Galoshes Galore
By Veronica MacDonald Ditko
An Accidental Anthropologist
Rainy days aren’t so bad in my house. My eldest loves to go outside in his rubber boots and use my ladybug umbrella (yes, I still retain ownership of my childish umbrella!) and splash vigorously in puddles. It is one of childhood’s simplest joys.
Lately I’ve noticed a lot of people are wearing galoshes, and fashionable ones at that with the Burberry pattern and all! I always envy them as I walk and the water slowly seeps into my shoes and wets my socks. Soggy feet all day can make you miserable.
Galoshes are actually thought to come from the Latin word “gallica” used to describe the leather shoes with a wooden sole worn by the people of Gaul, or interestingly it was also used as another word for “foreigners.” Gaul was an area of Iron Age Europe that would encompass France, Switzerland, Belgium, Luxembourg, and parts of The Netherlands, Italy, and Germany today. It fell under control of the Romans in the 1st Century AD. Then somewhere during the 12th Century, the English began calling clogs galoshes too.
The usage of the word “galosh” also differs today. In northern New Jersey, the term is used to describe rain-proof boots. Rubber boots like these were introduced by vulcanized rubber inventor Charles Goodyear (who inspired the name of the tire company) during the mid-1800s.
In Europe, galoshes have long been considered overshoes to protect inside shoes from inclement weather since the early 1800s. Galoshes in Turkey refer to a polythene overshoe that is worn only when visiting homes or offices to avoid dirtying floors. The spelling of the word today can also vary from galosh to ga·loshe or golosh.
I don’t remember having galoshes when I was a child for the rain. But I do remember really wanting them when I saw stories of Paddington Bear. I loved the British raincoat and hat, and of course the Wellington boots, which are not called galoshes in England at all, but rather rubber-boots, wellies, topboots, billy-boots, gumboots, barnboots, muckboots or rainboots. My youngest recently got his first pair of galoshes for his 2nd birthday. He was overjoyed to be just like his big brother. Now I’ll have more buddies in the rain! Maybe it’s about time I got myself a pair too!
Veronica MacDonald Ditko is originally from the Jersey Shore, but married and settled in northern New Jersey. Her journalism career started a decade ago after studying Psychology and Anthropology in Massachusetts. She has written for several newspapers and magazines including The Daily Hampshire Gazette, The Springfield Union News and Sunday Republican, Happi, Chemical Week, The Hawthorne Press, The Jewish Standard, Suite101.com and more.