Walking around the streets of Dublin you will see some shops which sell delicious sweaters made with pure wool, really characteristic, each one with different shapes and colors… do you know why? You will find it really bizarre, but behind these sweaters, there is a very particular story…
The Aran sweater takes the name from the group of islands where it has its roots and where it originated many generations ago, of the west coast of Ireland. The citizens of this isle are a population of fishermen and farmers, whose life and all the livelihood are twisted, and it is properly from this plot that these sweaters were born, the tradition passed from generation to generation. From the origins, this tradition has always been intimately linked to the proper clan, and so to the identity of this clan. If you go inside in one of the shops and you just observe the sweaters you will realise that each of them has a particularity and each sweater has its story. In the past, these clothes told the entire family’s story. In fact, the various models were jealously guarded. They were also useful to recognise a dead body of a sailor after an accident or a storm.
Well, let’s observe with attention all the models, because of each of them, with their points, tell something different… a finished sweater contains about 100.000 points worked closely and these points can be combined together depending on the story. Here you are some explanations about some points…
The braid represents the fisherman’s ropes and they are a wish for a successful day at sea;
The diamond reflects the little cultivated fields of the isles and it is a wish for the success and richness.
The point zig zag represents the winding paths on the cliffs of the isles;
The tree of life is one of the most ancient points and it is the expression of a wish of a unit, longevity to the parents and power to the sons. Sincerely I would have never thought that behind a sweater had been hidden a whole story of a tradition, and this is really fascinating! So, why don’t you choose the most suitable sweater for you and wear it?
