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Wednesday, August 21, 2019

Klompen

Now breaks my wooden shoe!!

?????

Haha! The above expression is a literal translation from the Dutch idiom Nou breekt mijn klomp! —  the English equivalent of gobsmacked.

Dutch clogs are very hard and tough, and don’t break easily, so if someone says their clog breaks, it's an expression of astonishment.

An intrinsic part of Dutch culture, clogs are associated with many idiomatic expressions in the Dutch language.

Clogs or Klompen as they are called in the Netherlands are worn by the Dutch since the 13th century. And these wooden shoes have been keeping feet injury free for hundreds of years. Farmers and factory workers wear them to protect their feet from stray hooves and dropped tools. It's kinda funny though to imagine a cow stepping on your foot! Ouch!

Although clogs are now largely made for tourists, the wooden footwear is still worn by farmers, fishermen, factory workers, gardeners etc to protect their feet. Nails, fishing hooks and sharp implements that might pierce a regular boot will not go through a wooden shoe. On boats and docks and in muddy fields, the waterproof clogs keep feet dry. Clog wearers claim the wooden shoes are warm in the winter and cool in the summer!

Fun Facts

1. Throughout the early history of wooden clogs, members of nobility would not wear the wooden shoes because they were associated with peasantry. However, by the twentieth century the shoes evolved into fashionable footwear.

2. Dutch clogs are  EU certified as safety shoes as they can withstand sharp and heavy objects and concentrated acids.

3. As wooden shoes were used to fuel the fireplace once they were worn out, historians find it difficult to precisely date the origins of clogs. They estimate that the first clogs appeared at least 850 years ago and the oldest wooden shoe known was found in the Nieuwendijk in Amsterdam.

4. Dutch brides and grooms wear wooden clogs on their wedding day. After the ceremony, the clogs are then filled with flowers and hung on the wall as a keepsake and talisman for a lasting marriage.

5. In the olden days, a Dutch marriage proposal involved a hopeful suitor hand carving a pair of ornate clogs and placing  them secretly at night on his intended's doorsteps. He would return the next morning and if she was wearing the clogs, it was a sign that she had accepted the proposal! She would then wear the clogs until the wedding day. I am guessing that a rejected suitor would find his labour of love fueling the fireplace!  Poor fella! I really wooden want to be in his clogs...er... shoes!  Pardon the pun.

6.About six million souvenir clogs are produced in the Netherlands each year.

Bridal clogs on display in the Zaanse Schans Clog Museum



A clog workshop

Traditional clogs were made from a square block of wood. The wood was wet down, axed and smoothed into shape. The shoes were stacked to allow for thorough drying. They were then painted, usually with a variety of patterns. Many villages had their own patterns and designs for clogs, and the styles of shoe varied throughout the different areas of Europe.






Musings Of A Tired Mummy

43 comments:

  1. Really interesting. Never knew anything about them

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  2. Fascinating, I have heard of these all my life but knew nothing about them. I had no idea about the safety or wedding aspects. The Dutch are most interesting. Now I would like to try on a pair.

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  3. I remember clogs were really popular in the 1970s when I was in high school. All the girls wore them LOL. I didn't know all their history though. Fascinating there would be a clog museum!

    betty

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  4. I really like the sentiment of #4. And the Dutch word sounds like the sound they'd make walking on hard surfaces!

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  5. This is so interesting, and some of the clogs are really beautiful works of art. I liked #4--that sounds like a lovely custom. And #5 was kind of fun--though probably not if the girl didn't accept his proposal, haha.

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  6. Those huge yellow clogs are so funny! It's interesting to learn about them. Clogs used to be used in Spanish villages long ago as well

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  7. I like the ones with carvings on them. I have some friends that travel there sometimes. They've brought clogs back before.

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  8. We actually have two pairs of clogs from The Netherlands. My husband picked them up for the kids when he was travelling through Amsterdam.

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  9. Interesting read! I learned something new about clogs..

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  10. so nice photos and looks like you had a good time there :)

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  11. Love the photos, and the info! Just to know that one Klompen expression is gold! Thanks!

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  12. I love the idea of the wedding clogs - what a wonderful keepsake!

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  13. My youngest son went through a phase of LOVING a pair of klompen we found for him at a yard sale. Good memory!

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  14. Fascinating! Really enjoyed learning about wooden shoes!

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  15. Wow so many cool facts about clogs.. they don't seem the most comfortable but some of those are so pretty.
    To think you if you still needed to be a clog carver to score a wife..

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  16. Wouldn't be great for football ... only saying!!! #GlobalBlogging

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  17. What an interesting post and photos loved the first one with the huge clogs heheh!

    Have a clogtastic week :-)

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  18. Your posts have been so well described and depicted! I popped over from my linky and was craving those Belgium fries! I've always heard that French fries and French toast were names that Americans came up with and that they never originated in France. Your story was much more interesting! My latest blog hop will be live in a few hours once I've finished putting it together. Enjoy your day!

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  19. We have been to Holland and tried on these shoes. My children have a pair from my father-in-law as he is dutch. I love the cream-colored ones. Absolutely beautiful.

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  20. LOL! Did you attempt to walk in those shoes in the first shot?
    Thanks for sharing at https://image-in-ing.blogspot.com/2019/08/pass-jelly.html

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  21. Those clogs are beautiful! Thanks for the information. I learned something new today.

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  22. Wow, I love the story of wooden shoes!
    Have a good week on The Corner of The World

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  23. fascinating! thanks for visiting me on Cath@Home and leaving a comment..here I am returning the gesture. Have a lovely week ahead.

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  24. I have a pair of clogs that I find quite uncomfortable to wear at home. But they are definitely good to keep your feet warm and make you walk straight and upright. My husband has a pair to wear on the farm but they are unfortunately too clunky. Perhaps you have to be a Dutchman to wear them ;)

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  25. A very interesting post. If someone is walking heavily and making a lot of noise we say they are clamping. I have just learnt where the word comes from.

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  26. Oh wow..... cool information
    Loved the craftsmanship of the cream pair of clogs
    I am sure the decor idea of the newly wed looked pretty

    ....... but wouldn't wearing a closed wooden clog be uncomfortable! In India too we have these ancient wooden footwear called Khadau(n) / पादुका या खड़ाऊ though they are of an open style. Some still wear them.

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  27. I often wondered if they are still used today, so thanks for answering my question! I enjoyed reading your post and learning so much about these lovely pieces of history and art, even if the video wasn't available in New Zealand.

    Great post on 'My Corner of the World' this week! Thanks for linking up!


    My Corner of the World

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  28. ...WOW, those some might big shoes to fill. To think is our modern throw a way world that wooden shoes are still be made. Thanks for sharing.

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  29. What a wonderful history lesson. I've always wanted to try on a pair.

    Thank you for joining the Wordless Wednesday Blog Hop.

    Have a fabulous Wordless Wednesday. ♥

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  30. Great photos. Very interesting facts about clogs.

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  31. Absolutely stunning! So very interesting for sure. Wooden Shoes are very interesting, and most of all how anyone could wear the little buggers all day! They're really quite interesting as far as how beautiful they are, but how someone could wear the buggers for so long. Thanks for sharing my friend! Totally cool!!!

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  32. So cool! I had wooden shoes when I was kid. :)

    Thanks for sharing with us on Communal global linky <3

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  33. I've only ever seen non-wooden clogs and find them to be uncomfortable to wear. I wonder how the wooden ones measure up! #GlobalBlogging

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  34. Thanks for linking up at the #GatheringofFriendsLinkParty 5

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  35. Wow! That is really cool! Such details in some of them!
    www.chezmireillefashiontravelmom.com

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  36. Clogs are cute when your feet are young...but nevermore when you get older - lol #TrafficJamWeekend

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  37. Thank you for bringing us such a fascinating journey of the log to the clog! Amazing watching the process that turns these huge logs into such intricately carved and pretty looking shoes! I'd love to try out a clog someday. Even better if I could bring one along to decorate our walls!! Thank you for joining us today.

    Best wishes,
    Esha
    https://theskygirl.com/2019/08/27/on-the-road-of-life-wordlesswednesday/

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  38. I am so cross with myself for not buying any clogs when I went to the Netherlands! Love the facts you have included here. Thanks for linking up with #globalblogging

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  39. So many interesting facts that I never knew - I really feel like I learned something good today! #bloggerclubuk

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  40. Kan je dit lezen (mijn Nederlands)? Ander zal ik het later vertalen.

    Leuk feit: Mijn dochter liep niet goed. Ze liep met haar voeten naar binnen gericht. De huisarts zei toen: koop klompen, en doe de rechter klomp aan de linkervoet en de linker klomp aan de rechtervoet. Dat was zijn advies (25 jaar geleden). het heeft een beetje geholpen.


    Nice fact: My daughter did not walk straight. She walked in with her feet inward (?). The doctor said: buy klompen, and put the right clog on the left foot and the left clog on the right foot. That was his advice (25 years ago). It helped a little.

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  41. Ive always thought it would awesome to visit Holland, especially during the tulip blooming season. But to see the crafted blogs would be very interesting!
    Thank you for sharing on #OMHGFF

    Hope to you again soon!

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