The Pavoynik is a tight fitting cap worn by Russian women, particularly married women, to hide their hair. It was believed that letting the hair of a married woman be seen by anyone other than her husband was scandalous. There is a theory that originally it was thought that the hair of a married woman was so powerful, that it could be harmful to her family. Pavoyniks were worn either by themselves, with a veil or ubrus over them or even under the bigger, fancier hats called kokoschniks. These caps were often decorative on the forehead and sometimes on the back of the head too.
Notice the decorative beading on the forehead section of this pavoynik created by Mistress Tatjana. She's included strands of beads that fall from the edge of the pavoynik onto her brow and temples.
