When I was ten years old there was a pageant in my hometown representing scenes from 1000 years of history. Participants would show up, were distributed to a scene where they might fit in best, then were dressed and made up and off they went.
I was judged a good Sinti or Roma (which were then still unabashedly called gipsies) and although I had short hair I was considered dark enough to go without a wig. They probably didn’t have enough wigs to go around and I was grateful because they were scratchy and smelled funny. I was also allowed to carry my own bag – that style was called shepherds pouch and was very fashionable then and seemed to fit with the costume.
So here is a photo from my past depicting the town’s past.
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pictures imperfect blog 