Kichka

(also kika), an Old Russian headdress worn by married women. It was first mentioned in a document as chelo kichnoe in 1328. This type of headdress was worn primarily in the southern provinces, such as Tula, Riazan’, Kaluga, and Orel. The kichka proper (volosnik) covered the hair. It had a stiff panel on top in the form of horns, a shovel, or hoofs. The panel, which was sometimes quilted, consisted of inserted pieces of birch bark or small boards. Behind the kichka proper was worn the pozatyl’-nik —a cap of tiny, colored glass beads, attached to which was a fancy length of embroidered fabric (soroka). In the early 20th century this complex headdress was replaced nearly everywhere by the povoinik (a type of soft cap of various shapes) or the kerchief.