Klompen, the traditional
wooden shoes worn by the Dutch, are donned for dancing, street scrubbing
and a children's race at the Holland Festival. The roomy wooden
shoes were originally worn by the Dutch to work in the fields where they
protected them from the cold and the moisture.
Click on the picture or here for more information and pictures of "Sieg" at work!
It may be a dying art, but at the Holland Festival you can watch "Sieg," our resident Klompenhouwer, carve a pair by hand, custom-fitting them to your feet. Most of the wooden shoes available today are made in automated factories. The Klompen Dansers, many of the younger generation, will tell you that they are really quite comfortable, and the younger ones actually run races in them (Friday afternoon). But they will also admit to wearing multiple pairs of socks or even sponges in their shoes.
Dancing in the Street
The Cedar Grove Klompen
Dancers
perform in Memorial Park throughout the festival and are a highlight of
the pre-parade Main street events on Saturday afternoon. Klomping down the street to accordion music is said to be
reminiscent of Dutch ancestors congregating on old cobblestone streets to
attend a village event or church gathering. Don't miss the boy-girl antics
portrayed by the stage dancers or the lines of adorable Kinderklossers
(youngsters) that precede the parade on Main Street!
Cedar Grove residents pride themselves on the cleanliness and neatness
of their community. During the Holland Festival, residents of all ages
take to the street in costume to participate in the ceremonial street scrubbing. Armed
with "Old Dutch" cleanser, an assortment of brooms, and water
from wooden barrels or buckets, they scrub the pavement until the
Burgemeister (village president) declares it clean.
Only then do the Klompen Dancers kick up their heels.
These festivities take place on Main Street beginning at 1 p.m. Saturday. Find a good curbside seat and enjoy the unique atmosphere. And be sure to stay for the parade, complete with floats, clowns, antique cars, marching bands, horses and much more.
Click on the picture or here for more pictures!
A Fashion Statement
There's much more to the Dutch wardrobe than wooden shoes. "Fashions of Holland" is an informative vignette of traditional Dutch culture, where residents model typical clothing worn in a variety of situations. Fashions of Holland is presented in Memorial Park several times during the festival.
