"Malacai" and "Malakhai" redirect here. For the band, seeMalachai (band).
AKazakh man wearing a malahai, depicted in an early-19th-century painting
Themalahai[a] (Russian:малаха́й orмалакай,[b]Kazakh:малақай) is a historicalheadgear originating in present-dayKazakhstan, which was adopted in some of other regions of Central Asia and worn throughout theRussian Empire from the mid-18th to mid-19th centuries. It is afur hat with a noticeably highconical, cylindrical,[1] or quadrangular[2] crown[c] and flaps that are typically four: two long side-flaps covering the ears, a wide rear one covering the neck and shoulders, and a short front one functioning as avisor. It islined with furs of diverse animals, which includebadger, fox, andwolf.
Worn by men in winter to protect themselves against the cold and withstand the elements on the road, the headgear also served as a soft protective helmet againstbladed weapons.[1] It was worn by women in some parts of Russia.[3] AmongOld Believers it was proscribed over religious reasons.[4][5]
Theetymology of the wordmalahai is disputed.[6] Although mostphilologists agree that it was derived from theMongolian wordmalgai (малгай ormalaɣai̯) meaning 'hat', they disagree on how the word came to the Russian language.[6] The wide distribution of the word in theTurkic languages led some to theorize that it had entered Russian via Turkic—according to Hungarian linguistÉva Csáki,Manchurian speakers loaned the Mongolian word without-i and the word regained-i only after it entered theKipchak languages[7]—but others believe that the word had come from Manchurian and Mongolian speakers living in southeasternSiberia and then the word entered, on the contrary, Turkic via Russian.[6]
The extant images ofKazakh men wearing malahais were created in the 18th and 19th centuries by Russian, Western European, andQing-dynasty Chinese artists and, toward the end of the 19th century, photographed by Russian officials, soldiers, and travelers.[8] As of 2012[update], seven authentic malahais with varying degrees of damage survived in museums and private collections in China, Kazakhstan, and Russia.[8]
Its crown was in general 40–50 centimetres (16–20 in) high[9] and either conical, cylindrical,[1] or quadrangular.[2] The headgear typically had four flaps and the front one, rectangular and shorter than the rest, was habitually folded upward and only lowered to cover the wearer's forehead during severe cold snaps or snowstorms.[10] The side-flaps or "ears" (naushi [ru]) were tied together either on top of the wearer's chin or under the chin, with leather straps or ribbons sewn on the flaps.[11] The wide rear-flap covered the wearer's neck and shoulders. Malahai was made ofsheepskin,deerskin, andcalfskin, andlined with furs of diverse animals such as beaver, fox, badger, and wolf,[12] while its outermost layer was made of cloth,[12]brocade,[9] silk,[9] orvelvet.[12]
Malahai became part of theRussian clothing in the mid-18th century after theBashkirs andKalmyks introduced the headgear to the country.[13] By the mid-19th century, its use had spread throughout Siberia andEuropean Russia; however, before the 19th century ended, it had been mostly replaced byushanka in the Russian Empire.[14]
In Russia, it was most often worn on the road and, as such, became a distinctive headgear ofcoachmen in Siberia.[15] Worn by men in winter to protect themselves against the cold and withstand the elements, it also served as a soft protective helmet against bladed weapons.[1] In some regions of Russia, it was worn by women as well.[3]
Among Old Believers—Eastern Orthodox Christians who maintain theliturgical andritual practices of theRussian Orthodox Church as they were before the 17th-century reforms ofPatriarch Nikon of Moscow—wearing malahai was forbidden because the wearer of the headgear cast asilhouette that allegedly resembled that of a horned demon,[4] and some malahais were lined with wolf fur, which was proscribed for them to wear especially in group prayer meetings.[5]
^abШангина, И.И. (2003).Русский традиционный быт [Russian Traditional Life] (in Russian).Saint Petersburg: Азбука-классика (Azbuka-Attikus Publishing Group). p. 550.ISBN535200337X. RetrievedDecember 21, 2022 – viaInternet Archive."Он представлял собой шапку с четырехугольным, (...) остроконечным верхом из сукна и с четырьмя клапанами." [It was a hat with a quadrangular, or (...) pointed top of cloth and four flaps.]
^abШангина, И.И. (2003).Русский традиционный быт [Russian Traditional Life] (in Russian).Saint Petersburg: Азбука-классика (Azbuka-Attikus Publishing Group). p. 550.ISBN535200337X. RetrievedDecember 21, 2022 – viaInternet Archive."мужской головной убор, использовавшийся в некоторых районах России и как женский." [A men's headwear, and used in some regions of Russia as a women's headwear.]
^ab"Шапочный разбор" [Hats off].Старообрядческий сайт «Русская вера» (Old Believers website 'Russian Faith') (in Russian). May 28, 2020. Archived fromthe original on October 10, 2022. RetrievedDecember 21, 2022."В постановлениях поморских и федосеевских соборов (...) треухи и малахаи запрещены к ношению, потому что они напоминают силуэт беса." [In the rulings of thePomorian andFedoseevtsy councils, (...)treuhi [ru] and malahai are forbidden to wear as they resemble the silhouette of a demon.]
^abСелищев, Валерий (December 11, 2017)."О христианской одежде" [On Christian clothing].Старообрядческий сайт «Русская вера» (Old Believers website 'Russian Faith') (in Russian). Archived fromthe original on October 14, 2022. RetrievedDecember 21, 2022."Запрещены для христиан лишь картузы и шапки — малахаи (...) Также шапки из собачьего и волчьего меха, особо для посещения соборной молитвы." [The only things forbidden for Christians arekartuz [ru] and hats such as malahai (...) Also hats made of dog or wolf fur, especially for collective prayers.]
^Шангина, И.И. (2003).Русский традиционный быт [Russian Traditional Life] (in Russian).Saint Petersburg: Азбука-классика (Azbuka-Attikus Publishing Group). p. 550.ISBN535200337X. RetrievedDecember 22, 2022 – viaInternet Archive."Передний клапан, обычно невысокий, прямоугольный, (...) опускался на лоб только во время сильных морозов или пурги." [The front flap, usually low and rectangular, (...) was lowered to the forehead only during severe frosts or blizzards.]
^Шангина, И.И. (2003).Русский традиционный быт [Russian Traditional Life] (in Russian).Saint Petersburg: Азбука-классика (Azbuka-Attikus Publishing Group). p. 550.ISBN535200337X. RetrievedDecember 22, 2022 – viaInternet Archive."К боковым клапанам пришивали ремешки или тесемки для завязывания малахая." [The side flaps had straps or ribbons sewn on them to tie up the malahai.]
^abcШангина, И.И. (2003).Русский традиционный быт [Russian Traditional Life] (in Russian).Saint Petersburg: Азбука-классика (Azbuka-Attikus Publishing Group). p. 550.ISBN535200337X. RetrievedDecember 21, 2022 – viaInternet Archive."Его изготавливали из овчины, телячьей, оленьей шкуры, меха лисицы, бобра, барсука, волка, а также из сукна, верверета." [It was made of sheepskin, calfskin, deerskin, furs of fox, beaver, badger, wolf, as well as cloth and velvet.]
^Шангина, И.И. (2003).Русский традиционный быт [Russian Traditional Life] (in Russian).Saint Petersburg: Азбука-классика (Azbuka-Attikus Publishing Group). p. 551.ISBN535200337X. RetrievedDecember 21, 2022 – viaInternet Archive."В состав русского костюма вошел в середине ХVIII в. (...) что он был заимствован русскими у башкир и калмыков." [In the middle of the 18th century, it became part of the Russian clothing. (...) the Russians borrowed it from the Bashkirs and Kalmyks.]
^Шангина, И.И. (2003).Русский традиционный быт [Russian Traditional Life] (in Russian).Saint Petersburg: Азбука-классика (Azbuka-Attikus Publishing Group). p. 551.ISBN535200337X. RetrievedDecember 21, 2022 – viaInternet Archive."В середине ХIХ в. малахай бытовал фактически на всей территории Европейской России и в Сибири. Во второй половине XIX в. был вытесненшапкой ушанкой." [In the middle of the 19th century, malahai was practically worn throughout European Russia and Siberia. In the second half of the 19th century it was superseded byushanka.]
^Шангина, И.И. (2003).Русский традиционный быт [Russian Traditional Life] (in Russian).Saint Petersburg: Азбука-классика (Azbuka-Attikus Publishing Group). p. 551.ISBN535200337X. RetrievedDecember 21, 2022 – viaInternet Archive."Малахай, как правило, надевали только в дорогу. Он являлся также головным убором сибирских ямщиков." [Malahai, as a rule, was worn only on the road. It was also the headwear of Siberian coachmen.]
