Knottekistje
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A knottekistje or wedding casket is a small Frisian money
casket A casket jewelry box is a container that is usually smaller than a chest, and in the past were typically decorated. Whereas cremation jewelry is a small container, usually in the shape of a pendant or bracelet, to hold a small amount of ashes. ...
.Description of a Knottekistje at the Victoria and Albert Museum
/ref> Apart from their content ''Knottekistjes'' are also valuable since in most cases they are made of
silver Silver is a chemical element with the symbol Ag (from the Latin ', derived from the Proto-Indo-European ''h₂erǵ'': "shiny" or "white") and atomic number 47. A soft, white, lustrous transition metal, it exhibits the highest electrical ...
. The boxes are rectangular with a semicircular lid and stand on ball feet. Frisian marriage caskets are delicately engraved with symbolic scenes about love and marriage, often accompanied by a proverb or motto.Cultuurwijzer.nl: Knoop voor geliefde
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Folkloric Frisian tradition

The ''knottekistje'' belongs to a folkloric Frisian tradition. In the sixteenth century it was customary for a boy to offer a girl a coin when he asked her to marry him. If she accepted this coin, the couple could consider themselves engaged. If one offered more coins, it was done in a cloth with a special knot: the so-called knotte or knottedoek (knott cloth). This knotte ('knot' in Frisian has the same meaning as in English) was 'loosely' knotted. If the girl drew the knot tighter, then her response was positive and they were engaged. With increasing prosperity the cloth was replaced with a silver casket, called ''knottekistje''. The box and its contents remained the property of the wife and was also kept as a saving for a rainy day.


Poem

While offering the following poem was pronounced by the boy: ''Wotte ? sa wotte''
''Sa heste de knotte''
''Wost it net dwaen''
''Den kinst my de knotte werjaen'' In English: ''Do you want ? - If you want to''
''Then the knotte is yours''
''If you don't want to''
''Then you must return the knotte to me ''Westfries museum
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Literature

* Joost Hiddes Halbertsma, ''Letterkundige naoogst''.Letterkundige naoogst
/ref> * Jacobus Scheltema, ''Volksgebruiken der Nederlanders bij het vrijen en trouwen''Volksgebruiken der Nederlanders bij het vrijen en trouwen
/ref> * Drs. C. Boschma, ''Friese en Noordhollandse knottekistjes'', Antiek, mei 1969, 3e jaargang, nr 10. * Asing Walthaus, ''Geen ring, maar een knottenkistje'', Leeuwarder Courant, 4 September 2015.Geen ring, maar een knottenkistje
/ref> * Haro Hielkema, ''Knottekistje voor een geliefde'', Trouw, 4 December 2004.Knottekistje voor een geliefde
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References

{{Reflist, 2


External links


Website about a modern knottekistje (2015)

Knottekistje at a Dutch television show
Engagement Containers