BR, 2014, 2 x 45 minutes
Dirndl and lederhose are essential to the image of Bavaria, of Germany even. Photos of pseudo-traditionally styled Oktoberfest visitors go around the world; Bavarian costume preservation societies, processions, and the way it’s taken for granted that almost every seasoned Bavarian has a pair of lederhosen in his wardrobe make it appear as if century-old traditions are being preserved and filled with life in Bavaria today. Actually these traditions are relatively young. These “traditional costumes”, in our modern sense, are scarcely 150 years old. It wasn’t until the end of the nineteenth century that newly established Bavarian costume societies defined the strict rules and dress regulations that seem so typical and traditional to us today.