Lederhosen ("leather trousers") are knee-breeches (knickerbockers or shorts) made of leather. They are made, in order of quality, from elk, goat, calf, or pig hide. Usually, they are handsomely and elaborately braided or embroidered with monograms, designs, or edelweiss, hunting or peasant motifs. The buttons are generally made of rough-hewn elkhorn. They are also usually accompanied by leather suspenders (British, braces).
Traditionally, lederhosen were worn by Germanic men of the Alpine and surrounding regions, including Austria, the highlands and mountains of Southern Germany, the German-speaking part of Italy known as South Tyrol, which was formerly a part of Austria until after the Great War, and Switzerland. La marquise parisičnne, however, claims that lederhosen were not originally only a Bavarian garment, but that they had been worn all over Europe, especially by riders, hunters and others—and not only by the peasant folk. Only the flap (drop front style) may actually be a unique Bavarian invention. It became so popular in the 18th Century that it was known in France as "ŕ la bavaroise," or in the Bavarian style.
Lederhosen have remained popular and are commonly associated with virility and brawn. Some men still enjoy wearing them when hiking, working outdoors, or attending folk festivals and Beer Gardens, although they are rarely seen elsewhere. Nevertheless, they have remained a symbol of regional pride. Their role in Bavaria is thus comparable to that of the kilt in Scotland.
The Turkish oil wrestlers wear a kind of lederhosen called kisbet , which are also beautifully embroidered and remarkably like the Alpine lederhosen, but without the suspenders.
Lederhosen is a frequently misspelled word in the English language, often being rendered as "leiderhosen" or "liederhosen."
See also
External resource
Last updated: 10-11-2005 19:31:02
