Bolster

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A bolster (etymology: Middle English) is essentially a long narrow pillow or cushion which people hug when sleeping. In western countries, it is usually used at the head of bed serving as a head support. However in southeast Asian countries, in particular Indonesia, Malaysia, Singapore, and Thailand, a bolster is a tubular pillow which one uses to hug when sleeping. Usually the hands grab the top of the bolster while the legs will wrap around its lower end.

Tradition has it that a long time ago, when a married man went outstation to work, the wife would provide the man with such a bolster made of bamboo (hence also called "bamboo wife") for him to hug at night so as to rid him of loneliness. Later it was slowly adapted to its present shape. It is usually filled with cotton, down, or fibre.

This is now very popular in many Chinese and Malay families. Most children will be provided with one and the habit of having to sleep with a bolster goes into adulthood. It is said that hugging a bolster will calm one's mind when sleeping, and, in the hot tropical climate of Singapore and Malaysia, it is often too hot to cover oneself with a blanket when sleeping, especially in a non-airconditioned room. So hugging a bolster will prevent one from catching a cold towards the wee hour of the night.

In older days, people made their own bolsters but now, they can be bought very cheaply and easily in most department stores and shopping complexes. One could also find bedsheet sets that come with pillow and bolster cases.

In a more traditional Chinese family, a newly wedded couple's wedding chamber will have a bed that comes with two pillows and one bolster. The purpose of having the bolster is to allow the husband to hug when the wife is not in the mood of being hugged.

The use of the bolster is so common among Indonesian people that most local hotels there provide bolsters for their guests. However, it is not so in westernized hotels.

The equivalent of bolster in the western countries is the Body Pillow, also a long flat pillow that allows one to rest the head on one end and to hug the other end.

[edit] Other uses

A bolster is also the point where the blade of a knife and handle meet, often designed to provide balance or a safer grip. See the diagram at Kitchen knife.

A bolster is also the structure within a truck (bogie) or on a car or locomotive frame that supports the weight of the vehicle.