Songkok

"Peci" redirects here. For other uses, seePeci (disambiguation).

"Kopiah" redirects here. For the town, seeKopiah, Washington.

Thesongkok(Jawi:سوڠكوق‎‎‎) orpeciorkopiahis acapwidely worn inBrunei,Indonesia,Malaysia,Singapore,the southernPhilippines,and southernThailand,most commonly amongMuslimmales. It has the shape of a truncated cone, usually made of black or embroideredfelt,cotton orvelvet.It is also worn by males in formal occasions such as weddings and funerals or festive occasions such as theEid ul-FitrandEid al-Adhaholidays. In Indonesia, the peci is also associated with the nationalist movement.

Songkok

Indonesian leaderSukarno(left) and Malaysian leaderTunku Abdul Rahman(right) wearing a peci/songkok.
Type	Traditional cap
Place of origin	Brunei Indonesia Malaysia Singapore Philippines

Names

It is called "songkok" inSumatraand theMalay Peninsula.While inJava,it is called "kopiah" or "kopeah".It is also known widely in Indonesia as "peci", although the peci has a more elliptical shape and is sometimes decorated.

Origin

Songkok, kopiah or peci has been traditionally worn by Muslim men in Southeast Asia, as shown here duringprayer

Kopiah (kupiah) is recorded as being used byMajapahitelite troops (Bhayangkara), recorded in theHikayat Banjar,written in or not long after 1663.Kopiah is recorded inPigafetta's Italian-Malay vocabulary of 1521 (published 1524) ascophia.Kupiah is recorded inHikayat Iskandar Zulkarnain,an epic which the original text was written before 1600 AD:

Maka tatkala memeliharakan disuruhnya anaknya memakai perhiasan seperti pakaian laki-laki dan dikenakan kepada kepalanya kupiah ros yang keemasan.(So when he took care of his son, he ordered him to wear jewelry like men's clothes and put on his head a golden rosary kupiah.)

Other sources state that the origins of the songkok are thought to come from Turkish traditions and were introduced to Southeast Asia by Arab or Muslim traders. Songkok is closely related to thefez,a traditional Turkish head covering. The fez is a cylindrical hat with a rounded tip and is usually red in color, often with a black crest. Historically, the fez became popular in the Ottoman Empire in the 19th century as a symbol of modernization, replacing the turban which was considered impractical. As Islamic and Turkish cultural influences spread to Southeast Asia through trade routes, the concept of the fez was introduced and eventually adapted by the Malay community. However, due to differences in local environment and culture, the form of the fez was later modified into the songkok, which has a simpler shape with a flat tip and no crest. Culturally, the songkok has a similar meaning to the fez as a symbol of Islamic identity and is used in religious and formal events.One Brunei newspaper account erroneously states that the songkok became a norm in the Southeast Asia Archipelago in the 13th century with the coming of Islam in the region.The earliest written mention of the wordsongkokis inSyair Siti Zubaidah(1840).While traditional triangular Malay headress ofTengkolokordestaris associated with traditional Malay nobles and royalties, songkok on the other hand has become part of traditionalMalaymen's costume associated with Islam, traditionally worn by localulamas.

TheRoyal Malay Regimentof theMalaysian Armyhave been using the songkok as part of their uniform since under British rule.

Current use

Indonesian flag raising squad (Paskibra) wearing peci as part of their uniform

Traditionally, songkok is usually associated as a cap worn by Muslim men, during religious or formal state occasions. However, inIndonesia,the songkok has become the national headress with secular nationalist connotations made popular bySukarno.Numbers of Indonesian nationalist movement activist in early 20th century wore peci such as Sukarno,Mohammad Hatta,andAgus Salim.However, as the firstpresident of Indonesiait was Sukarno that popularised peci — more precisely plain black velvet peci — as national men's cap of Indonesian,and Indonesian male presidents have worn peci as part of their official presidential attire ever since. Indonesian official palace guards also wore peci as part of their uniform. ThePaskibraka(Indonesian:pasukan pengibar bendera pusaka) or flag raising squad in Indonesian independence day ceremony also wear peci, and there is even female peci version with curved back. TheBetawi peoplewear the Songkok as their traditional headdress usually colored dark red. Catholic and ProtestantBetawiof Kampung Sawah regularly wear peci as part of traditional attire during church service.

Malay boys wearing songkok as part of their traditional attire in Malaysia

In Malaysia, traditional male Malay attire consists of a songkok, shirt, matching pants, and waist wrap that is called asongket.In aDewan Undangan Negeri(State Legislative Assemblies) or inDewan Rakyat(Parliament), all members (regardless of race or religion) within the legislative assembly, are required to wear the songkok (with a gold middle stripe) as a formal custom, at every State Customary Opening of Parliament (or respective State Legislative Assemblies), held once annually, in order to comply with the dress code of each legislative assembly opening.This is done to ensure decorum whenever the respective Head of State (Yang di-Pertuan Agong for the Parliament of Malaysia, respective Sultans or Yang diPertua Negeri for each State Legislative Assemblies) is present to open the legislative assembly proceedings for the year. Similarly, all recipients of honorificordersbestowed by either the Yang di-Pertuan Agong (for federal honorific orders) or the Sultan (for each respective state honorific orders), are required to wear the gold-striped songkok along with the official customary attire in Malaysia, to receive their honorific orders in person.

In Singapore, the songkok is not allowed to be worn in government schools, as part of the school uniform, as Singapore is officially a secular state and all religious headgear is not allowed to be worn.It is part of the standard uniform atmadrasahs(Islamic religious schools).

In thePhilippines,the songkok, known askopiahorkupya,plays a role in the heraldry of theSultanate of Sulu,and is part of the traditional wear ofBangsamoromen. It is part of the traditional formal clothing ofMuslim Filipinomen in general, along with a local Mindanaoan variation of theBaju Melayuand nativemalong(sarung). Some non-MuslimLumadFilipinodatualso wear the kopiah, as a result of being historically influenced by the fashions and customs of Muslim Filipinos. The kopiah is worn by Muslim Filipino men throughout the archipelago as a formal cap for prayers, and for religious and social functions. Kopiah with gold-string embroidery, or cuts ofinaulor fabric withokirdesigns are gaining popularity alongside the conservative black velvet version. A red and white checkered Saudi-styleghutrahworn draped over a kopiah is a traditional indicator in the Southern Philippines of ahajjior male pilgrim who has been toMakkahas part of thehajj.

Gallery

• 
  Indonesian independence activist of early 20th century (1930), includingSukarno,often wear peci, which give Indonesian peci current nationalist nuance.
• 
  Two Papuan raja wearing kopiah in Kokas,Fakfak(between 1933 and 1936).
• 
  Men of theRejimen Askar Melayu DiRajawearing songkok at bayonet practice, Singapore Island (1941).
• 
  A group ofBruneianmen wearing songkok as part ofBaju Melayutraditional Malay attire
• 
  Javanese Muslim men wearing kopiah and sarong
• 
  Indonesian presidentJoko Widodoand leaders ofparliamentwearing peci as part of national formal attire
• 
  E.W.P. Tambunan,a Christian, was known for his habit of wearing redsongkok.
• 
  Murad Ebrahim,Chief Ministerof theBangsamoro Region,southernPhilippines
• 
  Female version of peci with curved back, worn by Indonesian flag raising girls squad (Paskibra)

See also

• Dhaka topi
• Gandhi cap
• Fez (hat)
• Tengkolok
• Yarmulke
• Bhadgaunle Topi