News Page

Show and Tell was provided by Erwin de Raad who produced a pair of doll-sized clogs, and the following interesting information, which he has summarised for us:

Clogs—wooden shoes, were once found throughout all of Europe. From around the year 1200 onwards, people started to protect their feet, where it was common to walk on bare feet before that age. So clogs are not unique to the Netherlands. But they were very suitable for the Dutch landscape, full of swamps. Where rich city dwellers chose nice leather shoes, farmers in the Dutch countryside stuck to clogs. They are robust, safe, waterproof and, as an extra bonus, were cheaper, too. The European Union have even declared them official safety shoes! They are still the favourite footwear for farmers and gardeners, although in this day and age there is a lively trade in richly decorated clogs in various bright colours for tourists.

The designs on these painted clogs reflect the area where they are from. Inside a wooden clog people wear a thin, black leather inner which also acts as a slipper for use in doors. Clogs are made from blocks of willow or poplar wood; believe it or not, clogs are warm in winter and cool in summer. (As a young man, Erwin wore them when he dug potatoes for a farmer on an island in the north of the Netherlands. He had not worn the clogs he passed around.) Another interesting fact is that the clog dance was the forerunner of the tap dance.

Published in The Papakura Sentinel – October-November edition