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?

by Positive-Narwhal9175

45 comments

  1. 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.

  2. Bavaria fits your criteria. Spend a day there and you’ll almost certainly see people in lederhosen and dirndl for no particular occasion.

  4. I love how your first example of bunad worn by “General population” are royals xD

  5. It’s not.

    Those pictures are from the 17th of Mai celebration.

  6. 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

  7. Orthodox Jewish communities in Brooklyn, New York still wear their traditional European clothing.

  9. 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

  10. In Scotland, kilts are very often worn on at weddings, funerals, graduations, christenings etc. Not all men have them but it’s very common.

  11. 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. 🤷

  14. 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.)

  15. People don’t wear their bunads every day. Only on 17th May, and sometimes for others occuations.

  16. Emmmm Scotland would like a word, and probably also Germany (but only in October) 😂

  17. From what I’ve heard, they only wear it during specific national celebrations, such as the constitution day. Also the fourth picture you added is traditional Saami clothing, not Norwegian.

  19. To answer your question though, u/Positive-Narwhal9175 I think it’s widely owned and used among the general population right now, because the *boomer generation* women was one of the last to *widely* learn old and traditional sewing/embroidery techniques.

    In combination with a golden period of about 40-50 years economically up to 2020, it has been within reach for *most* middle class and up girls to have a bunad made for them. It has also been traditional, as silent generation/boomers became grandparents, to participate in having bunads made for their girl grandchildren.

    This time is going to be over soon. Silent gen. are dying off, and boomers are soon getting too old to do the complex handiwork required to make the costumes. Also, most people work until they are 68-70+ now, and won’t have time to spend countless hours at minimum payment to make costumes for their own family, let alone strangers who don’t have elder family members who know the craft. Paying market rate to someone to make it is extremely costly. The economy is not looking as good as before, so fewer people can invest the money required.

    In the future, I think it will be more common to inherit bunads, as birth rates are plunging and large boomer generations are leaving us. The bunad is indeed a symbol of national pride – and I think in a few decades we’ll look back on a time when everyone had one and think it was synonymous of prosperous times.

  20. I miss that Belgium does not have this… nor any moment you want to wave your flag…because nobody is proud to be Belgian.

  21. When you think about it, the UK, but that’s only because white tie and black tie are now the standard default formal and semi-formal wear throughout much of the world.

  23. Came here to say Scotland. I used to wear a kilt a couple of times a week as a kid, for church and army cadets on a Friday. There were a couple of men in the village that wore their kilt every day, although that was unusual. We’d also wear kilts for country dance classes, if there was a ceilidh, then when I was older for weddings, funerals, etc. I wore one in the army as well, less regularly.

  24. In Andalucía you will see people, especially women, with the traditional dress (traje de gitana) on the feria, it’s really common.

  26. They don’t use it regularly, but on certain occasions!

  27. In Vietnam, We still wear ao dai (vietnamese traditional dress) as a school uniform, to national day, wedding, etc.

  29. In a word, no.

    There are plenty of countries where people wear their traditional clothing.

    Also, most Norwegians wear these garments for the 17th of May and special occasions only. They’ll wear regular clothes other than that.

  30. So going by the posts this clobber isnt widely used but once in a blue moon for a wedding or some other event, similar to Scots in kilts, Bavarians in lederhosen for Munich fest, Czechs, Slovaks other eastern Europeans like Ukrainians in those nice embroidered shirts and stuff for weddings and stuff.

    Was in Finland and didnt see anyone dressed like an elf, even the Sami in a souvenir shop and reindeer village.

  31. No it’s not. Austrians – depending on region – wear traditional clothes often, some in special occasions, some even still daily

  33. I think one reason why it stuck here is because we were ruled by Denmark for so long. It encouraged us to focus on our local traditions more.

  34. I don‘t know but Hugo Boss is still kinda popular in Germany

  35. They are very popular now but they were quite uncommon 40 years ago when i was a kid. It probably varied place to place but now its a sea of them where i still live on may 17. and around the “konfirmasjon” season.

  36. Most countries in Europe only wear these kind of clothes on special occasions

    In Kosovo you could wear traditional clothes on weddings for example

  37. Widely used? Its used once or twice a year max

    Also it’s not all that historical, bunad was invented after the second World War. Not that I’m trying to disparage the tradition, I like bubads, but it’s not some 1000 year old Ur historic tradition

  38. It stems from the independence movement, first independence from Denmark, then when Norway was transferred to sweden as spoils of war, independence from Sweden. National costumes became a symbol for a national pride, a rejuvenation of the nation. And from there on it just grew into this national symbolism. After all the national costumes we have are rather swanky.

  39. If by “widely used” you mean special occasions only like this dress is used, then no. In Bavaria and Austria, wearing lederhosen and dirndl’s for special occasions (“Tracht” is what they call traditional clothing) is very common.

  40. Not only widely used, but extremely popular as well! As an old fart I think it’s cool!

  41. I don’t know why so many seem to misunderstand you on purpose. Imo it seems like Scotland and Bavaria fits the bill, otherwise it’s mostly only small local communities, but of course my experience is limited

  42. Scotland, Ireland, Hungary, Slovakia, Czech Republic, Germany, Spain, Portugal, Italy, the Netherlands, Finland, Sweden, the entire Balkan, Ukraine. You’re wrong if you think it’s only Norway. Most european countries have their own traditional clothes worn on similar occasions such as Norway.

    But they’re commonly used only in national holidays, folklorist circles and folk festivals.

  43. In Bavaria we wear them to many events like Frühlingsfest, Oktoberfest, Waldfest, but also weddings and baptism events 🙂

  44. Nope. Lots of Western European countries do.
    I’m Scottish and wear a kilt.

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