There is a legend about kirgiz' hats. In ancient time,there was a brave and sagacious king. He realized that in tile battle, their national army troops were disorderly and unsystematic and hardly to be recognized because of their inconsistent clothes and hats. So he summoned all departments and ordered them to design a kind of unified hat for soldiers within 40 days. This hat should look like a shining star, a colorful flower, an ice peak covered with snow and a mountain slope covered with thick grass. It should be able to shield rain, snow, wind and sand. 39 days passed, nobody could design a kind of hat that satisfied both tile king and the people. On the 40th day, the beautiful daughter of a royal consultant designed a decorative white felt hat. The king was very satisfied and ordered both his army and people to wear this kind of bat which since then has been handed down for generations until now. This kind of hat is made of wool felt and in the shape of coiled eaves with either flat crown or spire crown of four ridges. There is a vent on both sides of the hat brim, which divide the hat brim into front and back part. if all brims are rolled to the top, the hat could shield snow and rain. If only the front brim is let down,the hat could shade the sunshine. And if both front and back brims are let down, the hat could shield wind and sand. Kirgizs consider this kind of hat as sacred hats. They hang them in high places or places not easily to be accessed when not wearing them. One could not throw or trample the hats or make joke on them, which were considered to be ill omened.
