Loading...
The Goderich Signal-Star, 1983-05-18, Page 78SpectacuIarind stunning costumes By Rod Hilts When visiting Klompen Feest this year you till notice many people dressed in a variety of stunning costumes. These costumes weren't invented in a dream. They are actually replicas of the clothes worn in Holland many years ago. Surprisingly enough some of the traditional costumes are still worn in Holland. To dispell all rumors, not all Dutch people dress in cute woodens shoes, lace caps and ornate dresses! • The twin towns of Volendam and Marken have made costume wearing and the selling of momentos from Holland a way of life. For a couple of guilders (bucks) tourists can dress up in a native costume and have their picture taken, provided they can get past the busloads of other visitors. In Volendam, the women can be seen wearing blue - striped or black -pleated skirts and jackets. The younger set wear bonnets with a high point. The dress code wouldn't be complete without a colorful apron, patent slippers and a red -coral necklace. The men for the most part are decked out in baggy trousers and on Sundays, a flashy jacket, snug -fitting at the waist and a giant silver button and chain make the wardrobe complete. On the fishing island of Marken, the women wear a long- sleeved "shirt" under a cotton windbreaker with multi- colored sleeves. On top of this combination, an em- broidered bodice, a woollen yoke, a sleeveless jacket and another square yoke made of flowered cotton are worn. On the head a bonnet with a cardboard insert is worn. The men wear black baggy pants and occasionally slip into some white ones in the summertime. A fluorescent 'red sash, a blue smock with a white collar, a neckerchief, and gold throat buttons makes this one of the most visible costumes in Holland. The children's native wear is toned down somewhat in comparison with the adults. Girls and young boys are dressed the same, in checkered bibs, bonnets and aprons. (The boys usually wear white bibs and blue skirts). Residents of the Hague are breaking away from the traditional dress codes. While the older generations are sticking to their historical wear, the new generation is leasing the modern way. However some women can be seen in black, floor -length dresses throughout the shopping centres. These women are the. wives of fisherman from nearby Seheve $ngen, and are very proud of their native costume. The other older generation in the Hague can be seen wearing sea -colored shawls and sombre skirts. The real attraction to this costume is the gold "horns" that project out of their bonnets. On Sundays lace bonnets are worn to church. - In other remote corners of Holland the dress code is segregated by religion. In the southwest corner of the country the costumes show characteristics of the Zeeland islands. Protestant women wear a cone shaped bonnet, while Catholic women wear a flat bonnet with a light -blue bonnet underneath. Gold hair irons project out of the bonnets. As a rule, Catholic women wear brighter colors than Protestants. The most dominant ingredient in the South Beveland costume is a yoke accompanied with a "beuk". A beak is a garment that covers the bosom and back and is usually made of flowered silk. The men wear black kneebreeches and silver belt buttons. One thing to keep in mind when -seeing these costumes; they are local variations in style in the dif- ferent parts of Zeeland. The most spectacular costumes of all come from the farming families along a road joining Rouveen and Staphorst, near the German border. If you plan to tour this section of Holland don't take any pictures. It is for- bidden by law to take pictures of this stunning Dutch community. Before the law was passed farmers would physically assault anyone who invaded their privacy. At Staphorst the costumes are colorful to say the least. The women wear bolero bodices with black and blue striped skirts. The hips in these skirts are strangely padded. Painted flower motifs with a wide deep collar are also worn except for times when a woman is in mourning. On Sundays a red -checked cotton neckerchief and massive silver buckles are added. Under their white lace caps are the traditional ear irons. The men's costume stresses jewelery. Watch chains, gold buttons on a white collar and a double row of silver buttons on the shirt make this one of the most glittering styles of costume worn by the Dutch. The boys and girls dress the same until the age of three or four. The costumes in Holland all carry deep traditional meanings with the natives. While visiting Klompen Feest this year why not stop and ask the people wearing these costumes what they represent. You'll be amazed at the different stories they'll tell you.