ЖЕНСКОТО ЗАБРАЖДАНЕ "СОКАЙ" -- ЕТНОГРАФСКИ, АРХЕОЛОГИЧЕСКИ И ЕЗИКОВИ АСПЕКТИ
WOMEN HEAD COVER "SOKAY" - ETHNOGRAPHIC, ARCHEOLOGICAL AND LINGUISTIC ASPECTS

Summary/Abstract: The paper is a new attempt to throw light on the origin of Bulgarian women head cover "sokay", studied by many other investigators so far. The comparative analysis of the simillarities in structure, functions and denominations of Bulgarian uni-horn women head cover "sokay" in its two variants — "Gabrovo sokay" and "Macedonian sokay", and analogous women head cover among the Mari, Mordva, Udmurts in Volga region, and among Kazahs, Kirguise, Karakalpacs, Turkmenians in Central Asia, reveals the protobulgarian origin of this type of head cover and its denomination in Bulgarian folk culture "Sokay means "a little horn". The similarities in the unihorn head covers among the mentioned peoples and Bulgarian "sokay" are due to their common genetic prototype, which has belonged to the culture of Iranian ethnic societies. The "sokay" has penetrated in protobulgarian culture through the Iranian components of protobulgarian ethnos. The head cover is in a close connection with the cult to the Great Mother-goddess, which has profound roots in Central Asia.

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