Chiltse, chiltsa are women's ornaments in the ethnographic group of Hutsul Ukrainians and some other Slavic peoples.
Chiltses are narrow metal plates suspended from a dart that look like small ribbons or flower petals. A chiltsa is worn over the forehead. It is worn by a young woman at a wedding, or by all girls during solemn holidays.
Common among Hutsuls. Many researchers are inclined to consider the tradition of wearing a chiltse as a remnant of that old Ukrainian decoration that was borrowed from Byzantium during the princely era in Ukraine. It was a tiara made of birch bark, lined with expensive fabric, and covered with a gold or silver plate on top. Decorative plaques or beads were hung below the plate. A similar ornament of a woman's head was found by archaeologist V. Khvoik in Brovary, Poltava region (now a city of Kyiv region).
A headband woven from gold and silver threads, as well as a string with beads, was found by archaeologist Melnyk during the excavation of a grave of an Old Slavic burial in the Kharkiv region.
In addition to the Hutsuls, Serbs and other Balkan Slavs also preserved chiltse. Under Turkish influence, Serbian chiltse consists of small coins specially made for this purpose. Such coins, mostly gold, are hung on a string or chain and worn on the head above the forehead.
