Sokai
Sokai is a head cover that is worn only by Bulgarian women after the third day of their wedding, and it replaces the wedding veil. The sokai is mostly used in the Northern regions of Bulgaria – Gabrovo, Lovech, Veliko Turnovo and Kilifarevo. This type of head cover consists of different elements, the most popular being the sokai embroidery. The unmarried woman begins the embroidery of the sokai on a piece of rectangular cotton cloth in preparation for her wedding. One of the most important rules the woman had to follow was that she must make it herself in secret and without anyone seeing her.
The sokai head cover consists of many different parts. A large white cotton fabric called ‘mesal’, the base for the head cover, with an oval beech board called ‘buka’ underneath it, placed at the back of the head in a special cap, to create the arch on top of the head. The middle of the mesal, where the sokai embroidery is attached, goes on top of the head in the centre, and its ends are evenly placed on the back and/or the shoulders.
The sokai embroidery motifs vary depending on each woman’s preference. They can be floral, zoomorphic, symbolic and geometric. Floral motifs often include flowers like tulips or small branches, and geometrical ones could be triangles, rectangles or stars. There aren’t ‘popular’ zoomorphic and symbolic motifs as those often depend on the woman’s background and personal beliefs, and can vary a lot.
