page_title: Asian conical hat
section_title: Practical uses
hierarchical_section_title: Asian conical hat / Practical uses
caption_attribution_description: Cambodia, Kratie: A worker is removing the rice seedlings.
context_page_description: The Asian conical hat, commonly known as an Asian rice hat, coolie hat, oriental hat or farmer's hat, is a simple style of conical hat originating in East, South and Southeast Asia; and notable in modern-day nations and regions of Bangladesh, Bhutan, China, Cambodia, Northeast India, Indonesia, Japan, Korea, Thailand, Laos, Malaysia, Myanmar, Nepal, Philippines, parts of Outer Manchuria, Taiwan, and Vietnam.
  It is kept on the head by a cloth or fiber chin strap.
context_section_description: This style of hat is used primarily as protection from the sun and rain. When made of straw or matting, it can be dipped in water and worn as an impromptu evaporative-cooling device. It is also widely understood in East Asia, most notably Japan, as a symbol of Buddhism, as it is traditionally worn by pilgrims and Buddhist monks in search of alms.
  In the Philippines, the salakot is more commonly a pointed dome-shape, rather than conical, with a spike or knob finial. Unlike most other mainland Asian conical hats, it is characterized by an inner headband in addition to a chinstrap. It can be made from various materials including bamboo, rattan, nito, bottle gourd, buri straw, nipa leaves, pandan leaves, and carabao horn. The plain type is typically worn by farmers, but nobles in the pre-colonial period (and later principalia in the Spanish period) crafted ornate variations with jewels, precious metals, or tortoiseshell. These are considered heirloom objects passed down from generation to generation within families.
  The salakot was also commonly worn by native soldiers in the Spanish colonial army. It was adopted by Spanish troops in the early 18th century as part of their campaign uniform. In doing so, it became the direct precursor of the pith helmet (still called salacot or salacco in Spanish and French).
  In Vietnam, the nón lá ("leaf hat") forms a perfect right circular cone which tapers smoothly from the base to the apex. Special conical hats in Vietnam contain colourful hand-stitch depictions or words while the Huế varieties are famous for their nón bài thơ (lit. poem conical hats). These contain random poetic verses and Hán tự which can be revealed when the hat is directed above one's head in the sunlight. In modern times, they have become part of Vietnam's national costume.
  In China, it was typically associated with farmers, while mandarins wore tighter circular caps, especially in the winter.
  Similarly in India and Borneo, the plain conical hat was worn by commoners during their daily work, but more decoratively-colored ones were used for festivities. In Sabah, the colorful conical hat is worn for certain dances while in Assam they are hung in homes as decoration or worn by the upper classes for special occasions.
caption: Rice farmer in northern Cambodia wearing a do'un
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