Johanna Maria van der Gheynst

What people wore

Flax harvest festival traditions

After the flax harvest, Flemish women would run through the streets dancing in large groups and stop travelers to tie flax strands around their legs or stirrups, refusing to let them pass without receiving small coins to fund a communal celebration.

Daily life

Cooking and heating with peat

Instead of coal, residents heated their homes and cooked with peat, a type of earth found in abundance that burns well.

Work

Harvest labor and daily wages

Harvest workers, including many women, worked from sunrise to sunset and were often paid in cash and free beer. In the 1440s, a female harvester could earn 10.2 Flemish d. groten per day, a wage that could help lease a small land parcel.

Music

Loud instruments at village festivals

At village festivals in Flanders, loud instruments such as trumpets, oboes, flutes, fifes, bagpipes, and drums were commonly used to entertain the crowds.

At the table

Staple foods for ordinary families

Since bread was expensive to bake, many poor families relied on a porridge made from rye, wheat, or barley mixed with water. Eating breakfast as a general meal was not yet common, though children and the sick were sometimes allowed bread dipped in beer or wine.

Getting around

Organized local transport market in Brabant

Local transport of commodities in Brabant was highly organized despite lacking corporations, relying on both professional carters and occasional transporters hired through tenders or temporary contracts. There was no price advantage for farmers offering transport services, as all contractors were paid at competitive market rates.

What it cost

Price of simple leather shoes

Simple leather shoes cost between 3 and 8 guilders, depending on the quality of the leather and the craftsmanship.