Berets, Anyone?

[Fern]

Out and about on VDay!

 

[Fern]

Repping ‍while

 

[Fern]

“Basking” at work, lol

 

[Fedster]

What are the differences in use between a beret alpin and a txapeldun? A txapeldun seems slightly larger, but were they historically used by anyone, or are some sort of curio for tourists?

 

[Daan]

What are the differences in use between a beret alpin and a txapeldun? A txapeldun seems slightly larger, but were they historically used by anyone, or are some sort of curio for tourists?

Ouch..., a curio for tourists...? No, far from it. The origin of the txapeldun lies with the Pyrenean shepherds and the reason why these oversized berets were popular with them is simply: protection. The weather in the Pyrenean mountains is as changeable as in New Zealand and these berets formed the perfect shield against rain and snow, as well as protecting the eyes and face from the bright sun.

The name means as much as 'champion'; txapel is Basque for beret and dun means "the one who has". The connection to 'champion' comes from the fact that in Euskadi berets are traditionally awarded as prizes.
You can still see that in typical Basque sports like Aizkora proba (wood chopping),Giza-abere probak (dragging games), Harri jasotzea (stone lifting) and Ingude altxatzea (anvil lifting).

These days, a txapeldun is typically awarded to cycling champions.

As for the differences between txapeldunak and Chasseur Alpin berets: the txapeldun is larger (between 35 and 37cm in diameter where the Alpin is approximately 33.6cm).
The original Chasseur Alpin berets were actually the size of txapeldunak, as you can see on photos from the Great War, before regulations kicked in.

Txapeldunak made by Boinas Elosegui can be found here; our own Aotearoa models (on discount) here.