Figure 1.-- .

I had a couple experiences with lederhosen as a boy. I wore a funky pair of Lederhosen to school for a "for Nationality or Children of the World show our primary put on. I borrowed them from a German boy in our class. I also wore those lederhosen to a theme night birthday party.

Nationality Day

I wore a funky pair of Lederhosen to school for a "for Nationality or Children of the World show our primary put on. As you may know, Australia is a nation of immigrants and many schools make a big event out of this are similar events. I borrowed the lederhosen from a German boy in our class. He wore lederhosen also--as a German boy. I was supposed to wear a kilt as a Scottish boy, but I put up such a sulky fussy dilemna for my teacher that she chose me to play an Austrian and a couldn't wriggle out of the second choice could I? Dieter said that I really looked Austrian. I thought the lederhosen were OK--cerainly a decided improvement over a kilt. I likeed the day, especially as we got to taste or sample the national foods of the world that the mums brought to school. The Ledewrhosen fitted me alright but I did not like the white knee socks my mum insisted I wear with them. My mum said I was her "cute little kraut".

Later I was supposed to have worn them on a trip to Hahndorf, which is a small Germanic village town nestled in the Adelaide Hills here in South Australia. I caught a cold, however, and stayed at home in bed and a another boy wore them instead.

Birthday Party

I also wore those lederhosen to a theme night birthday party. Actually I wasn't not invited at first. I was not a friend or relative and my younger brother was a little villian at that time and they thought I must have been as well, but I wasn't. She chose me because Dieter knew me and she knew I wore the ledehosen at the school nationality day event. Dieter told her that I liked Austria after being an Austrian boy for the whole day at our little school show. So she asked my mum if I could come. She liked for her son to wear lederhosen. She wanted me to wear ledehosen because her boy Dieter complained that he would be the only one in lederhosen at the party. I arrived in jeans, but she had me change into a lederhosen outfit including those horrid cross straps, the little green cap, the dark grey knee socks, plus a pair of borrowed Oxfords shoes, a woolen off-white shirt and a green home made knitted vest. The girls giggled at me but eventually I got over being sullen and thought the lederhosen were nifty and I got spoilt too along with Dieter. In facr we became good friends. Actually he didn't dislike the lederhosen, but didn't like to stand out and wear different clothes than the other boys. He was happy I abliged his mum and his dad thanked me for being a good sport and for keeping a stiff upper lip.

Dieter

I got invited to most of this great kid's partie over those childhood years. Dieter or I guess his mum actually gave the lederhosen to me. His mum has a picture of us two boys in our lederhosens and the German national dress. Dieter and I became good friends. The German community became friendly towards me after Dieter's theme party and I often got a nice free piece of Blackforest cake at the local mall where there was a German baker.

Created: October 4, 2002
Last updated: October 4, 2002