Traditional Tracht

One of my favorite parts of visiting Austria and Bavaria was to see all the traditional clothing that is still worn by the locals.  In Salzburg especially, people wear traditional tracht all the time and there were hundreds of shops selling it.  So when we were in Salzburg the second time, I decided to buy Sam a pair of lederhosen.  I tried to find Ainsley a dirndl but I couldn't find any I loved at a good price.  When we got home ot the states, I felt bad that Ainsley didn't have an outfit to match Sam so I decided to make her a dirndl myself.  A traditional dirndl consists of a blouse, bodice, skirt, and apron.  The placement of the knot on the apron is indicates a woman's marital status.  On the right side means married, left is unmarried, and in the back represents a widow.  Lederhosen worn by the men are leather shorts either knee length or three quarter length.  Some are intricately embroidered.  Traditionally they were actually work clothes as leather was more durable.  But today they are mostly worn for special occasions. 

When we went to take pictures of the kids, Sam was an absolute terror.  He would not cooperate for the camera.  He was afraid of the camera and screamed the whole time.  I would have to hold him and then jump out of the picture as soon as it was time to snap the picture.  As a result, we only got 4 shots of him in his lederhosen.  But even though he isn't smiling in a single one, they turned out pretty cute.