Woman’s Bonnet (Cepiec)

Slovakia (Hron River valley)

Mid-20th century

Cotton, linen

The “capping” of the bride is a ritual that marks her passage from girlhood to the status of a married woman. During the wedding ceremony, the bride wears a wreath-like crown, a Parta, to which a beribboned veil is attached in the back. While singing a traditional song, the bridesmaids, female family members, and her godmother surround the bride, lift her wedding wreath, and place a bonnet, the Cepiec, on her head. It is at this moment that she is officially considered a married woman.