Songkok

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A group of Bruneian men wearing songkok as part of Baju Melayu traditional Malay attire.

The Songkok, also called Peci or Kopiah, is a hat worn by Muslim men in many Southeast Asian countries like Brunei, Indonesia, Malaysia, Singapore, southern Philippines, and southern Thailand. It looks like a cone and is often made of black or fancy felt, cotton, or velvet. People wear it on special times like weddings, funerals, and holidays such as Eid ul-Fitr and Eid al-Adha. In Indonesia, it is also linked to the nationalist movement.[1][2][3]

In Sumatra and the Malay Peninsula, it is called "songkok", while in Java, it is called "kopiah" or "kopeah". In Indonesia, it is usually called "peci", though the peci might be a bit different, being more oval-shaped and sometimes decorated.[4][5]

History[change | change source]

A guy wearing the Malay dress "baju melayu" with the songkok hat.

The kopiah has been around for a long time. It was worn by special Majapahit soldiers in the past. The mention of kopiah goes back to the 16th century and was mentioned in Pigafetta's Italian-Malay vocabulary. In the epic Hikayat Iskandar Zulkarnain, written before 1600 AD, there's a part where someone wears a golden rosary kopiah.[6][7]

Historians think the songkok became popular in the 13th century when Islam spread in the area. But the first written record of the word "songkok" is in Syair Siti Zubaidah from 1840. Traditionally, the special triangular Malay headgear, Tengkolok or destar, was worn by important people like nobles and kings. But the songkok later became connected with Islam, especially for Malay men.[8][4]

The Royal Malay Regiment of the Malaysian Army has been wearing the songkok as part of their uniform since the time of British rule.[9]

Current use[change | change source]

The songkok is worn by Muslim men for important events. In Indonesia, it became important because of a leader named Sukarno. He and other leaders like Mohammad Hatta and Agus Salim made the peci, another name for the songkok, popular. Sukarno even made the plain black velvet peci the official hat of Indonesia.[10]

In Indonesia, presidents and palace guards wear the peci as part of their uniform. During the Indonesian Independence Day ceremony, a special group called Paskibraka wear it too. Some women wear a different kind of peci with a curved back.[11]

Female version of peci with curved back.

In Malaysia, men wear the songkok along with a shirt, pants, and waist wrap called baju melayu as their traditional dress. During meetings of the legislative assembly, all members wear the songkok with a gold stripe to show respect to the Head of State.[12]

In Singapore, the songkok is not allowed in government schools because of the country's secular rules, but it's part of the uniform in Singaporean Islamic schools.[13]

In the Philippines, the songkok, known as kopiah or kupya, is worn by Bangsamoro men and Muslim Filipinos. Some non-Muslim Lumad datu also wear the kopiah for prayers and social events.[14][15]

References[change | change source]

  1. Hassan, Oskar Hasdinor; Abidin, Shahriman Zainal; Legino, Rafeah; Anwar, Rusmadiah; Kamaruzaman, Muhamad Fairus (2015-10-02). International Colloquium of Art and Design Education Research (i-CADER 2014). Springer. ISBN 978-981-287-332-3.
  2. Rashid, Faridah Abdul (2012). Biography Of The Early Malay Doctors 1900-1957 Malaya And Singapore. Xlibris Corporation. ISBN 978-1-4771-5994-1.
  3. Orr, Tamra (2009). Brunei. Marshall Cavendish. ISBN 978-0-7614-3121-3.
  4. 4.0 4.1 "The origin of the songkok or 'kopiah' | The Brunei Times". web.archive.org. 2008-12-05. Archived from the original on 2008-12-05. Retrieved 2024-02-13.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: bot: original URL status unknown (link)
  5. "PDIP: Kopiah Bagian Dari identitas Nasional - nasional www.inilah.com". web.archive.org. 2016-04-13. Archived from the original on 2016-04-13. Retrieved 2024-02-13.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: bot: original URL status unknown (link)
  6. Ras, J. J. (1968). Hikajat Bandjar: A Study in Malay Historiography. Martinus Nijhoff.
  7. Hussain, Khalid Muhammad, ed. (1986). Hikayat Iskandar Zulkarnain (2nd ed.). Kuala Lumpur: Dewan Bahasa.
  8. "MCP . Syair Siti Zubaidah . bibliography". mcp.anu.edu.au. Retrieved 2024-02-13.
  9. Journal of the Society for Army Historical Research. Society for Army Historical Research. 1996.
  10. "Peci Hitam dan Identitas Paling Indonesia". web.archive.org. 2012-08-12. Archived from the original on 2012-08-12. Retrieved 2024-02-13.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: bot: original URL status unknown (link)
  11. Media, Kompas Cyber (2022-12-27). "Cerita di Balik Jemaat Misa Natal Gereja Kampung Sawah yang Pakai Baju Adat Betawi". KOMPAS.com (in Indonesian). Retrieved 2024-02-13.
  12. Hubungan Etnik di Malaysia (in Malay). ITBM. 2011. ISBN 978-983-068-579-3.
  13. Hassan, Oskar Hasdinor; Abidin, Shahriman Zainal; Legino, Rafeah; Anwar, Rusmadiah; Kamaruzaman, Muhamad Fairus (2015-10-02). International Colloquium of Art and Design Education Research (i-CADER 2014). Springer. ISBN 978-981-287-332-3.
  14. Scott, William Henry (1994). Barangay: Sixteenth-century Philippine Culture and Society. Ateneo University Press. ISBN 978-971-550-135-4.
  15. Norton-Wright, Jenny (2019-10-18). Curating Islamic Art Worldwide: From Malacca to Manchester. Springer Nature. ISBN 978-3-030-28880-8.