Batsch Information Page
Item 1.
Information pertaining to the "Batsch-Palanka" train picture on the History page: Train
Submitted by Renate Koelbli
HEAD FASHIONS:
The two women next to each other on the
extreme left - right in the front - with the plain dark kerchiefs are
Donauschwaben. They have a piece of cardboard in the fold of their
kerchiefs to give a rounded look and to make it stand away from the head.
The German women tend to have the most understated look.
The younger married Croatian women - such as the one right behind the two German
women in the front - wore a "gondja", consisting of a wooden form
covered in material, under a brighly colored kerchief tied either in front or in
the back. The old Croatian women wore thicker kerchiefs, often with tassles,
over the "gondja" - done up the front like a scarf.
The Hungarian women tied their kerchiefs to give a square effect. In the
crowd you'll see a few light-colored kerchiefs tied this way.
The men tend to be harder to distinguish, but one can pick out the young "Schokatzen"
- Croats - by their puffy white shirts and dark vests. You'll find them
mostly on the side of the train.
Item 2.