = Serbia
  | publisher = Bradt
  | location = [[Buckinghamshire, England]]
  | isbn = 978-1-84162-326-9
  }}
* {{cite book
  | last = Mitrović
  | first = Andrej
  | author-link = Andrej Mitrović
  | year = 2007
  | title = Serbia's Great War, 1914–1918
  | publisher = Purdue University Press
  | location = [[London]]
  | isbn = 978-1-55753-477-4
  | url = https://books.google.com/books?id=CI5Wm8771EYC
  }}
* {{cite book
  | last1 = Resić
  | first1 = Sanimir
  | last2 = Plewa
  | first2 = Barbara Törnquist
  | year = 2002
  | title = The Balkans in Focus: Cultural Boundaries in Europe
  | publisher = Nordic Academic Press
  | location = [[Lund, Sweden]]
  | isbn = 978-91-89116-38-2
  | url = https://books.google.com/books?id=FS9pAAAAMAAJ
  }}
* {{cite book
  | last = Taylor
  | first = Tony
  | year = 2008
  | title = Denial: History Betrayed
  | publisher = Melbourne University Press
  | location = [[Melbourne]]
  | isbn = 978-0-522-85907-2
  | url = https://books.google.com/books?id=m-FgN-K2zBYC
  }}
* {{cite book
  | last = Thomas
  | first = Nigel
  | year = 2001
  | title = Armies in the Balkans: 1914–18
  | publisher = Osprey Publishing
  | location = [[Oxford]]
  | isbn = 978-1-78096-735-6
  | url = https://books.google.com/books?id=HGIyl-gI6bkC
  }}{{Dead link|date=August 2024 |bot=InternetArchiveBot |fix-attempted=yes }}
* {{cite book
  | last1 = Thomas
  | first1 = Nigel
  | last2 = Mikulan
  | first2 = Krunoslav
  | year = 2006
  | title = The Yugoslav Wars: Slovenia & Croatia 1991–95
  | publisher = Osprey Publishing
  | location = [[Oxford]]
  | isbn = 978-1-4728-0196-8
  | url = https://books.google.com/books?id=G5Px01NrM7QC
  }}
* {{cite book
  | last1 = Ungson
  | first1 = Gerardo R.
  | last2 = Wong
  | first2 = Yim-Yu
  | year = 2008
  | title = Global Strategic Management
  | publisher = M.E. Sharpe
  | location = [[Armonk, New York]]
  | isbn = 978-0-7656-2897-8
  | url = https://books.google.com/books?id=-Mv7U69x9mcC
  }}
* {{cite book
  | last1 = Zamurović
  | first1 = Dragoljub
  | last2 = Slani
  | first2 = Ilja
  | last3 = Phillips-Tomašević
  | first3 = Madge
  | year = 2002
  | title = Serbia: Life and Customs
  | publisher = Applied Artists and Designers Association of Serbia
  | location = [[Belgrade]]
  | isbn = 978-86-82893-09-7
  }}
{{refend}}

;Journals
{{refbegin}}
* {{cite journal
  | author = InASEA
  | title = Ethnicity, Nationalism, Migration
  | journal = Ethnologia Balkanica: Journal for South-East European Anthropology
  | year = 2002
  | volume = 6
  | page = 76
<!--  | issn = 1111-0411  This ISSN is not valid, but it is listed on many web sites for this journal. -->
  | oclc = 41714232
  }}
{{refend|20em}}

;Websites
{{refbegin|2}}
* {{cite web
  | website = Serbian Mirror
  | title = Šajkača nas je održala
  | url = http://www.serbianmirror.com/novosti/01-04-2010/6.html
  | ref = {{sfnRef|''Serbian Mirror''}}
  }}
* {{cite web
  | website = Upoznaj Srbiju
  | date = 17 May 2011
  | title = Šajkača – poreklo i značaj srpske kape
  | url = http://www.upoznajsrbiju.co.rs/prica/sajkaca---poreklo-i-znacaj-srpske-kape-87
  | ref = {{sfnRef|''Upoznaj Srbiju''|17 May 2011}}
  }}
* {{cite news
  | newspaper = Vesti Online
  | date = 30 April 2010
  | title = Šajkaču izmislili u Banatu
  | url = http://www.vesti-online.com/Riznica/Filigran/49307/Sajkacu-izmislili-u-Banatu
  | ref = {{sfnRef|''Vesti Online''|30 April 2010}}
  }}
{{refend}}

{{National symbols of Serbia}}
{{Hats}}
{{Serbian souvenirs}}

{{DEFAULTSORT:Sajkaca}}
[[Category:Serbian clothing]]
[[Category:Culture of Serbia]]
[[Category:Headgear]]
[[Category:Caps]]
[[Category:Hats]]