Anushanka (Russian:ушанка,Russian pronunciation:[ʊˈʂankə], fromуши,'ears'), also called anushanka-hat (Russian:шапка-ушанка,romanized: shapka-ushanka,[ˈʂapkəʊˈʂankə]), is aRussianfur hat with ear-covering flaps that can be tied up on thecrown of the cap, or fastened at the chin to protect the ears, jaw, and lower chin from the cold. An alternative way to wear is to bend the flaps back and tie them behind the head, which is called "ski-style" — this offers less protection from the elements, but much better visibility, essential for high-speed skiing. The dense fur also offers some protection against blunt impacts to the head. They are also traditionally worn in theBaltic region includingSweden,Finland,Norway and the whole eastern European region.
Ushanka hats are made fromsheepskin (tsigeyka ormouton),karakul,rabbit,muskrat,mink and many other furs.Artificial fur hats are also manufactured and are referred to as "fish fur" since the material is not from any real animal.[1] The simplest "fish fur" ofushankas was made ofwoolpile with cloth substrate and cloth top, with the exception of the flaps, which had the pile exposed.Mink fur ushankas are widely used in the Arctic regions of Russia, protecting the ears and chin of the wearer even from "deep frost", which is around −70 to −40 °C (−94 to −40 °F).
Hats with fur earflaps have been known for centuries, especially in theBalkan countriesBulgaria,Serbia,Romania,Croatia,Slovenia,Bosnia and Herzegovina,North Macedonia, as well as in NortheasternItaly, in theJulian March,Trieste, and surrounding areas where there has been a large Slavic population for centuries. Such hats are also seen inNordic countriesSweden,Norway andFinland, in theEurasian andEuropean Slavic countriesRussia,Ukraine,Poland,Moldova and inCaucasus region inGeorgia andArmenia.[2] The design of ushanka with a perfectly roundcrown was developed in the 17th century when incentral andnorthern Russia a hat with two earflaps and a backflap calledtreukh [ru] ("three-eared") was worn.[3] The modern ushanka design from 1917 is also inspired by the Norwegiannorvezhka, a hat which was invented by Norwegian arctic explorers. The main difference from the treukh is that the earflaps of the norvezhka were much longer. In addition,Cossacks of theKuban have influenced the design of modern Ushanka through interaction with peoples fromCentral Asia andCaucasus.
In 1917 during theRussian Civil War, the ruler ofSiberia,Aleksandr Kolchak, introduced a winter uniform hat, commonly referred to as akolchakovka, c. 1918. It was similar to the ushanka. However, Kolchak and theWhite Army lost the war, and their headgear was not adopted in the newSoviet Union.
Red Army soldiers instead wore thebudenovka, which was made of felt. It was designed to resemble historicalbogatyr helmets, and did not provide much protection from the cold.
During theWinter War against Finland, organizational failures and inadequate equipment left many Soviet troops vulnerable to cold, and many died of exposure. TheFinnish army had much better equipment including an ushanka-style fur hat, the turkislakki M36[a], introduced in 1936. In 1939, shortly before the Winter War, the slightly improved turkislakki M39 was introduced, and is still in use today.[4] After the Winter War, theRed Army received completely redesigned winter uniforms.Budenovkas were finally replaced with ushankas based on the Finnish example.[5] Officers were issued fur ushankas; other ranks received ushankas made withplush or "fish fur".[1] When they experienced the harsh Russian winter, for example during theBattle of Moscow, German soldiers started to wear ushankas and other Soviet-type winter gear, as their uniforms did not provide adequate protection from the extreme cold.[6]
The ushanka became a symbol and media icon of theSoviet Union and later theRussian Federation. Photographs of U.S. PresidentGerald Ford wearing the cap during a 1974 visit to the Soviet Union were seen as a possible sign ofdétente.
Identified with Soviet rule and issued in allWarsaw Pact armies, the ushanka has since become a part of the winter uniform for military and police forces in Canada and other Western countries with a cold winter. Gray (American civilian police), green (for camouflage), blue (police, United States Coast Guard, and United States Post Office) and black versions are in current usage. In 2013, the Russian army announced that soldiers will get a new ushanka with a rounder crown and small sealable openings in the flaps for wearingheadphones.[7] It is also still used by the Polish armed forces.
The ushanka was used by the East German authorities beforeGerman reunification, and remained part of the German police uniform in winter afterwards. In theFinnish Defence Forces, a gray hat is used with M62 uniform and a green one of different design is a part of M91 and M05 winter dress. Armoured troops have a black hat (M92), while generals may wear a white M39 hat. TheRoyal Canadian Mounted Police use a "regulation hat" (between an ushanka and anaviator hat), made ofmuskrat fur.[8][9] This replaced the formerCanadian military fur wedge cap. Similar ones are used byToronto Transit Commission staff during winter.
A similar type of headgear is worn in China'sPeople's Liberation Army's winter uniform. Featured in an iconic propaganda image ofLei Feng, this type of hat is often called by Chinese "the Lei Feng hat" (雷锋帽,Lei Feng mao).[citation needed]
It is claimed that British wartime airmen visiting theKola Inlet to help to protect theArctic convoys quickly started to wear ushankas because their own uniform hats were not warm enough, but "kept the ear flaps tied up to the crown as any Russian would, because it was considered unmanly to wear them down."[10] However, in the Russian military up to this day, the way of wearing the ushanka — up flaps, down flaps or ski-style — is considered a part ofuniform of the day and is usually decided by a unit commander atreveille.[citation needed]
Trapper hats are "a sort of hybrid between the aviator cap and the ushanka—they combine the style of the former with the furriness of the latter". They are considered more casual than the military-derived ushanka.[11]
TheRoyal Canadian Mounted Police usemuskrat ushankas.[9]
Traditional Finnish "Koivistolainen" flat-topped fur hat, which originates from theKoivisto (kauppala) [fi] (now:Primorsk, Leningrad Oblast, Russia) region in theKarelian Isthmus.
RCMP considered phasing out its fur hats, but says muskrat is best for cold, wet conditions
The dictionary definition ofushanka at Wiktionary