Planting Roots & Honoring Heritage
In our last Norwegian World of Weddings post, we’ll focus on a few more traditions we love, most of which have faded into the history books.
While modern Norwegian brides often opt for a more modern white wedding
gown, some still choose to honor their heritage by wearing a bunad (groom’s clothing is also referred to
as a bunad). Similar to the tradition of Scottish tartan cloth, bunads are colorful, and their colors reflect the region and heritage of the wearer. The men’s bunad is comprised of a custom tailored wool topcoat, short pants, and stockings. The women’s bunad was a colorful wool dress that would often be adorned with jewelry for the occasion; if the family did not have, or could not afford such jewelry, it was often available to be borrowed from neighbors or the church. These gowns were worn for a variety of occasions, but for the wedding additional decoration and accessories were added.
Like many cultures, the wedding party often dressed quite similarly to the bride and groom, out of superstition that having many girls dressed the same would confuse evil spirits, making it impossible to steal away the bride. Female attendants would often wear more simple bunads, so as not to outshine the bride, but still confuse evil spirits.
Soljes might be one of our favorite traditions that can easily be carried into modern weddings as a nod to Norwegian heritage. Just as the spoon bangles on the wedding
crown are meant to ward off evil spirits, so too are the spoon bangles on the solje. Like many things, if the family could not afford numerous soljes for the bride, it was not uncommon to borrow them. It was considered an honor to lend anything to the bride and groom to be able to help in their special day we love the idea of using soljes as bustle brooches!
One of our final favored Norwegian traditions is for the bride and groom to plant a fir tree outside their front door. Often they would plant two - one on either side of the door. It was thought to symbolize fertility, and the wish for children in the future. However, as Norway
has long been a very liberal nation, it is not uncommon for modern couples to have children before their marry, or to never actually marry at all. While Norway is steeped in tradition, modern couples may have far from "traditional" relationships, but the openness of their heritage always allows for traditions to be adapted as it fits the couple.
