Why does it seem like Norway is the only country in the Nordic’s, if not all of Western Europe, where traditional clothing is still commonly worn among the general population?
I know that there are certain regions in the Netherlands, Germany, and Austria where traditional clothing is still worn, and some older Swedes also own a folk attire, but Norway seems to be the only country where it’s common throughout the country among people of all ages. Do any of you have any idea why this is the case?
https://www.reddit.com/gallery/1knzlqa
Posted by Positive-Narwhal9175
22 Comments
They’re not really traditional costumes. They’re inspired by rural traditions in some cases but these bunds have their origins in the early 1950s postwar national romanticism.
Bavaria fits your criteria. Spend a day there and you’ll almost certainly see people in lederhosen and dirndl for no particular occasion.
Dont swedes use their traditional Folkedrakt on their constitution day?
Widely used.. once or twice a year.
I love how your first example of bunad worn by “General population” are royals xD
It’s not.
Those pictures are from the 17th of Mai celebration.
Scotland have kilts which are still worn for weddings and other similar celebrations. You’ll see them worn on a regular basis up in the highlands
It has become the ultimate garment/regalia for the annual May 17th celebration – our Constitution Day, which seemingly grows in popularity every year. Which means many are in possession of one, and will definitely use it for confirmations every April/May, maybe for weddings, and so on. Complete sets are quite expensive when all silver is acquired, and will often times be passed down, like my daughter will inherit my mother’s on her 15th birthday – and so the cycle continues.
Orthodox Jewish communities in Brooklyn, New York still wear their traditional European clothing.
Only once a year, maybe twice if there’s a wedding
they’re not actually traditional and they’re only used for festive purposes.
They’re an imitation of a tradition that existed, and as such their appearance is frozen in time. They’re part of Norwegian National Romanticism, and comes about during the 19th century, but only really take off post WW2.
Still, they’re a statement about National pride and honor, and they do matter a lot. They’re a statement, saying “I am from X local place, a representation of my group, and i identify as part of norway” because norway is a pluralistic nation with tons of dialects, histories, heritages, ect, none of which are surperior to another, nor more Norwegian than the other.
There’s been a recent movement among Norwegian Diaspora minorities (Not Norwegians in Diaspora but Diaspora in norway) to create their own Bunad to symbolise the same statement but in their own way, legitimising their own integration. Every single indigenous Norwegian or otherwise assimilated Norwegian I’ve talked to seems to be a fan of this. Some Norwegians are indigenous, in that their bloodline so to speak is mainly decendant of inhabitants of norway in pre history, some Norwegians are assimilated Norwegians, having whole sale adopted the customs, dialects, and mannerisms of one Norwegian subgroup, while others still are intigrated Norwegians, part of a culture that now also considers itself Norwegian even if it hails from elsewhere. The push for Diaspora Bubads fits within the integration prospect.
https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Folk_costume
tons of countries in Europe have traditional clothings, official dates to use them and unofficial
Include the other continents, its probably up on 60/40 if not way more counteies and local indevidual groups within the country
In Scotland, kilts are very often worn on at weddings, funerals, graduations, christenings etc. Not all men have them but it’s very common.
Well, the suit was developed in England towards the end of the 19th century. So technically, most British people wear traditional clothing and the rest of the world just wears ours. 🤷
Scotland…
Only people rich enough to own such… A classical bunad can cost quite a lot… in the range of tens of thousands… like this one..[ 45.000.](https://emblabunader.no/produkt/damebunad/vest-telemark-damebunad/).
Norwegians are very nationalistic.
It’s super expensive.
If you consider Austria western european, we definitely also still use traditional clothing for some occasions. (As do southern and northwestern parts of germany, sweden, switzerland etc.)
People don’t wear their bunads every day. Only on 17th May, and sometimes for others occuations.
Emmmm Scotland would like a word, and probably also Germany (but only in October) 😂