  Indonesian leaderSukarno (left) and Malaysian leaderTunku Abdul Rahman (right) wearing a peci/songkok. | |
| Type | Traditional cap |
|---|---|
| Place of origin | |
Thesongkok (Jawi:سوڠکوق) orpeci orkopiah (Pegon:كوفياه) is acap widely worn inBrunei,Indonesia,Malaysia,Singapore, the southernPhilippines, and southernThailand, most commonly amongMuslim males. It has the shape of a truncated cone, usually made of black or embroideredfelt, cotton orvelvet. It is also worn by males in formal occasions such as weddings and funerals or festive occasions such as theEid ul-Fitr andEid al-Adha holidays. In Indonesia, the peci is also associated with the nationalist movement.[1]
It is called "songkok" inSumatra and theMalay Peninsula.[2] While inJava, it is called "kopiah" or "kopeah".[3] It is also known widely in Indonesia as "peci", although the peci has a more elliptical shape and is sometimes decorated.[2]
Kopiah is recorded inPigafetta's Italian-Malay vocabulary of 1521 (published 1524) ascophia,[4][5] while Kupiah appears inHikayat Iskandar Zulkarnain, an epic which the original text was written before 1600 AD:[6]
Maka tatkala memeliharakan disuruhnya anaknya memakai perhiasan seperti pakaian laki-laki dan dikenakan kepada kepalanya kupiah ros yang keemasan. (So when he took care of his son, he ordered him to wear jewelry like men's clothes and put on his head a golden rosary kupiah.)
Kopiah (kupiah) is also described as being used byMajapahit elite troops (Bhayangkara), recorded in theHikayat Banjar, written in or not long after 1663.[7][8]: 204 [9]
Other sources state that the origins of the songkok are thought to come from Islamic traditions and were introduced to Southeast Asia by Arab or Muslim traders. Songkok is closely related to thefez, a traditional Arab head covering. The fez is a cylindrical hat with a rounded tip and is usually red in color, often with a black crest. Historically, the fez became popular in the Ottoman Empire in the 19th century as a symbol of modernization, replacing the turban which was considered impractical. As Islamic cultural influences spread to Southeast Asia through trade routes, the concept of the fez was introduced and eventually adapted by the Malay community. However, due to differences in local environment and culture, the form of the fez was later modified into the songkok, which has a simpler shape with a flat tip and no crest. Culturally, the songkok has a similar meaning to the fez as a symbol of Islamic identity and is used in religious and formal events.[10][11][12] One Brunei newspaper account erroneously states that the songkok became a norm in the Southeast Asia Archipelago in the 13th century with the coming of Islam in the region.[2]
The earliest written mention of the wordsongkok is inSyair Siti Zubaidah (1840).[13] While traditional triangular Malay headress ofTengkolok ordestar is associated with traditional Malay nobles and royalties, songkok on the other hand has become part of traditionalMalay men's costume associated with Islam, traditionally worn by localulamas.
TheRoyal Malay Regiment of theMalaysian Army have been using the songkok as part of their uniform since under British rule.[14]
![[icon]](/mt/?noimg=&dark=on&url=http%3a%2f%2fen.wikipedia.org%2fwiki%2fFile%3aWiki_letter_w_cropped.svg) | This section is empty. You can help byadding to it.(January 2025) |
Traditionally, songkok is usually associated as a cap worn by Muslim men, during religious, formal or state occasions. However, inIndonesia, the songkok has become the national headress, with secular nationalist connotations made popular bySukarno.[1] Numbers of Indonesian nationalist movement activist in early 20th century wore peci such as Sukarno,Mohammad Hatta, andAgus Salim. However, as the firstpresident of Indonesia it was Sukarno that popularised peci – more precisely plain black velvet peci – as national men's cap of Indonesian,[15] and Indonesian male presidents have worn peci as part of their official presidential attire ever since. Indonesian official palace guards also wore peci as part of their uniform. ThePaskibraka (Indonesian:pasukan pengibar bendera pusaka) or flag raising squad in Indonesian independence day ceremony also wear peci, and there is even female peci version with curved back. TheBetawi people wear the Songkok as their traditional headdress usually colored dark red. Catholic and ProtestantBetawi of Kampung Sawah regularly wear peci as part of traditional attire during church service.[16]. The ChristianTorajan peoples also wears peci on their village traditional events.
In Malaysia, traditional male Malay attire consists of a songkok, shirt, matching pants, and waist wrap that is called asongket. In aDewan Undangan Negeri (State Legislative Assemblies) or inDewan Rakyat (Parliament), all members (regardless of race or religion) within the legislative assembly, are required to wear the songkok (with a gold middle stripe) as a formal custom, at every State Customary Opening of Parliament (or respective State Legislative Assemblies), held once annually, in order to comply with the dress code of each legislative assembly opening.[17][18] This is done to ensure decorum whenever the respective Head of State (Yang di-Pertuan Agong for the Parliament of Malaysia, respective Sultans or Yang diPertua Negeri for each State Legislative Assemblies) is present to open the legislative assembly proceedings for the year. Similarly, all recipients of honorificorders bestowed by either the Yang di-Pertuan Agong (for federal honorific orders) or the Sultan (for each respective state honorific orders), are required to wear the gold-striped songkok along with the official customary attire in Malaysia, to receive their honorific orders in person.
TheSpeaker of the Dewan Rakyat themselves wears a songkok in place of the colonialwig,[19] as are also judges in theircourt dress.[20] The latter was pioneered by future-Chief Justice of Malaya Hashim Sani Yeop during his then chairing of the Ipoh High Court in 1978;[21][22] his choice was seen as highly contentious and transgressive among more senior judges at the time who wanted to abide by English court tradition.[23][24]
In Singapore, the songkok is not allowed to be worn in government schools, as part of the school uniform, as Singapore is officially a secular state and all religious headgear is not allowed to be worn.[citation needed] It is part of the standard uniform atmadrasahs (Islamic religious schools).
In thePhilippines, the songkok, known askopiah orkupya, plays a role in the heraldry of theSultanate of Sulu, and is part of the traditional wear ofBangsamoro men. It is part of the traditional formal clothing ofMuslim Filipino men in general, along with a local Mindanaoan variation of theBaju Melayu and nativemalong (sarung). Some non-MuslimLumad Filipinodatu also wear the kopiah, as a result of being historically influenced by the fashions and customs of Muslim Filipinos. The kopiah is worn by Muslim Filipino men throughout the archipelago as a formal cap for prayers, and for religious and social functions. Kopiah with gold-string embroidery, or cuts ofinaul or fabric withokir designs are gaining popularity alongside the conservative black velvet version. A red and white checkered Saudi-styleghutrah worn draped over a kopiah is a traditional indicator in the Southern Philippines of ahajji or male pilgrim who has been toMakkah as part of thehajj.[citation needed]
.jpg)
