Clogs
From Free net encyclopedia
Image:Panthouse-klompen.jpg Image:Wooden Shoes-willow-plain wood.jpg
A clog is a type of shoe or sandal made predominantly out of wood. Clogs were, and in some regions still are, widely worn by workers as protective clothing in factories, mines and farms. Another name for a wooden shoe is sabot.
Traditional clogs were made out of willow or poplar wood and are associated with the Netherlands as part of the touristic "Holland" image, where they are seen as a form of national dress. Because of this, Dutch people are sometimes called cloggies, that is, clog-wearers. In Dutch, clogs are known as klompen. In the Netherlands, the traditional all-wooden clogs are still widely in use as working shoes in farming and gardening. They have been officially labelled as safety shoes, passing European standards for the CE mark with flying colours. Today, Dutch clogs are available in many tourist shops. Wearing clogs is considered to be healthy for the feet.
The term clogs is also used to refer to a special kind of shoe worn while clog-dancing (clogging). They are similar to tap shoes, but the taps are free to click against each other, therefore producing a different sound than tap shoes.
In England, clogs were traditionally made of alder and were commonly worn by all classes throughout the 18th and 19th centuries. The Lancashire cotton mill workers habitually wore clogs because of the wet floors maintained in the cotton mills. There is a theory that clogging or clog dancing arose in these mills as a result of the mill workers entertaining themselves by syncopating foot taps with the rythmic sounds made by the loom shuttles. Clog dancing became a widespread pastime during this period in England. During the nineteenth century, competitions were held and there were professional clog dancers who performed in the music halls. One such professional dancer was John Carr of Newcastle under Lyme, who appears in the English census of 1871 and proudly proclaims his employment as "Professional Clog Dancer".
Nowadays, the term clogs is used to refer to comfortable slip-on shoes. They are often made out of leather, but some clogs keep the bottom part out of wood. All-rubber clogs are often worn while gardening, because they can be easily hosed off and allowed to air-dry.
External links
References
- Shoes and Pattens : Finds from Medieval Excavations in London ISBN 0851158382
- Stepping through Time, Archeological Footwear from Prehistoric Times until 1800, ISBN 9080104469
- http://woodenshoes.com/
- http://www.forlittlethings.com/
Image:Walraversijde49.jpg Image:Gymnastics sandal-Berkemann-wood-pink.jpg Image:Platform Sandal wood Buffalo brown.jpg Image:Clog-Berkemann-white.jpg Image:Wooden boots-Sanita-lightblue.jpgde:Holzschuh fr:Sabot he:נעל עץ io:Galosho nl:Klomp pt:Tamanco sl:Cokle sv:Träskor
