The šajkača (шајкача, ʃǎjkatʃa) is the Serbian national hat or cap. Traditionally worn by men in the Serbian countryside, it is named after Serb river troops known as šajkaši, who protected the Austrian Empire against the Ottoman Turks in the 18th century. A popular national symbol in Serbia since the beginning of the early 20th century, it is typically black, grey or green in colour and is usually made of soft, homemade cloth. It became widely worn by Serb men beginning in the 1880s and was a key component in the uniform of the Serbian military from the end of the 19th century. Today, it is mostly worn by elderly men in rural communities.
The šajkača is a traditional hat worn by men in the Serbian countryside. It is the national hat of Serbia and is believed to have originated in the Serbian region of Banat during the 18th century, when šajkaši (Serb river troops in the service of the Austrian Empire) guarded the Danube and Sava rivers against the Ottoman Empire and wore caps in the shape of an overturned chaika (Шајка) boat.
Through most of the 19th century, the fez was the dominant choice of headwear for both Muslims and Christians in the Balkans, and fezzes were frequently emblazoned with national or religious symbols. In Serbia, for example, regulations for ministerial uniforms from 1850 required the Serbian coat of arms be featured on officials' red fezzes. It was not until the decade following the Serbian-Ottoman Wars of 1876-1878 that the šajkača began to overtake the fez in popularity among Serbs and thus very few paintings or photographs exist featuring the šajkača in use prior to the early 20th Century.
The typical cap of peasants from the Šumadija region of Serbia, the šajkača eventually acquired a dual purpose: it was worn by civilians in the countryside, and it became part of the standard Serbian military uniform other than in full dress. During World War I, the cap was regularly worn by the soldiers of the Kingdom of Serbia.
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The šajkača (шајкача, ʃǎjkatʃa) is the Serbian national hat or cap. Traditionally worn by men in the Serbian countryside, it is named after Serb river troops known as šajkaši, who protected the Austrian Empire against the Ottoman Turks in the 18th century. A popular national symbol in Serbia since the beginning of the early 20th century, it is typically black, grey or green in colour and is usually made of soft, homemade cloth. It became widely worn by Serb men beginning in the 1880s and was a key component in the uniform of the Serbian military from the end of the 19th century.