This video clip shows the annual country fair (German style) in a small village in Lower Franconia. Traditionally, the two neighboring protestant villages of Sennfeld and Gochsheim have a proud display of local costumes.
This one is from Gochsheim, a village just about 12 km from my catholic hometown village of Hambach. After all these years of living somewhere else, I get to see the much talked about celebration on YouTube.
I enjoyed listening to the brass brand, but what got most of my interest are the unusual hats the guys are wearing. Those guys come into the clip at about 1:30.
The participants are wearing the Volkstracht (national costume; national representing Franconia in this case) and the significance of the hats is: rigid top hat with many colored bands, a.k.a. love bands or rosemary sticks, representing fertility and loyalty.
A bit more about their costumes in German at the Gochsheimer Plantracht.
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