Nikolai Ubushaev, Why Does the Kalmyk Hat Have a Red Thread?

Abstract

Nikolai relays that in the past during battles it was difficult to distinguish your side from the enemies. In order to overcome that, the Kalmyks came up with various war calls. For example, during battles the warriors from the Keryad clan shouted ‘Tuula’ and the Tsatans shouted ‘Tuulan tokha’. But this innovation did not solve the problem, since it was impossible to hear who shouted what in the chaos of battles. Then the Kalmyks came up with another solution by attaching a read thread to their hats. Since then the Kalmyks wear their hats, even when drinking tea at home. All Kalmyks, irrespective of their age and gender, have the same red thread on their hats.