NATIONAL HAT DAY
January 15th

Originally published in Mom's Favorite Reads eMagazine
January 2021

National Hat Day is an unofficial holiday that celebrates one of the oldest human accessories.  Throughout the ages hats have been worn for a variety of reasons, for example: religious purposes; to denote ones nationality; to signify social status, or a branch of the military; to indicate a position of authority; for fashion; to make a statement; and for more practical reasons like protection from the sun, rain, snow and other elements.

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To celebrate this important article of clothing that has prevailed for centuries, each year on January fifteenth, millions of people dust off their hats and wear them proudly in celebration of fashion, history, and longevity.

It is unclear exactly when this holiday started— or who started it.  Ironic, considering the history of this fashion accessory.

The History of Hat Day….

Nobody really knows the precise moment the hat was born. The earliest, confirmed hat was worn by a bronze-aged man nicknamed Otzi, whose body was found frozen on a mountain between Austria and Italy.  It is believed he died around 3250 BC.  He was wearing a bearskin cap with a chinstrap made by stitching several hides together.  It very closely resembled the Russian fur hat.

However, the custom might go back even further than that.  One of the earliest depictions of a hat was painted in a Thebes tomb believed to be over 5,300 years old.

Wherever it originated, one fact remains — the hat is here to stay.  It has changed and transformed to accommodate the whims of mankind; but, so far, it has endured the test of time.

Unfortunately, the details behind the invention of the hat, as well as the holiday, remain mysteries that have yet to be solved.