Szalinówka headscarf Szalinówka headscarf – front, side, and back view

The scarf szalinówka is a characteristic headdress worn with women's festive clothes from the second half of the 19th century. They were purchased at fairs, markets or in town shops.

It is a factory-made product, measuring 85 cm by 87 cm, and comes from the village of Kwasówka in the Radzyń poviat. It was made of red wool with a floral pattern and trimmed with red tassels. The bordure is made up of small and larger flowers in red, blue, yellow and shaded red and pink roses with bunches of green twigs. In the centre of the background are single larger roses and several small ones. Before putting it on, a woman would fold the shawl in half to form a triangle. Two corners were used to tie it, while the third, the middle one, fell on the back. Depending on regional customs, scarves were tied differently - under the chin, at the back of the neck and over the forehead. Scarves were often placed over bonnets, only a small part of which was visible.

They played an important role in the wedding ritual. The shawl was placed on the bride in the presence of all the guests during the wedding ceremony. The gesture was a sign of the change that took place in the life of the young woman during the ceremony. From now on she could not leave the house without a scarf on her head, by which her marital status was determined.

Wealthy women tried to own several scarves, which differed in colour and patterns. They matched them to the colour of their clothes and the situation. Nowadays this type of headscarf is worn mainly by older women in everyday life and by members of folk groups during stage performances.