Costumes of Schleife
Our costume has a great diversity of variances. It expresses, evident for anyone, age, status and intention of the person wearing it. Nowadays it is constantly worn only by that women, who were sorbian confirmed before 1936 and also didn’t put it away during the time of socialism and the work in the LPGs. They stood firmly to their traditions, although they sometimes had to endure mockery and ridicule. We the “younger” ones can only grant our respect and thanks to these women. We don’t have to read in books about the purpose of these dresses. We can just ask. After the Change many young women started to wear the costumes on special events. Especially proud are young mothers, when they can show their children in the “red” costume in the public. Who wants to satisfy his/her lust for red can do it easily in Halbendorf, a part of the village Groß-Düben, at the yearly village-festivals. The “Half-German costume” was the original costume of the Sorbians of Schleife. This can be proofed by drawings of pastor Julius Wjelan, who died in 1892. His successor Matej Handrik fiercely fought against the pressure of germanization. He also didn’t like to see when Sorbians married Germans. For him the wearing of the costume was a confession to the nationality. Through that the “sorbian costume” went forth from the confirmation-dress before the I. World War. Via the dressing women “gladzerki” in every village, this change was possible within a very short time. The original costume became the “Half-German”. It was worn by women in intermarriages. After the I. WW the hood got lost completely and has been substituted by garlands of pearls. Unfortunately the costume had been put away in 1937 because of forbidding everything “sorbian”. Only several older women wore it after the war again. Lately in 1993 by initiative of Edith Penk from Rohne it is visible in greater numbers in the public again. On the Resurrection-celebration in 2001 it has been worn by two women in the public, not only for an event or a costume-show …
created: 28.04.2001
last update: 30.04.2001