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Lederhosen ("leather trousers" in German
German language

German is a West Germanic languages, thus related to and classified alongside English language and Dutch language. It is one of the world's world language and the most widely spoken mother tongue in the European Union....
; singular: "Lederhose") are knee-breeches (knickerbockers
Knickerbockers (clothing)

Knickerbockers were a men's or boys' baggy knee trousers particularly popular in the early twentieth century. Golfers' plus twos and Plus-fours were trousers of this type....
 or shorts
Shorts

Shorts are a garment worn by both men and women over their pelvic area, circling the waist, and covering the upper part of the upper legs or more, sometimes extending as far as mid-calf, but not covering the entire length of the leg, either as outer or undergarment....
) made of leather
Leather

Leather is a material created through the tanning of rawhides and skins of animals, primarily cattlehide. The tanning process converts the putrescible skin into a durable, long-lasting and versatile natural material for various uses....
.

The word Lederhosen is frequently misspelled Leiderhosen (literally, "sadly-breeches"), or Liederhosen ("songs-breeches"). The proper German pronunciation is . In English
English language

English is a West Germanic language that originated in Anglo-Saxon England and has lingua franca status in many parts of the world as a result of the military, economic, scientific, political and cultural influence of the British Empire in the 18th, 19th and early 20th centuries and that of the United States from the mid 20th century onwa...
, the proper pronunciation is , but it is often pronounced .

itionally, lederhosen were worn by Germanic
Germanic peoples

File:Germanische-ratsversammlung 1-1250x715.jpgThe Germanic peoples are a historical Ethnolinguistics group, originating in Northern Europe and identified by their use of the Indo-European languages Germanic languages which diversified out of Common Germanic in the course of the Pre-Roman Iron Age....
 men of the Alp
Alps

The Alps is the name for one of the great mountain range systems of Europe, stretching from Austria and Slovenia in the east; through Italy, Switzerland, Liechtenstein and Germany; to France in the west....
ine and surrounding regions, including Austria
Austria

Austria , officially the Republic of Austria , is a landlocked country in Central Europe. It borders both Germany and the Czech Republic to the north, Slovakia and Hungary to the east, Slovenia and Italy to the south, and Switzerland and Liechtenstein to the west....
, the highlands and mountains of Southern Germany
Germany

Germany , officially the Federal Republic of Germany , is a country in Central Europe. It is bordered to the north by the North Sea, Denmark, and the Baltic Sea; to the east by Poland and the Czech Republic; to the south by Austria and Switzerland; and to the west by France, Luxembourg, Belgium, and the Netherlands....
, the German-speaking part of Italy
Italy

Italy , officially the Italian Republic , is a country located on the Italian Peninsula in Southern Europe and on the two largest islands in the Mediterranean Sea, Sicily and Sardinia....
's province of Bolzano-Bozen (formerly part of Austria until after World War I
World War I

World War I, or the First World War , was a global military conflict which involved the Great powers, organized into two opposing military alliances: the Allies of World War I and the Central Powers....
 and Switzerland
Switzerland

Switzerland is a landlocked Swiss Alps country of roughly 7.7 million people in Western Europe with an area of 41,285 km?. Switzerland is a federal republic consisting of 26 states called Cantons of Switzerland....
.






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Lederhosen ("leather trousers" in German
German language

German is a West Germanic languages, thus related to and classified alongside English language and Dutch language. It is one of the world's world language and the most widely spoken mother tongue in the European Union....
; singular: "Lederhose") are knee-breeches (knickerbockers
Knickerbockers (clothing)

Knickerbockers were a men's or boys' baggy knee trousers particularly popular in the early twentieth century. Golfers' plus twos and Plus-fours were trousers of this type....
 or shorts
Shorts

Shorts are a garment worn by both men and women over their pelvic area, circling the waist, and covering the upper part of the upper legs or more, sometimes extending as far as mid-calf, but not covering the entire length of the leg, either as outer or undergarment....
) made of leather
Leather

Leather is a material created through the tanning of rawhides and skins of animals, primarily cattlehide. The tanning process converts the putrescible skin into a durable, long-lasting and versatile natural material for various uses....
.

The word Lederhosen is frequently misspelled Leiderhosen (literally, "sadly-breeches"), or Liederhosen ("songs-breeches"). The proper German pronunciation is . In English
English language

English is a West Germanic language that originated in Anglo-Saxon England and has lingua franca status in many parts of the world as a result of the military, economic, scientific, political and cultural influence of the British Empire in the 18th, 19th and early 20th centuries and that of the United States from the mid 20th century onwa...
, the proper pronunciation is , but it is often pronounced .

Traditional Bavarian men's clothing

Traditionally, lederhosen were worn by Germanic
Germanic peoples

File:Germanische-ratsversammlung 1-1250x715.jpgThe Germanic peoples are a historical Ethnolinguistics group, originating in Northern Europe and identified by their use of the Indo-European languages Germanic languages which diversified out of Common Germanic in the course of the Pre-Roman Iron Age....
 men of the Alp
Alps

The Alps is the name for one of the great mountain range systems of Europe, stretching from Austria and Slovenia in the east; through Italy, Switzerland, Liechtenstein and Germany; to France in the west....
ine and surrounding regions, including Austria
Austria

Austria , officially the Republic of Austria , is a landlocked country in Central Europe. It borders both Germany and the Czech Republic to the north, Slovakia and Hungary to the east, Slovenia and Italy to the south, and Switzerland and Liechtenstein to the west....
, the highlands and mountains of Southern Germany
Germany

Germany , officially the Federal Republic of Germany , is a country in Central Europe. It is bordered to the north by the North Sea, Denmark, and the Baltic Sea; to the east by Poland and the Czech Republic; to the south by Austria and Switzerland; and to the west by France, Luxembourg, Belgium, and the Netherlands....
, the German-speaking part of Italy
Italy

Italy , officially the Italian Republic , is a country located on the Italian Peninsula in Southern Europe and on the two largest islands in the Mediterranean Sea, Sicily and Sardinia....
's province of Bolzano-Bozen (formerly part of Austria until after World War I
World War I

World War I, or the First World War , was a global military conflict which involved the Great powers, organized into two opposing military alliances: the Allies of World War I and the Central Powers....
 and Switzerland
Switzerland

Switzerland is a landlocked Swiss Alps country of roughly 7.7 million people in Western Europe with an area of 41,285 km?. Switzerland is a federal republic consisting of 26 states called Cantons of Switzerland....
. The areas in Western Austria and Northern Italy as known as Tyrol
Tyrol

Tyrol is a region in Western Central Europe, which included the present day States of Austria of Tyrol , the Regions of Italy Trentino-Alto Adige/S?dtirol and three Comunes of the Veneto Regions of Italy ....
 and lederhosen are a characteristic of this region. , however, claims that lederhosen were not originally only a Bavarian garment, but that they had been worn all over Europe
Europe

Europe is, conventionally, one of the world's seven continents. Comprising the westernmost peninsula of Eurasia, Europe is generally divided from Asia to its east by the water divide of the Ural Mountains, the Ural , the Caspian Sea, and by the Caucasus Mountains to the southeast....
, especially by riders, hunters and others—and not only by the peasant folk. Only people in the south of Bavaria (south of Munich) had "Lederhosen." 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
France

France , officially the French Republic , is a country whose Metropolitan France is located in Western Europe and that also comprises various Overseas departments and territories of France....
 as "à la bavaroise," or "in the Bavarian style."

Lederhosen have remained regionally popular and are commonly associated with virility and brawn. Some men enjoy wearing them when hiking
Hiking

Hiking is an outdoor activity which consists of walking in natural environments, often on trail. It is such a popular activity that there are numerous :Category:Hiking organizations worldwide....
, working outdoors, on a stag night, or attending folk
Folk music

Folk music can have a number of different meanings, including:* Traditional music: The original meaning of the term "folk music" was synonymous with the term "Traditional music", also often including World Music and Roots music; the term "Traditional music" was given its more specific meaning to distinguish it from the other definition...
 festival
Festival

A festival is an event, usually and ordinarily staged by a local community, which centers on some unique aspect of that community.Among many religions, a feast or festival is a set of celebrations in honour of God or Polytheism....
s and beer gardens; they are rarely seen elsewhere, and have accquired camp
Camp (style)

'Camp' is an aesthetic sensibility wherein something is appealling because of its taste and irony value. When the usage appeared, in 1909, it denoted: ostentatious, exaggerated, affected, theatrical, effeminate, and homosexual behaviour, and, by the middle of the 1970s, the definition comprised: banality, artifice...
 connotations in the rest of Central Europe. Nevertheless, they have remained a symbol
Symbol

A symbol is something such as an entity, picture, written word, sound, or particular mark that represents something else by association, resemblance, or convention....
 of regional pride. Their role in Bavaria is thus comparable to that of the kilt
Kilt

The kilt is a knee-length garment with pleats at the rear, originating in the traditional dress of men and boys in the Scottish Highlands of the 16th century....
 in Scotland
Scotland

conventional_long_name = ScotlandAlba|common_name= Scotland|image_flag = Flag of Scotland.svg|flag_width = 130px...
.

Traditional German boys' clothing

German boys used to wear lederhosen to the age of about 16. These lederhosen were less decorative than the Austrian tracht
Tracht

File:Austria folklore group dsc01330.jpgTracht is a traditional National costume in Germany. Although the word is most often associated with Austria and Bavaria costumes, many other peoples of Germany have them....
 (mainly with regards to embroidery), but retained typical attributes like the suspenders/braces and drop front style flap. Even today, some German and French boy scouts wear various forms of lederhosen, although in most cases they do not form part of their official uniform. Lederhosen were also worn by Austrian boys from the 1930s to the 1960s. Today they are worn in special cases, like a Biergarten or on a Zeltfest. Austrian girls wear the Dirndl
Dirndl

A dirndl is a type of traditional dress worn in southern Germany and Austria, based on the historical costume of Alps peasants. Dresses that are loosely based on the dirndl are known as Landhausmode....
 as a part of the tracht.

Similarities in other regions

The Turkish
Turkey

Turkey , known officially as the Republic of Turkey , is a Eurasian country that stretches across the Anatolian peninsula in southwest Asia and Thrace in the Balkans region of Southern Europe....
 oil wrestler
Yagli güres

Yagli g?res is the Turkey national sport. It is commonly known as oil wrestling because the wrestlers douse themselves with olive oil. It is related to Uzbekistan Kurash, Tuvan Khuresh and to Tatar K?r?s....
s wear a kind of lederhosen called a kisbet, which are also embroidered and similar to the Alpine
Alps

The Alps is the name for one of the great mountain range systems of Europe, stretching from Austria and Slovenia in the east; through Italy, Switzerland, Liechtenstein and Germany; to France in the west....
 lederhosen, but without suspenders.

See also

  • Clothing
    Clothing

    A feature of all human societies, except perhaps the most primitive, is the wearing of clothing or clothes, especially in public. The primary purpose of clothing is functional, as a protection from the weather....
  • National costume
    National costume

    National costume, , expresses an national identity through costume which usually relates to a geographic area or a period of time in history, but can also indicate social, marital and/or religious status....
  • Austrian folk dancing
  • Leather shorts
    Leather shorts

    Leather shorts are a type of shorts made of leather. They can be worn by men and women but are normally associated with people in the Fetish fashion, LGBT or Leather subculture BDSM community....
  • Not to be confused with: Leeuwenhosen
    Leeuwenhosen

    Leeuwenhosen are orange-colored, lion-tailed overalls distributed by the Bavaria Brewery , a popular Netherlands beer brewery, during the 2006 FIFA World Cup....


External links

  • (English) | (German)