Look up Gamsbart  or gamsbart in Wiktionary, the free dictionary.

The Gamsbart ( German: ['gamsb?ː?t] , literally chamois beard , plural Gamsbarte) is a tuft of hair traditionally worn as a decoration on trachten -hats in the alpine regions of Austria and Bavaria .

Originally worn as a hunting trophy and made exclusively from hair from the chamois ' lower neck, Gamsbarte are today manufactured on a large scale from various animal hair, examples of which include goat, antelope, ^[1] and badger. ^[2] They are commonly sold by specialized dealers and also at souvenir shops.

A Gamsbart is made by enclosing the lower end of the tuft of hair in a setting of metal or horn that allows the upper end to spread in a brush-like fashion. Traditionally, hairs are selected for a dark color at the lower end with a very light tip. The size and diameter of the Gamsbart are important signs of the wearer's pride and manliness.

Traditionally, Gamsbarte are exclusively placed on hats worn by men; however, recent developments in dirndl fashion have seen Gamsbarte added to various places on female dresses.

References [ edit ]

• Culturally authentic pictorial lexicon (English) Archived 2011-07-20 at the Wayback Machine
• About the Gamsbart-Olympia 2008 at BR-Online(German)