The dancers wear the original Val Gardena costume, which is known as one of the finest, most jeweled and precious in the Alps.
The richness and uniqueness of the costumes is mainly due to the fact that already in earlier times the valley traders travelled a lot around the world and thus had the opportunity to purchase new silk, ribbons, lace and jewelry.
Details of the Val Gardena costume:
The married women wear a black hat with a tassel, in Ladin “cneidl” and not yet married women wear a green hat with ribbons. All women wear chains with different coral beads and white blouses with handmade embroidery. Every woman wears a differently colored silk skirt. This particular piece of our costume is the iron belt, called in Ladin “la centa”, on whose right side hangs the cutlery. Previously, all the guests brought their own cutlery from home because the farming families could not afford to provide theirs. On the left side of the belt women wear a small iron lamb, the symbol of the beauty of the woman, which means the membership to the Diocese of Brixen. On the rear side of the belt hang some small iron bowls. Each bowl represents a child of the woman.
The entire dress is decorated with many different colored silk ribbons.
The men wear typical leather pants and a white blouse. The pride of men is and remains the leather belt with the elaborate quill embroidery.