Friday, November 4, 2011

Norwegian National Costume - Contextual Awareness: Embroidery (Term 1)

The Norwegian National Costume (or "Bunad" as it is called in norwegian) is often heavily decorated with embroidery. What makes this garment so special is that they are all hand made and all the embroidery is done by hand. To be able to make a "bunad" you have to take make course and be taught how to do it correctly. We (by me meaning norwegians) are very proud of our culture and history and despite it being easier to do this by machine it is part of our cultural history that they are hand made.

Another unique aspect of this costume is that each part of Norway has their own unique bunad. If you are skilled in bunads then you can easily tell where someone is from by looking at their bunad. The bunad you whear is usually from where your family is from not where you live. 

The bunad is usually worn on important days or events such as: May 17th (our independence day), christenings, confimation, weddings etc.

Here are some images of the different types of embroidery found on bunads.
















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