The summer season is the "Kirchtag" season !

As we are now getting closer to June/July , I think it is time for me to introduce you guys to a really important part of my life. Every year in July a group that I am a part of (the "Konta") organizes a 4-day event called….you might have guessed it..a “Kirchtag”. When you hear the word “Kirchtag” though, people might think about loads of beer and having a booze-up. This of course depends on whether you have to organize this event or if you’re the one attending it. If the first is the case, you have a great deal of work on your plate. You have to book the band, buy truckloads of beverages, pitch up the marquee, actually making sure everything will work out perfectly. We already start planning everything in May, otherwise we wouldn’t be able to get it all done in time. But what makes this annual fair so special are the traditions like “Kufenstechen” or the “Lindentanz” that are being kept alive thanks to our Kirchtag.

         The most important part of this Kirchtag  though, is the traditional clothing we wear on Sunday (3^rd day of the event). Both girls and guys wear traditional clothing for that day, but the women’s dress is definitely the more spectacular one. The “Gailtaler Tracht” is a heavy and very complex dress that consists of about 8 different parts. Each of them need to be put on with a lot of carefulness because some of the dresses are already very old and were handed down from generation to generation. Also, it is very difficult to dress yourself without any help and I am lucky to have my aunt that gives me a hand every year.
In order for you to get an idea of how really complex this dress is I’ll talk you through the dressing process I have to endure every year. Get ready my friends:
         Okay: The very first thing you need to do is putting on a pair garter belts to fasten the white stockings. Then you put on a pair of cotton underpants that should reach your knee and next a short straight skirt. As a little eye catcher you hide a red garter just underneath the lace of each trouser leg of the cotton underpants. A pair of black leather shoes is next, which is basically the only comfortable part of the dress. I think none of us girls would be able to get through the day if they had to wear any other pair of shoes.
       

When this is all done a wide skirt made of 12 meters of cloth is attached. In order to make this skirt look as fluffy and wide as it does it needs to be starched beforehand. And that very process is a real piece of work indeed, which is why I didn’t do it myself yet (lazy, I know!). But this year it seems like  my mum and I are going to face the competition. The next piece in the dressing process is a blouse with hugely starched sleeves and a long collar. It is put on and tied up right before the “Leibkittel” (what we actually call a “Ras”) . After tying all these laces together as well two different kinds of aprons are tied around the front of the huge skirt. One of them is black and hid underneath the second one, which is usually colorful and nice. The purpose of the aprons is to cover the part of the skirt which is not covered by the Ras.
        Okay so we’re about to cross the finish line: The second-last step consist of attaching two scarves. One of them is attached to the chest with a brooch because the blouse doesn’t completely cover your chest. The second scarf though is worn on the head. The colors of both scarves are unimportant and can be chosen individually. Usually though, everybody tries to have two ones with nicely matching colors. Now, after about an hour of getting dressed, you’re finally ready to go but hang on!  The most precious part of the dress is missing! A handmade leather belt that withholds colorful ribbons which represent the number of years it has already been worn. Now the “outfit” is complete.

        Like I already mentioned at the beginning of the text, the fair takes place in July. Therefore it is usually also very hot outside and you need to be very careful to not get dizzy. Underneath all those layers of cloth, it is not surprising that some of the girls need to sit down from time to time. Drinking some water might solve that problem though, but then again going to the restroom with this dress on is a NIGHTMARE: The skirt makes it very difficult because you can’t reach underneath it. In the first year I wasn’t able to go to the restroom without someone helping me but by now I have already figured out a strategy. Still, it is a completion every time.
        Well now all of you might be wondering why I am bothering to go through all of this every single year. To be really honest, I love it. This tradition was kept alive in my family and I really enjoy wearing the garb because it is incredibly beautiful to my eyes. And if wearing it means having to deal with a few drawbacks, I don’t really mind. And all the people that organize the fair and partake in it are just amazing and I would never want to miss out on those 4 days of fun even if my life depended on it.