Frisian people. Dutch (Dutch and Flemish) names. Full text of the publication
FRIES, Friesen, Friesen (self-designation), people in the Netherlands (West Frisians - mainly in the province of Friesland, including part of the West Frisian Islands, as well as Groningen) and in Germany (East Frisians - in the Saterland region near the Dutch border and North Frisians - in the coastal zone of Southern Schleswig, the southern part of the North Frisian Islands and on the island of Helgoland). The number in the Netherlands is 400 thousand people, in Germany 20 thousand people. They speak the Frisian language of the western subgroup of the Germanic group of the Indo-European family, related to Dutch. In the Netherlands, there is a West Frisian language, which is divided into 4 local dialects; in addition, the so-called urban Frisian (mixed Frisian-Dutch) stands out. There is a literary language (standard frisk). The Dutch language is also widespread. The Frisians of Germany have the North Frisian and East Frisian languages (according to other classifications - dialects), which are divided into numerous subdialects; are supplanted by literary German and the Low German dialect. The Frisian believers are mainly Calvinists, supporters of the Dutch Reformed Church, Lutherans, there are Catholics.
In the first centuries of our era, the Germanic tribes of the Frisians lived along the entire southern and southeastern coast of the North Sea, also occupying vast areas up to the province of Zeeland in the southwest. The ethnonym Frisians (in Roman sources - Frisii, Frisiavones, Frisiones) is presumably derived from the ancient Germanic "brave", "courageous", or to Frese, Fries - "edge", "shore" (i.e. literally "coastal inhabitants"). The ethnic territory of the Frisians broke up into separate parts in the Middle Ages. In the XI-XIII centuries. the western areas (the so-called West Friesland) were included in the county of the Netherlands. Middle Friesland (or Friesland proper) actually retained its independence until the beginning of the 16th century, when it was incorporated into the Netherlands. The independent county of East Frisia was captured by Prussia in the 18th century.
The main occupations are dairy farming, horse breeding, on the coast - fishing and sheep breeding. Maritime and shipbuilding are highly developed. Traditional crafts (weaving, making women's jewelry) have survived to this day. The Frisians are employed in a diversified industry. The traditional dwelling is the so-called Frisian house (gulfhuis): living and utility rooms with a barn in the center under a common high four- or gable-tiled roof, based on internal pillars. Nowadays, utility rooms are often built separately from housing. The so-called Saxon house (hallehuis) spread among the North and East Frisians. A later form of the traditional dwelling is a brick dwelling and outbuildings connected by a narrow corridor. The interior of the dwelling is also distinguished by its originality: the beds are hidden in wall niches behind carved wooden doors. Traditional women's clothing (preserved in the villages as a festive one) - a suit of 3 short skirts (the lower one is light cotton, the middle one is woolen, striped, the upper one is dark woolen, gathered at the waist in assemblies) and a dark sweater with a long peplum, short and narrow sleeves; in the deep neckline of the jacket, a shirt-front with assemblies and embroidery is visible. The headdress of a married woman consists of a black bonnet, over which they put on a helmet made of two semicircular gold plates connected by a hoop. A lace cap was worn on top. Temporal and breast decorations of women made of gold and silver are inherited, like a headdress. Traditional shoes are wooden clogs. Traditional food is vegetable (especially from potatoes), dairy and fish dishes.
Calendar holidays (Christmas, Maslenitsa, Easter, Trinity, days of local holy patrons, etc.) are accompanied by traditional ritual fires, fairs, running competitions, archery, ball games, and in winter - a speed skating marathon. Water sports are common: swimming, rowing, sailing. Family traditions and rituals are preserved - wedding, maternity, funeral.
In the 20s of the 19th century, the Frisian national movement arose for the revival of the native language and culture. In the 1990s the Frisian language in Friesland has received the status of the "official regional language", but the struggle continues to strengthen its position in all spheres of life. The national flag of Friesland was recognized. friezes
"Geography in relation to man is nothing but history in space, just as history is geography in time"
E. Reclus. French geographer.
The whole real history of mankind is hidden in geographical names.
Falsifiers of history, with all their desire, cannot simply take and rename centuries-old geographical names.
Linguists for the most part cannot explain the origin, although some of them lie on the surface.
For example, one non-geographical name is the word "worker". Nobody wondered about its origin?
Linguists could not explain the origin of this word, but it lies on the surface
The word work, worker comes from the word .... SLAVE ..... Slave-work-worker.
Although it cannot be ruled out that the word slave had a completely different meaning in the ancient world and did not mean involuntary labor
And from what did the words come - Mountain, city .... on behalf of the god Horus ...
FRIESES
Who are the Frisians? ... this is how official historiography describes their history
The Frisians are an ancient Germanic tribe, and now a German-speaking small people from the Ingaevon group, currently living in the provinces of the Netherlands Friesland and Groningen and some parts of Germany (Lower Saxony and Schleswig-Holstein) as a national minority.
The historical territory of their habitat is called Frisia. This is an ancient people with a rich history and folk art.
Starting from the 3rd century, and especially intensively - in the middle of the 5th century (440) - in the era of the Great Migration of Peoples
Representatives of the Frisian tribe, together with the neighboring Germanic tribes of the Angles, Saxons, Jutes and Danes, moved to Britain, inhabited at that time mainly by the Celtic tribes Christianized by Rome (Britons, Scots and Picts).
Frisia - the name of a number of territories on the coast of the North Sea, the main population of which is (or historically was) the people of the Frisians
So says the official science...denying the Russian origin of European nations.
And how was it really?
MARCHA
As you know, the names of most German cities are of Russian-speaking origin .... but not only cities have Russian connotations
Germany has a currency and it is called a brand. Where does the name of the currency come from?....
First gold stamp in 1873
According to linguists, the root is from the name - Mark, meaning - "sign, mark." But linguists cannot explain the origin of this word.
And it has a purely Russian origin. This is a toponym from the word - Markha .... Markha - mark - Mark
Russia has geographical names, including two rivers
The Markha River is the left tributary of the Vilyui and the Markha River, the left tributary of the Vilyui .... Are there cities and rivers in Europe with such a toponym? .... yes.
Markha River, Vilyui tributary
March River in Austria, the city of Marchese in the Netherlands.
In Central Asia, there was the country of Marchash.
From the word Mark, the word Mark and the name Mark arose.
The Markakol River in Kazakhstan, the Mark River in Belgium, the Mark River in Lower Shabil and the same river in Somalia
"URA LINDA"
Many German names are actually purely Slavic. For example, Linde comes from the name of the Linde River or Otto (!) ....
Otto comes from the name Otto-Sala Island, located near Verkhoyansk
Linde is a river, the left tributary of the Lena. It was there that the Frisians, the current Germanic peoples, took their roots.
Linde river
The Chronicle of Hurray Linda, translated by Hermann Wirth, tells about a distant ancestral home. Linguists considered this book a falsification.
Nevertheless, one of its chapters is extremely interesting. The chapter "The following is inscribed on the locks" speaks of the ancestral home of the Frisians.
“Our country was the most beautiful in the world. The sun was higher in the sky than now, and frosts were very rare.
Fruits grew on trees and shrubs, and much that is lost today. Among the cereals and fruits, there were not only species known to everyone, but also in the light shimmering like gold.
As a result of the catastrophe, the earth leaned towards the sun, which confirms the theory of the displacement of the earth's axis.
Winter came, with severe frosts and strong winds .... what forced the Frisians to migrate west to Europe.
In general, the book is partially or completely a falsification, but it does not mean that there is no truth in it.
CONCLUSION
The Frisians were a Russian and Russian-speaking tribe that lived in eastern Russia.
At the time of the cold snap, they migrated west, becoming called the Germans
Frisians are a small people living in the north-west of Germany, on the low marshy shores of the North Sea, bordering the Netherlands. East Frisia (WF) is a small coastal region in northwestern Germany (administratively part of Lower Saxony). In addition to East Friesland, there is also West (located in the Netherlands) and North (Schleswig-Holstein) Friesland. However, the cultural and historical differences between the Frisians living in East Frisia and the rest of the Frisians are so great that it is quite legitimate to consider them as a separate ethnic group. The largest modern cities of East Frisia are the ports of Emden and Wilhelmshaven. The special flavor of East Friesland is added by a chain of seven large islands stretching along the entire coast and also inhabited by East Frisians.
The Frisians have their own Frisian language, which partially overlaps with the Low Saxon dialect. In general, if I understood correctly ;-) the linguistic materials that came across to me, then the Frisian language is an extremely entertaining phenomenon, something in between German and Dutch, and even with a large proportion of distorted borrowings from English, plus its own way of pronouncing even ordinary German words. In short, experts are still arguing whether what most Frisians speak is a kind of dialect, or is it still a separate language? But there is also a "pure" Frisian language (Seeltersk), which has ancient roots and has been preserved almost exclusively on the islands. At the end of the 20th century, there were only about 1000 speakers of "pure" Frisian.
Unfortunately, East Frisia is currently one of the most economically depressed regions in Germany. There are no large industrial enterprises in the WF, and the main income for the region comes from tourists and from port cities.
The number of native Frisians is declining mainly due to the fact that young people are actively leaving for the southern regions of Germany (by the way, my friend Wolfgang is a good example here - now he lives in the south, on the border with France, and drinks mostly not tea, but wine; -) or emigrate from the country (for example, a fairly large diaspora of Frisians exists in the USA; while I was looking for information, I came across American sites dedicated to the genealogy of some Frisian clans several times).
Historians count the chronology of the Frisians from the Stone Age. Around the 10th century, the Frisians, like the Dutch, began to build dikes to protect their territories from destructive sea tides. Historians believe that it was these “great construction projects” that to a large extent contributed to the rallying of the Frisian tribes and the formation of a sense of national self-identity in them.
All the Middle Ages of Frisia passed under the sign of the struggle for independence, mainly with their own closest neighbors - other Germanic (Saxon) peoples, although they also had to fight with the Romans. In the early Middle Ages (mainly according to Roman sources), the Frisians gained a reputation as brave warriors and skilled sailors, and even entered into legends (for example, Finn, one of the characters in the heroic epic Beowulf, was a Frisian king).
Interestingly, during the time of Charlemagne, Frisia was included in the Frankish state, but did not last long. In the 12th-14th century, Frisia consisted of many autonomous regions (sometimes even separate independent villages), each of which was ruled by an annually re-elected council of the most respected citizens. The council performed both legislative, administrative and judicial functions. This system of government was very different from the feudal absolutism that dominated the territory of what was then Germany, and was called "Frisian freedom" (or "Frisian freemen"). For me personally, as a resident of the city of Pskov (which at about the same time was “free Pskov”), this fact is especially pleasant, and the friezes become almost like family ;-)
The Free Frisians were very proud of this kind of “democracy”, and until the 17th and 18th centuries in Friesland one could hear the traditional greeting dating back to the Middle Ages: “Eala Freya Fresena!” (I'm a little at a loss with the translation, but something like "Be free, frieze!"). In the 14th century, seven large autonomous regions stood out in Friesland, each ruled by their own leaders, but this still could not be called feudalism, since the power of the leaders was not individual and absolute, but was based on the preserved council of respected citizens.
In the period from the 11th to the 14th century, the Frisians completely controlled the mouth of the Ems (Eims) River and considered pirate attacks on Hansa merchant ships sailing along the river as their "legitimate trade". In addition, the Frisian leaders considered pirates of any nationality as their friends and hospitably provided them with shelter and shelter. Interestingly, numerous attempts by the Frankish kings and the Hanseatic League to take control of the situation in this region were unsuccessful. The Frisian peasants, together with the pirates, were unusually effective in resisting the usually several times superior and better armed armies.
In 1400, the Hanseatic League for the first time managed to carry out a successful military operation against the Frisians, as a result of which many Frisian leaders were executed. Since the middle of the 14th century, the German kings have been actively trying to impose a traditional feudal system of government, appointing their own governors to Frisia, as a rule, reinforced by military squads.
The new order took root in Frisia with difficulty. For example, in 1514, the East Frisian leader Edward challenged Germany and successfully defended himself against a huge army consisting of squads of 24 German dukes and princes. They were able to "defeat" Edward only through diplomacy, granting him the title of German duke in 1517 and "appointing" him "in charge of Friesland" ;-) However, according to historians, the real loss of Friesland's independence occurred only in 1744, when it became part of Prussia.
I omit the new and recent history of Friesland (already part of Prussia and Germany), because. there, in well-fed and calm Europe, there was nothing particularly interesting ;-) Well, maybe a couple of world wars...
As a final touch, I want to add that in modern Germany the attitude towards the East Frisians is rather ironic. These inhabitants of the state outskirts, "inhabitants of the Far North" (by German standards) are the object of numerous jokes and anecdotes (just like our Chukchi). At first I even wanted to put a couple of such anecdotes in this section, but then, having studied the heroic Frisian history, and imbued with the fact that they are still "tea brothers", I did not do this. This is all metropolitan snobbery and point-blank show-offs, and the inhabitants of the outskirts are usually simple and sincere people, and it’s a sin to laugh at them ... They are not at all “dumberier” and not “slower”, they just have their own values and their own rhythm of life, which the inhabitants " capitals" and "centers" can only envy.
, British, German
Ethnonym [ | the code ]
The ethnonym of the Frisians, presumably, is derived from the ancient Germanic words "brave", "courageous", or to Frese, Fries - "edge", "shore" (that is, literally "coastal inhabitants"). Roman sources designate residents with words such as Frisia, Frisiavones, frisiones .
Anthropology [ | the code ]
The Frisians, as an ethnic group, are quite homogeneous in anthropological terms. Many scientists, including Shakhotina-Mordvintsev, consider them as one of the ancient Germanic tribes. From this it can be assumed that the Frisians had common features characteristic of all ancient Germans:
During the Middle Ages, the Frisians were considered the tallest among Europeans. [ ]
Language [ | the code ]
Text written in Old Frisian around 1345
There are three varieties of Frisian: West Frisian, East Frisian and North Frisian. Some linguists consider these three varieties to be dialects of the same Frisian language, while others consider them to be three separate languages. West Frisian is heavily influenced by the Dutch language. East Frisian is influenced by German, with minor Danish influences. The North Frisian language is generally divided into several very different dialects. This diversity was the result of continuous intercourse with neighboring tribes, be it military alliances, trade or marriages. The Frisian language has been around for over 2000 years. Genetically, Frisian dialects are most closely related to English. However, various historical events led to the divergence of English and Frisian languages, while there was a rapprochement with Dutch. However, Old Frisian was very similar to Old English. The Frisian language is officially recognized and legally protected as a minority language in the Netherlands and Germany. In the first case, it is generally the second state language, after Dutch. In 2005, official international language codes (ISO) were obtained in the ISO 639-3 standard:
Formation of the Frisian language
The literary Frisian language was largely created thanks to the efforts of the writer, poet, teacher - Gisbert Japiks. It was he who began to write poetry in this language, thus introducing the standard of the Frisian literary language. After him, Johannes Hilarides began work on simplifying grammar and thereby laid the foundations for everyday, so to speak, everyday Frisian language. Perhaps the most significant figure in the spread of the Frisian language was Dr. Justus Hiddes Halbertsma(1789−1869), who translated many works into Frisian. Among them, the most significant is the New Testament ( Nije Testamint). Taking the everyday Frisian language as a guide, he focused on translating the texts of plays and songs, with the aim of teaching and spreading the language among the people. It was his efforts that gave impetus to the process of preserving the Frisian language, which continues in our time.
Today, Frisian, Dutch and English are the three main languages in the language system of the province of Friesland. Administrative-territorially, it quite accurately coincides with the historical boundaries of the Frisian settlements and cultural habitat, as evidenced by the ancient Roman historians Pliny and Tacitus.
Anthroponymy [ | the code ]
List of common male and female names of Frisian origin:
| Male names | Meaning | Women's names | Meaning | Unisex names | Meaning |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Abich | "noble" | Aga | "sword" | Ailke | "sword" |
| Alte | "senior", "adult" | Aukje | "elf" | Alphie | "elf" |
| Andirs | "man", "warrior" | Dieuwke | "people" | Doutzen | "pigeon" |
| Botho | "messenger" | Elke | "noble child" | Gerke | "strength in spear" |
| Eitel | "brilliant sword" | Grietje | "pearl" | Heike | "enclosed" |
| Friso | "Frisian" | Gesa | "spear of the maiden" | Jan | "merciful" |
| Ingel | "bright angel" | Meia | "persistent" | ||
| Albert | "rich in heritage" | Mette | "meeting place" | ||
| Siemens | "listening" | Silke | "blind", "related to the blind" | ||
| Ulfert | "Heritage Defender" | Ursel | "bear cub" | ||
| waldo | "ruling" | Walda | "ruling" | ||
| Yvo | "yew" | Yfke | "yew" |
Religion [ | the code ]
The predominant form of religion during the settlement of the territories occupied by the Frisians was the cult of tribal patron gods and tribal shrines. The latter include sacred groves and ravines, which are repeatedly mentioned by Roman authors. In such places, not only public sacrifices and various ceremonies took place, but also gatherings were held and common tribal affairs were resolved. Roman historians mention Badugennu- the goddess of the Frisians.
In the early Middle Ages, Christianity, with the help of peace treaties, trade relations, mixed dynastic marriages, and the practice of hostage, gradually penetrated from Christian states (the Merovingian kingdom) to pagan lands - to Frisia, Scandinavia. Willibrord's attempt to spread Christianity further east into Frisia and Denmark was not successful. On the contrary, the missionaries were attacked and under constant threat of assassination. Resisting Christianization, the Frisians captured ambassadors, missionaries and other opponents of paganism. Often their fate was decided by lot, where the finale could be the sacrifice of representatives of a faith alien to the Frisians. In 734, Major Charles Martell made a campaign to the east of Frisia, where in the battle on the Born River he defeated the army of the Frisians and destroyed their pagan sanctuaries. In 754, Boniface already began to baptize the population in the east of Frisia. After the death of Pepin of Geristal (714), the king of the Frisians Radbod, in order to gain independence, began a war with the Franks and returned the territories of Frisia they had captured under his control. All this led to the decline of the Christian faith and the restoration of paganism in this area. With the restoration of Frankish dominance in Frisia, Christianization continued into the 8th century. In the eastern regions of Frisia, where Bishop Ludger preached, pagan Saxons invaded around 784, as a result of their raid, all churches in this part of Frisia were burned, many Christians either fled or converted to paganism. In the future, as the Christianization of the population deepened, the influence of paganism was eradicated for 300 years, from the 8th to the end of the 10th century.
In our time, Roman Catholics, Protestants are represented in the province (in 1908, Kristlik Frysk Selskip, which conducts religious ceremonies in the Frisian language), as well as Islamists [ ] and others .
traditional culture[ | the code ]
The customs of the Frisians, games, entertainment are quite diverse. Among them, ice skating is especially popular. In the Netherlands, the Frisians are known as skilful skaters. Archaeologists find skates during excavations dating back to the 8th-10th centuries.
The evolution of the Frisian women's costume
The traditional clothing of the Frisians was preserved only among rural women. It is used as a festive, but in our time it is being replaced by ordinary everyday clothing. The folklore clothing of Frisian women consists of three short skirts: lower (light, cotton), medium (woolen, striped), upper (dark, woolen). The top consists of a dark sweater with short and very narrow sleeves, has a deep cut in front, which shows the white shirt-front characteristic of Frisian clothing. (onderste). The headdress is a black cap tightly fitting the head, a metal helmet consisting of two semicircular plates connected by a narrow hoop. A lace or tulle cap is worn over this.
The works of oral folk art are represented by legends about the origin of the Frisian people, tales of military campaigns and the struggle against the troops of Charlemagne, love of freedom. For many centuries, the oral art of the Frisians developed quite actively. The sources of Frisian law give a certain concept of poetry and literature from the times of the 11th-16th centuries. After the 16th century, the Dutch language became widespread, which, after the incorporation of the lordship of Friesland into the Netherlands by the Union of Utrecht (1579), became dominant in everyday life and literature. At the same time, the Frisian language is losing its position as the language of law. The poems of R. Bogerman (1470-1556) acquired historical value. The next stage in the history of Frisian culture is characterized by the work of G. Japiks (1603-1666). The most prominent is the collection of sketches Frisian Poetry (1688). In the 18th century, the genre of comedy gained popularity, juxtaposing and ridiculing urban and rural life. At that time, such playwrights as E. Meinderts (1732-1810), F. van der Ploug (1736-1790), as well as poets J. Althuizen (1715-1763) and D. Lenige (1722-1798) worked. In the 19th century, the poet-novelist H. Sitstra (1817-1862) made a contribution, who in 1844 created a society for the protection and development of Frisian culture " Frisian Language and Literature Society". Dissatisfaction with the local character of Frisian literature led to the fact that at the turn of the 20th century steps were taken to popularize Frisian culture outside the borders of Friesland and its interaction with world literature. In 1915 arose Young Frisian Society"under the leadership of D. Kalm (1896-1953), the magazine" Frisia» (1917-1936). It was D. Kalm who translated all the works of William Shakespeare into the Frisian language. The everyday life of the people was reflected in their works by the prose writer R. Brolsma (1882-1953), the novelist S. Klosterman (1878-1938), the prose writer N. Haisma (1907-1943). It is worth noting that many works of Russian literature were translated into the Frisian language (N.V. Gogol, F.M. Dostoevsky, A.P. Chekhov).
Frisian coins. Chasing, 8th century
The Frisians became famous as skilled engravers and carvers. Relief ornaments are made with the help of chasing and perforation. On the famous early patterns, made by chasing, there are images of animals, geometric ornaments, on top of which a thin plate of silver or bronze was superimposed.
The Dutch were the first in Europe to bring tea leaves to the mainland. From them, the tradition of tea drinking was adopted by the inhabitants of Friesland, who, being excellent sailors, were part of many expeditions. Their tea ceremony has over 300 years of history. Frederick II, King of Prussia issued a decree on May 20, 1777, which banned tea throughout Prussia. These restrictions also affected the Frisians. However, the ban did not last long - two years later it was canceled. The traditional Frisian tea was called "East Frisian blend", its main ingredient was loose leaf tea from the Indian province of Assam. The recipe for the preparation is that a sugar cube is dipped into a cup, tea is poured and cream is added. The bottom line is not to mix the components.
ethnic history[ | the code ]
The tribes that later acquired the name of the Frisians " frisii" appeared on the coast of the North Sea around the 4th century BC. e. Initially, they occupied territories from Lake Flevona (according to Roman historians - Lacus Flevo) up to the river Ems. Around the 1st century A.D. e. they spread westward, occupying the lands known as Friesland, and parts of North and South Holland, Gelderland, Utrecht and Zeeland. By the 1st century AD, they became sedentary, engaged in cattle breeding, farming and fishing. From this time until the 5th century, the Frisians were in constant military conflict with the Roman Empire. In this period of time, they created a rather vast state - Frisia magna, stretching along the coast of the North Sea from the Sinquefal River to the Weser River. They were so powerful that the cartographers of those times called the North Sea the Frisian Ocean.
Around the 5th century, Roman legions were expelled from the territory of the Frisians, but it was during this period that the Angles and Saxons invaded. The Frisians participated in the Anglo-Saxon conquest of Britain. Gradually, the Frisian possessions began to pass to the Franks and by 785 their territory was finally annexed to the Carolingian Empire, and the Frisians were forcibly converted to Christianity. At this time, by direct order of Charlemagne, the Frisian laws (in Latin) were written down, which existed until then in oral form. The Frisian Truth (802) reflected the features of the social structure of the Frisians of that time. After the collapse of the Frankish Empire, the territory of Friesland, according to the Treaty of Verdun in 843, along with other lands, became part of Lorraine. Subsequently, its territories were transferred to the East Frankish Kingdom and became part of the Holy Roman Empire.
In the XII-XIII centuries, the lands of the Frisians suffered catastrophic floods.
At the end of the 15th - beginning of the 16th centuries in Zeeland, Holland, Utrekh and other northern lands, the formation of the Dutch state and nation, which included the Frisians, was taking place. In 1581, the Republic of the United Provinces emerged during the Dutch Revolution. Initially, Friesland had an autonomous status within it, retaining its privileges and national culture. For example, in 1585, the Frisian University was opened in Franeker, which became an influential center of science and culture. However, Dutch became the language of state structures, legal proceedings, teaching in schools. The situation worsened in connection with the French occupation and the establishment of French administration in 1759-1813. Napoleon I Bonaparte abolished the Republic of the United Provinces and instead established the Batavian Republic, which essentially excluded autonomy and separate rights for the provinces. After the overthrow of Napoleon Bonaparte, by decision of the Congress of Vienna (1814-1815), the Kingdom of the Netherlands was formed, which included Friesland. Despite the fact that the province of Holland was the main center of legislative and executive power, this did not prevent the establishment of a bilingual status in Friesland.
The beginning of the 19th century was marked by the awakening of the national consciousness of the Frisians, a general increase in interest in the national past, the emergence of various organizations for the preservation of the Frisian language and cultural heritage. In view of the various events that this period was full of, it was not until the 1930s that the Dutch government considered giving the Frisian language a special status. Since 1937, teaching in the Frisian language has been allowed in the upper grades in the schools of Friesland. In 1938, the Frisian Academy was opened.
Interesting Facts[ | ]
Friesland and the Frisians are associated with the history of the domestication of a horse, which was called the Friesian (or Friesian horse). It is known that during the time of conquest campaigns William I the Conqueror, as well as many other monarchs, used horses of this particular breed. Also called friezes is the overgrowth on the legs of horses.
Notable Frisians [ | the code ]
- Radbod (679-719) - the semi-legendary king of the Frisians who fought with the Franks for independence.
- Pierre Gerlofs Donia (1480-1520) - famous pirate and rebel leader.
- Lawrence Alma-Tadema (1836-1912) - British artist of the Victorian era, a master of the historical genre.
- Peter Jelles Troelstra (1860-1930) was a Dutch lawyer and writer.
- Mata Hari (1876-1917) - famous dancer, courtesan and German spy.
- Cruz Doutzen (1985 - present) - Dutch supermodel and actress
Frisians live in the Netherlands in the province of Friesland and on the islands adjacent to it (more than 250 thousand people), on the North Frisian Islands in Denmark (about 2 thousand people) and in Germany (about 6 thousand people), in the so-called Eastern Friesland - an area located between the rivers Ems and Weser. The province of Friesland has been the central area of the settlement of the Frisian people since the early Middle Ages. It is here that the Frisian language and some original features of the culture of the Frisian people, largely lost by the East and North Frisians, are still preserved.
The Frisian language is included in the same language subgroup with English (Anglo-Frisian). The great similarity between English and Old Frisian is due to the close historical and economic ties between Frisian and Anglo-Saxon tribes. Frisian up to the 16th century was the official language of Friesland, and only since that time has it been more and more replaced by the Dutch language, remaining only in everyday life. There are currently two dialects of the Frisian language in Friesland: landfriesch in rural areas and stadfriesch in the Frisian cities. The latter dialect is essentially a mixed Frisian-Dutch dialect.
The main occupation of most Frisians is agriculture. Residents of coastal villages and towns are mainly engaged in fishing. Villagers and fishermen still retain a lot of specificity in buildings, clothing, food, customs and folk art. The main branch of the economy of the Frisians, as elsewhere in the Netherlands, is dairy farming (butter, known for its high quality, is exported). Sheep and pigs are also bred. The stud farms of Friesland are famous. Large areas of land are set aside for flax crops and grass sowing.
The predominant type of settlement in Friesland is farms. Previously, in the north, the settlements were located, in order to avoid flooding, on artificial hills - terpenes. Excavations of terpenes make it possible to trace the history of settlements on them from ancient times until the late Middle Ages. Now such hills are no longer built, but the villages of the regions where they were common retain the circular arrangement of courtyards characteristic of settlements on terpenes. The Frisian house, which is widespread throughout Friesland, is so reminiscent of the Saxon house in design and layout that many researchers consider it a variation of the latter. The Frisian house is often found in both the North and East Frisians. The Frisian house, like the Saxon one, is characterized by the combination of residential and utility rooms under one high pyramidal roof. In the center of the whole building, unlike the Saxon house, there is not a threshing floor, but a vast hay barn; around it are residential and commercial premises. At present, in almost all areas of Friesland, a residential building is separated from utility rooms by capital partitions. Often there is a so-called developed from an old Frisian house. Kopf- Hcils- Rumpf- hcius. The dwelling house (Kopf) stands separately from the utility rooms. It is built of dark red brick, its hipped trussed roof is covered with slate. Utility rooms (Rumpf) they retain the layout and pillar construction of the old Frisian house: a vast quadrangular space in the middle for storing hay and a cattle stall fenced off from it by pillars. Outbuildings are connected to the dwelling house by a small narrow corridor. (Hals). This type of house is found in both the North and East Frisians.
There are no big cities in Friesland. The largest of them is the center of the province, the old Hanseatic city of Leiwarden. It is similar to the provincial Dutch towns, it has preserved some monuments of medieval architecture (town hall, dam and polder control building, etc.). Leiwarden is the cultural center of Friesland. There are libraries, a museum, several educational institutions. The plan of the city is circular: there is a large square in the center, streets diverge from it in radii.
The folk clothes of the Frisians have been preserved only among rural women as a festive one, but even among them it is increasingly being replaced by urban ones. The traditional dress of the Frisian women, although it resembles the folk dress of the Dutch, still has some differences. The old suit consists of three short skirts: the lower one is light cotton, the middle one is striped wool and the upper one is dark woolen, gathered at the waist in thick assemblies, and a dark sweater with a long peplum and short and very narrow sleeves. The jacket has a deep cutout in front, which shows the shirt-front characteristic of Frisian clothing. (onderste) - more often white, trimmed with folds and embroidery, sometimes motley. The headdresses of the Frisian women are peculiar: they put on a metal helmet, consisting of two semicircular plates connected by a narrow hoop, on a black cap tightly fitting the head. Above the temples, long gilded spirals are hung to these plates. A large lace or tulle cap is put on top.
Many customs of the Frisians are interesting, their games, entertainment, among which skating is especially popular. In the Netherlands, the Frisians are known as the best skaters. Archaeologists find skates during excavations of terpenes dating back to the 8th-10th centuries.
Some features of family rituals testify to the free, independent position of women among the ancient Frisians. Here is how, for example, matchmaking takes place in some Frisian villages: a young man in a festive costume comes to the girl’s house and relatives leave them by the burning fireplace. The girl decides her own fate: if she does not put wood on the fire and let it go out, this means that she does not accept the offer.
Among the Frisians there are skillful masters of woodcarving. Fine and elegant, mostly notched, carvings cover furniture and household items.
Of the works of oral folk art, legends about the origin of the Frisian people, tales of the courage of the Frisians and their love for freedom, of the heroic struggle against the troops of Charlemagne are especially interesting.
Although the Frisians in the Netherlands still retain some distinctive features in culture and language, their assimilation by the Dutch population is proceeding at a rapid pace. In the 19th century a national movement arose among the Frisians, the most prominent figures of which sought to prevent the decline of the Frisian language and culture. In many cities of Friesland, societies were created that set as their goal the study of the history of the Frisians, the development of their literature and language. The Halbertema brothers, prominent folklorists who were under the great influence of the Brothers Grimm, are especially famous for their literary activity.
Currently, there are more than a dozen different societies and unions created by the leaders of the Frisian national movement. Their main tasks are to preserve and develop the Frisian language and culture, to restore cultural ties with the Frisians living outside of Friesland.
