Norwegian Sunday: Bridal Crowns – Part VI, Film

The tradition of wearing Bridal Crowns and special headdress with the Bunad has luckily been filmed, this small film is from Hardanger 1954: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2qNazpZRmdE Hulda Garborg revived and invigorated the Bunad tradition, she passed her work on to Klara Semb. Klara ensured several of the headdress customs were documented on silent film in the mid…

Norwegian Sunday: Bridal Crowns – Part V, Photography

Around the turn of the century, Norwegian photographer Solveig Lund (1868-1943) made a good living photographing bunad wear and bridal attires. She was based in Oslo, and at one point had 3 different studios in Oslo at the same time! I'm sharing some of her work here, again sorted by Bunad-districts: These images are clickable…

Norwegian Sunday: Bridal Crowns – Part IV, Art

One of the most famous Norwegian painters, Adolph Tidemand, incorporated traditional Bridal Crowns in many pieces of his art: Adolph Tidemand became and has remained, one of the prominent painters representing Norwegian Romantic Nationanlism. The movement peaked around 1840-1860, but has had tremendous impact on the Norwegian identity as we know it today! All the…

Norwegian Sunday: Bridal Crowns – Part III, Gallery

The tradition of using Bridal Crowns is by no means only Norwegian. In most cultures, even today, it is customary that the bride is dressed up in spectacular fashion, and often time special headdress is included. But since we are looking at the Norwegian Traditional Bridal Crowns, this post will be sharing some more Bridal…

Norwegian Sunday: Bridal Crowns – Part II, Family Experience

I have told you before, in the Valentine Sweetheart series 2 years ago, and also in connection with the genealogical research I did on the parts of my family which emigrated to the US, about brides in my family wearing traditional Norwegian Bridal Crowns: This is my great grandparents on my fathers paternal side, Nils…

Norwegian Sunday: Bridal Crowns – Part I, Facts

For centuries, it has been a tradition for Norwegian Brides to wear a Crown on their wedding day: The Bridal Crown Tradition never died, although the wearing of traditional folk costumes called 'Bunad' plummeted drastically during the 1800s. Bunad was still worn in rural areas. Hulda Garborg was instrumental in reviving the Bunad tradition in the…

Merry & Bright Christmas Pigs Garland

I told you before: I grew up on a farm in Western Norway. My sister is running the farm today, with a large production of pigs. In the Victorian era, pigs were used as a symbol of prosperity and good fortune. Often times on postcards used for Christmas or New Year's greetings. I wanted to…