ATTIRE

Norwegians wear high quality fancy clothes, partly because they can afford it, but also because it’s expected.  Americans would call it “keeping up with the Jones’,” but Norwegians just call it appropriate.  Socialism impacts even their closet.

American’s highest level of formal dress is tuxedos and evening gowns.  Norwegians have their bunads (pronounced “boo-nod”) that trump even that. 

Bunads are a traditional costume worn for the most formal occasions like weddings, funerals, baptisms, and confirmations, and on specific holidays like Christmas Eve, New Year’s Eve and their National Constitution Day - 17^th of May.  It would also be appropriate attire if one were invited to have coffee with the Queen.

Every region in Norway has their own special bunad design, dating back centuries.  It’s almost like a clan distinction, as everyone can tell right away where someone comes from, just by looking at a woman’s bunad. 

Nearly all 15-year-old girls get a bunad as a confirmation gift.  In our region of Norway, bunads are hand made of wool and embroidered with a colorful hand-stitched flower pattern.  It takes nearly a year to make it and usually the mother or grandmother takes on that labor of love. The blouse is hand made of linen, is also embroidered and is adorned with silver broaches. The bunads are meant to last a lifetime, and are often handed down, which is good because they cost over seven thousand dollars by the time the outfit is complete.   They also grow with the woman, as many parts are expandable.  It’s a smart idea since I’ve rarely seen an older woman with the same body size she had at age 15.

The Confirmation boys, since they haven’t finished growing, just get a new suit, which ironically, in Norwegian, is called a “dress.”  A tie is actually called “slips,” so it’s funny to hear men talk about wearing dresses and slips.  I guess there are men in America that wear those too, but not in my social circle.  Later in life, a Norwegian man may buy a bunad, but they are not as common because they are expensive, and not designed to expand. 

Short of the bunad, Norwegians dress in semi-formal attire even when invited over to a friend’s for coffee.  I don’t even own nice enough clothes to really feel like I fit in in Norway, but they all understand that I’m an American. 

When I hosted a party once, I made sure everyone understood this was an “American party,” as I’m not terribly comfortable with the Norwegian dress code. One of the cousin’s responded to my invitation with, “So that means we just show up in our underwear, right?” Which shows just how lax Norwegians think we American are.