Labbadeh Explained

The Labbadeh (ar|اللبادة|lit="beaten" referring to the felting process in which it is made),[1] is a conical brimless felt cap traditionally worn by Lebanese people.[2] [3] [4] [5] [6]

It is made from sheep's wool and is usually combined with a black scarf during work and with a white silk scarf for celebratory, leisure and formal events.[1] [4]

The origin of the labbadeh goes back to ancient times, depictions of it were found in Byblos, Kamid al-Lawz, Aleppo and Tel Michal.[7]

The fashion persisted into medieval times among the Christians of northern Mount Lebanon,[8] where it was especially useful for its natural water-resistance against rain and providing warmth during the cold winters of the mountain. The labbadeh survived into the modern era still being used by some villagers as well as becoming a national symbol of Lebanon as a part of the traditional folk costume of the country.[9]

Etymology

The word labbadeh comes from the Lebanese Arabic word libada which translates to "beat" or "beaten" and is a reference to the beating of wool in the process of making a labbade.[1]

Process

The making of the labbadeh is a hand-made felting process. First, the wool threads must be finely separated from one another before being saturated with soap and water. Then, the wool threads are mixed together again and beaten until they solidify into a labbade. The finished product is then soaked with water and put out to dry.[1] [4]

History

The Lebanese Labbadeh goes back to Phoenician times.[2] [9] [10] Statuettes assumed to be votive offerings have been found scattered across the Levant with the most numerous amount found in ancient Phoenician temples in Byblos where they have since been dubbed the Byblos figurines.

According to the Lebanese archaeologist Maurice Chehab:

The use of the labbadeh for practical purposes began to decline around the mid-20th century.[11] However, the headdress is experiencing a revival movement notably in the village of Hrajel where a workshop has been opened by local farmer Youssef Akiki with the intent of preserving the tradition and knowledge of the labbadeh.[12]

See also

External links

Web site: تعرفوا الى ابن حراجل يوسف عقيقي صانع اللبادة رمز الرجولة!. . 20 Feb 2016. youtube.com. Future TV.

Web site: يوم جديد: نوستالجيا .. اللبادة اللبنانية. . 2 April 2016. youtube.com. Alghad TV.

Notes and References

  1. Web site: القبّعات على أنواعها: اللبّادة -جزء 3. https://web.archive.org/web/20210104204313/https://ellearabia.com/%D9%85%D9%88%D8%B6%D8%A9/%D8%A3%D8%AE%D8%A8%D8%A7%D8%B1-%D8%A7%D9%84%D9%85%D9%88%D8%B6%D8%A9/%D8%A7%D9%84%D9%82%D8%A8%D9%91%D8%B9%D8%A7%D8%AA-%D8%B9%D9%84%D9%89-%D8%A3%D9%86%D9%88%D8%A7%D8%B9%D9%87%D8%A7-%D8%A7%D9%84%D9%84%D8%A8%D9%91%D8%A7%D8%AF%D8%A9-%D8%AC%D8%B2%D8%A1-3. 4 January 2021. Daher. Antoine. 27 October 2017. ellearabia.com. elle arabia.
  2. Web site: اللبادة.. قبعة تحكي عن الهوية اللبنانية منذ عهد الفينيقيين. The labbadeh... a hat that tells the story of the Lebanese identity since the Phoenician era. Al-Dabaa. Ahmed. 2 January 2023. alqaheranews. قناة القاهرة الإخبارية. قال "عقيقي"، لـ"القاهرة الإخبارية"، إن اللبادة يرجع تاريخها في لبنان إلى الفينيقيين، وصارت تتوارث من جيل إلى آخر، خصوصًا سكان المناطق الجبلية، الذين يرتدونها بسبب برودة الطقس.. "Akiki" told "Cairo News" that the history of the labbadeh in Lebanon dates back to the Phoenicians, and it has been passed down from one generation to the next, especially among the inhabitants of the mountainous regions, who wear it because of the cold weather..
  3. Web site: حرفي لبناني يحمي اللبادة التراثية من الاندثار. Lebanese craftsman protects traditional labbadeh from extinction. 21 February 2023. swissinfo.ch. Swiss Broadcasting Corporation SRG SSR.
  4. Web site: حرفي لبناني يسعى للحفاظ على صناعة اللبادة من الاندثار. Lebanese craftsman seeks to preserve labbadeh industry from extinction. 29 December 2022. alquds.co.uk. صحيفة القدس العربي.
  5. Web site: Dans la montagne libanaise, un homme sauve un savoir-faire millénaire de l'oubli. In the Lebanese mountains, a man saves a thousand-year-old know-how from oblivion. 21 February 2023. laprovence. LaProvence.
  6. Web site: شو قصة اللبادة يلي كانوا يلبسوها جدودنا؟. What is the story of the labbadeh that our ancestors used to wear?. Hakmeh. Katerina. 29 October 2024. beirut.com. Beirut.com, SA. عكس الطربوش اللي يعتبر عثماني، اللبادة أصلها لبناني، واستخدمها الشعب اللبناني لقرون طويلة.. Unlike the tarboosh, which is considered Ottoman, the labbadeh is of Lebanese origin and has been used by the Lebanese people for centuries..
  7. Web site: Origin of Levantine Costumes. https://web.archive.org/web/20100224115446/http://almashriq.hiof.no/general/600/640/646/costumes_of_the_Levant/origin.html. 24 February 2010. Almashriq. Hiof. Small Phoenician statues dug up in Lebanon show this same style of conical cap, while bas reliefs from the Aleppo citadel also depict men wearing a cap of the same proportions as the labbade worn today..
  8. Web site: Origin of Levantine Costumes. https://web.archive.org/web/20100224115446/http://almashriq.hiof.no/general/600/640/646/costumes_of_the_Levant/origin.html. 24 February 2010. Almashriq. Hiof.
  9. Web site: The last hatmaker of Hrajel who’s preserving a Phoenician craft in the Lebanese mountains. 3 March 2023. kawa-news. KAWA News. https://web.archive.org/web/20230307050305/https://kawa-news.com/en/the-last-hatmaker-of-hrajel-whos-preserving-a-phoenician-craft-in-the-lebanese-mountains/. 7 March 2023.
  10. Book: Gubel, Eric. Wicke. Dirk. Curtis. John. 2022. Phoenician lionesses devouring Nubians and the Egyptian Pyth of the Distant goddess. Ivories, Rock Reliefs and Merv: Studies on the Ancient Near East in Honour of Georgina Herrmann. Münster. Zaphon. 135. 9783963272080. Note the papyrus background, the light mobile furniture in wickerwork of identical type to that reproduced on the Yaba and Golgoi bowls (below, n. 29), as well as the Phoenician lebbadé headdress worn by the singer of a group of musicians also present on the latter (Gubel 1987, loc. cit., Meyer 1987, 167–180)..
  11. Web site: La « lebbadé », une coiffure libanaise millénaire. . 19 August 1971. lorientlejour.com. L’Orient-Le Jour. https://web.archive.org/web/20231231034535/https://www.lorientlejour.com/article/939857/la-lebbade-une-coiffure-libanaise-millenaire.html. 31 December 2023.
  12. Web site: “Lebbedeh” workshop. Hidden Mediterranean.

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