The bonnet is one of the oldest items of female folk dress. Placed on the head of the bride during the wedding ceremony, it was worn as a sign of marital status for the rest of her life. The variety in its form reflects traditional modes of dressing the hair. A great emphasis was placed on decoration, particularly in the case of bonnets for festive occasions.

In the past the women of Madunice embroidered their tulle and cambric bonnets, which they wore on feast days, predominantly in white thread. Discrete plant motifs were positioned on a band on the front of the bonnet, while on the back the same motif was deployed over an area. The work of embroidery was entrusted to women particularly skilled in practice. The edge of the bonnet around the face is trimmed with thin white starched bobbin-lace. In Madunice and its surroundings the bonnet emphasises the natural rounded silhouette of the head, the face being set off by the slightly undular lace of its border.

The designs for this issue are based on items from archive of the Slovak National Museums's Ethnography Museum in Martin.

PhDr. Alžbeta Gazdíková