One of the sights you may occasionally see when traveling the autobahns
of Germany is a "zimmermann" - a journeyman carpenter - in his
traditional clothing -

http://www.part-2.ch/felix/uploads/Zimmermann_los.JPG

The clothing is subject to strict rules, the hat, the waistcoat
jacket, the shoes, the earring, the watch chain, even the number of
buttons on the jacket.

The tradition of the journeyman carpenter goes back hundreds of years.
Tradition expects that after the apprentice has finished his training
with the master carpenter, he should go on the "walz" or "tippelei" -
meaning that for three years and a day he must leave his home town and
wander the world, seeking work to earn his keep.

A journeyman must be single, free of debts and of good standing.
During his time on the road he is not allowed to wear anything but his
traditional clothing - his "kluft" - in public, nor is he allowed to own
a car, but must walk or hitchhike. On the other hand, every master
carpenter on the way is obliged to offer a journeyman lodging for the night.

Recently I gave a lift to a carpenter on the highway from Frankfurt
going south. I had stopped at a gas station when this young man with his
distinctive clothing approached me with a smile and asked me in a kind
of sing-song ritual something like, excuse me sir but would you be so
agreeable as to let a good and honest journeyman accompany you on your way?

Such a charmingly phrased question was hard to refuse, so as I drove he
told me the story of his travels. The most remarkable was that he had
been in Thailand where he had been hewing timbers to restore the roof of
a buddhist temple. His three years of travel were nearly over and he
was heading home.

So if you see a journeyman on the road, remember to give him a lift. And
remember, another tradition says that touching a button of his jacket
brings good luck.

T.
Read mo http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Journeyman_years