Do you enjoy wearing hats? If so, this is a fun day for you because today is National Hat Day. Hats come in many styles from ball caps, top hats, beanies, stocking caps, fedora, cloche, bonnet, beret, cowboy, top hat, or helmet. Whatever your favorite, why not pull it out today and wear it as you read this.
Hats have been around for a long time. In the Bible, the hat of the day was a turban. The Biblical word was “tire.” Eastern cultures made hats out of straw or bamboo. During the Middle Ages, it is believed that hats helped to identify your social status. By the late 16th century, the best, most stylish hats came out of Milan, Italy. Those who designed and made the hats were called milliners.
In American, a haberdasher created hats and sold them along with other men’s goods in his haberdashery. Today’s date “commemorates the day in 1797 when the first top hat made its appearance in court. Created by haberdasher John Hetherington, the judge claimed the tall hat, rather prominent hat disturbed the public.”1 We could say that the top hat had it’s day in court and lost!
Hats have also found their way into a variety of idioms.
You might be MAD AS A HATTER. “There was a time when hatters would use Mercury to stiffen felts, and the toxic fumes would affect their brains. The affected hat makers were in turn made fun of, often being treated as drunkards, thus coining the term ”Mad as a hatter”.”2
If a person has numerous responsibilities, we will say that they are WEARING MORE
THAN ONE HAT
Accomplishing something great is A FEATHER IN YOUR CAP.
If we take up a collection, we might PASS THE HAT.
If something’s not new, it might be described as OLD HAT.
Pulling off the seemingly impossible means that you PULLED IT OUT OF YOUR HAT, a direct reference to a magician pulling the rabbit out of the hat.
Deep contemplation on a subject means we are going to PUT ON OUR THINKING CAP.
To comment or talk about something of which we have no knowledge it to TALK THROUGH YOUR HAT.
HATS OFF TO YOU is a compliment for something you’ve done, a quite form of applause.
And the final phrase that is the segue into the spiritual application is KEEPING SOMETHING UNDER YOUR HAT. It means to keep something secret.
Talk about your long way around the barn!!
Proverbs 11:13 says, “A talebearer revealeth secrets: but he that is of a faithful spirit concealeth the matter.” If someone trusts you enough to make you their confidante, don’t blow it. Keep what they’ve said under your hat. To blab is a violation of Scripture. Proverbs 25:9 says, “Debate thy cause with thy neighbour himself; and discover not a secret to another.”
Now, we also have to be smart about this. If someone comes up to you and says, “I need to tell you something but I need you to promise to keep it a secret,” instantly agreeing could be a foolish thing to do. What if a crime has been committed? What if someone is in danger? What if someone needs help? Should that be kept a secret? Of course not! When asked to promise secrecy before ever hearing the matter, we would be better off to say, “I will keep the secret if I can.”
Our closest friends need us to start the day with the prayer found in Psalms 141:3. “Set a watch, O LORD, before my mouth; keep the door of my lips.”
1https://www.nationaldaycalendar.com/national-day/national-hat-day-january-15
2https://heirloomhats.com/blogs/the-wonderful-world-of-hats/hat-idioms-and-their-meaning
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