Dir celebrates traditional white cap day

Local residents celebrated May 2 as the ‘cap day’ in Lower and Upper Dir districts of Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa (K-P) on Tuesday.

Originally ‘teladar golden cap’ was the standard wear in the princely state of Dir but later it was replaced with white cap which is no more in demand due to its lower prices and ease of manufacturing.

Local residents, social media activists and civil society as well as workers of all political parties shared their pictures wearing a traditional white cap while political workers shared the pictures of their leaders with a white cap.

Around 70 years ago the standard-wear of the elite as well as poor was the golden cap known as ‘teladar topi’ but it was really expensive to purchase and difficult to make as a result its use vanished with the passage of time.

Later, however, it was replaced with a cheap and easily available alternative – white cap which is manufactured locally and used by all classes now although it is also now disappearing.

Local residents said that white caps are hand-made by women in their homes which provide them with an opportunity to earn money and keep the local tradition alive.

According to Anwarul Haq, a local elder, the ‘teledar topi’ was a hand-made headgear that was crafted by women in their free time, and it was highly valued as a symbol of status. In fact, it was so revered that it was often chosen as the preferred gift by locals to present to their friends and guests.

Published in The Express Tribune, May 3^rd, 2023.