If this is Thursday it must be postcards, 682

 

 

 

 

 

Solvang, California, “Danish Days Fete,” ca 1962-1966

[photo by Ray Foster]

 

A colorful photograph by Ray Foster shows folk dancers during the Danish Days Fete in Solvang, California on this unused postcard.  The card was sold with a stamp affixed.  Since the gray 5-cent George Washington stamp was issued and used between 1962 and 1966 the card can be dated to those years.

 

 

 

 

1962-1966 George Washington Stamp

 

The card was distributed by Bob Ball, of Visalia, California and has color by Mike Roberts of Berkeley, California.  The identification code, C7481 appears at the lower left corner on the reverse.  A blurb is found at the upper left corner on the reverse:  “Solvang, California  One of the many folk dances in which one may participate during the Danish Days Fete, usually held the first weekend in August.” 

 

Solvang is a small community in Santa Barbara County California.  Its name is Danish for “sunny field.”  Originally settled in 1804 when a Spanish mission, Santa Inés, was founded here during the Mexican period.  The community was mostly abandoned by 1910-1911 when a group of Danish Americans purchased 9,000 acres of the surrounding area that would be far away from the harsh winters of the Midwest.  By 1912 when it was becoming difficult to sell more lots in the town the developers traveled to Iowa and Nebraska to encourage new Danish immigrants to buy land in Solvang.  The early settlement had a bank, a store, a lumber yard, a barbershop, and a post office.  Restaurants have also become part of the modern revitalization.  The buildings have Danish-themed architecture.  In the beginning it was mainly an agricultural area; however, today It is now mostly a tourist destination featuring Danish heritage.  

 

The postcard shows folk dancers in brightly colored and varied Danish national folk costumes called “folkedragter.”  Like Norway and Sweden, it is possible to tell where the person comes from by the design of the folk costume.  The card shows representatives from several different parts of Denmark. 

 

For additional information, see:

 

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Solvang,_California

https://denmark.net/folkedragter-many-styles-denmarks-national-costume/

 

If this Thursday it must be postcards, 600

 

 

 

 

 

 

Cretan attire, Crete, Greece

 

This color postcard features a young woman spinning yarn and wearing a folk costume from the Greek island of Crete.  The card is unused and not dated but is probably from the 1960s.  No publisher or distributor is named, nor is the photograph credited.  The caption at the lower left on the reverse:  Cretan Attire, in four languages. 

 

Like many other folk costumes this one includes a kerchief, an apron with embroidery, a blouse. This one also has a long-sleeved velvet jacket, is embroidered around the neck, and has jewelry in the form of earrings and gold disk necklaces.  Although her feet are not fully visible in the picture on the card, the costume would also include flat boots or heeled shoes in black.  In some areas the costume might also include long trousers with a long over-shirt or tunic in place of the skirt and blouse.  The jewelry that can be worn on the head, chest, wrists, fingers, neck and waist is not just decoration but signifies the financial and social status of the woman.  The complete costume would have a small knife attached to the belt.  Each region would have slightly differing designs and colors. 

 

The young woman is demonstrating how to make yarn from wool fiber using a drop spindle.  Spinning wheels and drop spindles use the same principle of twisting fibers together for form strands of yarn or thread.  The drop spindle is a hand-held tool while the spinning wheel is a foot powered machine. 

 

Crete is the largest and most populous of the Greek islands and the 5^th largest island in the Mediterranean Sea.  Besides the large island there are a number of islands and islets in the surrounding area that comprise the Region of Crete.  It is a mostly mountainous island.  The Minoans lived here from 2700 to 1420 BC.  Later Crete was ruled by Rome then in succession by the Byzantine Empire, Andalusian Arabs, the Venetian Republic and the Ottoman Empire.  In 1898 Crete achieved independence from the Ottomans.  The people of Crete had for a long time desired join the Greek state which formally happened in December 1913. 

 

 

For additional information, see:

 

https://www.crete.org.uk/traditional-crete-dress.html

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Crete

https://www.alpacadirect.com/blogs/alpaca-direct-blog/top-6-reasons-you-should-start-spinning-on-a-drop-spindle