The independence outfit
People in Norway wear bunads like they would wear their nicest dress or suit. Compared with how other countries use their folk costumes, this is pretty unique.
“A bunad is an outfit based on old folk costumes from the farming society. In Norway today, it’s commonly used as a festive outfit by people who normally wear modern fashions,” explains Anne Kristin Moe, general manager of the Nordfjord Folk Museum.
Anne Kristin has researched Norwegian bunads extensively, and is the author of the book Broderte bunader: hundre år med norsk bunadhistorie ('Embroidered bunads: one hundred years of Norwegian bunad history'), featuring photographs by Laila Durán.
From 1814 to 1905, Norway was in a union with Sweden. As a result of the industrial revolution, people had started to wear the same clothes, often black dresses and suits. In their search for a symbol of independence, Norwegians had to look back in history to find a national identity. People looked to old handicraft traditions all across the country to find colours, designs, and patterns that represented traditional Norwegian culture. They were inspired by dresses, rose painting and woodcarving traditions from the old farming society and integrated all of these elements in the bunads we know today.
“The bunad is revived and reconstructed from old Norwegian folk traditions. What sets the Norwegian bunad apart from other folk costumes is that it's popularly worn by the general public,” explains Anne Kristin.
The special tradition Norwegians have for wearing the bunad through more than 150 years is even nominated to the UNESCO World heritage list.
See some unique Norwegian bunads below!