During the year I lived in the castle, I danced with a local fold-dancing group, the Hinterskirchener Trachtenverein. I’d been in a group at UF and had sewed my own dancing dirndl. It didn’t look anything local the local folk costume: mine was in the style of Upper Bavaria (the Alps) and theirs was in Lower Bavarian style (the foothills). Nobody cared; they took me in as one of their own. At Christmas, the Countess surprised me with two authentic, antique pieces of the local folk costume; a beautiful fringed, flowered scarf and a gold-thread headpiece in the form of a large stiff bow, that went over my hair in its bun.
I decided that those beautiful items need to go back to the land of their origin, and I wrote to Count Carl telling him they were coming. He wrote me back (in German, of course) telling me that they were very excited about it. The whole family is involved with the dancing group, and they’ve always supported them financially as well. When the package arrives, he’ll meet with the leaders of the group to present them. They’ll let members of their group wear them at dances, and promised to send me photos. I’m really delighted about it, and can’t wait to see them. Here’s a photo of me wearing the scarf in Bavaria.
Ann Dickinson Sargent 