National Felt Hat Day 2022
 |
The observance recognizes a type of head gear that has been manufactured and worn throughout much of history.
Felt was one of those materials utilized in hats for the protection it offered and the durability of the material.
It is said that men and women wore hats for both protection and as status symbols ... but that status symbol thing is lost upon me.
With the changing of the seasons hat wearers would trade their lighter, cooler straw hats for the warmer felt hat.
It is further stated that etiquette dictated which kind of hat was appropriate for the various venus people attended and that a part of good behavior was learning how and when to both don or doff their headgear.
Felt is usually produced from wool but may be derived from the fur of other animals such as rabbit or beaver.
The misfortune of these animals were diminished populations as the popularity of their fur for hats rose.
I have not been one to ever wear a hat. A rationale for this did not really exist; I simply shunned them as a personal preference.
Then there was my navy enlistment where a hat was part of the uniform and therefore required with it's own set of rules that applied.
Since the end of my enlistment I occasionally wear a boonie hat out in the sun riding my lawn tractor but that's about it.