Gourd Hat with plaited edge

Bottle gourd, Calabash, ( Lagenaria siceraria ) Gourds belongs to the family of Cucurbita, which includes pumpkin. In the Philippines, they are big and round, “Tabungaw” in Ilocano dialect, and “Upo” in Tagalog, the national language. When they are around six months old, they are ready for harvest, dried and cut apart to become the “Upo” hat. In China, the Hulu gourds were dried and used for keeping or transporting water, wine, and medicines.