Chupryna: The History and Meaning of the Cossack Hairstyle

This article was prepared with the support of UFL flower delivery as part of the "Ukraine Above All!" project. The first thing most people picture when they hear "Cossack" is a shaved head with a long lock of hair on the crown. This hairstyle is called the chupryna, or popularly the oseledets ("herring"). The nickname "khokhol", which once referred to a Cossack forelock, is now considered an ethnic slur.

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The first "Cossack" was a prince

A long lock on a shaved head was worn by many peoples of Eurasia, from ancient nomads to medieval Turkic peoples, and later by some of the Polish-Lithuanian nobility. But nowhere did it become such a symbol as in Ukraine.

One of the best-known early descriptions comes from the Byzantine historian Leo the Deacon. Describing the meeting between Prince Sviatoslav Ihorovych of Kyiv and Emperor John Tzimiskes in 971, he wrote that the prince's head was shaved except for a lock of hair hanging down on one side, a sign of noble birth.

In the 16th–18th centuries the chupryna became the hallmark of the Zaporozhian Cossacks. After the Sich was destroyed in 1775 the hairstyle did not disappear: until the mid-19th century Cossack descendants among townsfolk and peasants still wore it to show their origins.

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Chub vs chupryna: what's the difference

The two words are often confused, but in folk tradition they are different hairstyles:

• Chupryna (oseledets) — the whole head was shaved except a round lock about three fingers wide on the crown. It was grown long and tucked behind the left ear. The style was believed to give the face a warlike look.
• Chub — the temples and back of the head were shaved, and the hair on top was combed out in all directions and trimmed in a circle. The head looked fully covered, and only a gust of wind revealed the shaved scalp.

According to some accounts, ordinary Zaporozhians wore the chupryna, while Cossack officers such as scribes more often wore the chub.

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Why Cossacks wore the chupryna

• A sign of belonging to the Sich. It was worn by Cossacks who lived in the Zaporozhian Sich and by those who had spent time there and returned home. Some chumaks (salt traders) and peasants living near Zaporizhzhia wore it too.
• A fearsome look. A long lock on a shaved head looked menacing and intimidated the enemy.
• A mark of experience. According to tradition, the length of the chupryna reflected a Cossack's endurance and experience.
• Practicality. A shaved head was more hygienic on campaign and comfortable under a hat.

Legends about the chupryna

Our ancestors believed hair held a person's strength and "memory", so cutting it meant changing one's fate or losing part of one's power. One legend says a Cossack needs his chupryna so that after death God can grab him by the lock and pull him out of the fires of hell. And it was tucked behind the left ear because evil spirits were believed to sit on the left shoulder — the lock "chased them away".

The chupryna today

The chupryna is back in fashion: it's worn not only by members of Cossack societies but by men who see it as a sign of Ukrainian identity. The most famous example is boxer Oleksandr Usyk, undisputed world champion, who enters the ring with a chupryna and has made it famous around the world. It's also common among Ukrainian soldiers.

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Knowing the history of the Cossack hairstyle is not just interesting but important — it's how we preserve traditions and pass our cultural heritage on to the next generation.

FAQ

Why is the chupryna called the "herring"?

The long, thin lock on a shaved head looked like a herring, hence the folk name oseledets.

Why was it worn behind the left ear?

Folk belief held that evil spirits sat on the left shoulder and the lock drove them away. There is a practical explanation too: the right hand held the weapon, so the hair had to stay out of the way.

Can you wear a chupryna today?

Of course. Today it's a sign of respect for history and of Ukrainian identity.

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Author: Maria Svitlovir

Graduated from Taras Shevchenko National University of Kyiv, Institute of Biology and Medicine (2001). BSc in Biology, MSc in Horticulture. Writes about plants, works at a garden centre selecting and repotting plants, and contributes to plant reference guides.