Things just got real

I have never come home and immediately written about my day and posted it on this blog. Most things can wait. But something awesome happened today that cannot wait: I got a traditional Norwegian costume to wear on Syttende Mai (Norway's Constitution Day on May 17th)!


Behold, in all it's glory:

The Råndastakk med rutaliv bunad.
Please don't say it looks Scottish. It's not.

I am borrowing the outfit from my friend Marit (tusen takk til deg og familien din). Her grandmother made it for her mother to wear for her Confirmation ceremony when she was a teenager.


A bunad (pronounced 'boo-nod') is a traditional Norwegian costume, worn on special occasions like weddings and Syttende Mai. Every region of Norway has it's own style of bunad, and people usually get one from the place they have the most heritage. The bunad I'm wearing is called "Råndastakk med rutaliv" and it comes from an area called Gudbrandsdal, where one of my great-grandfathers was born. I've been dreaming about getting to wear something like this for a long time, and now the dream is a reality!


Bunads are usually incredibly expensive, because they are handmade and include valuable silver. You don't just go out and buy one because you feel like it. You save up for it for years and it can take years to make. We're talking about thousands of dollars. As the (my) saying goes: Nothing's cheap in Norway except cell phone service. Seriously, I pay way less here than I (my parents) did in the States, it's weird.


Back to the point: Many bunads are more elaborate than what I'll be wearing, but this is as good as it gets aside from having my own. And to get to wear one from a place I actually have some connection to...wow! For me, this might as well be Cinderella's gown. It means a lot that they would let me borrow something so special. I am downright giddy, and I don't think that's a word that most people would use to describe me. That should tell you how significant this is for me!


Syttende Mai is the biggest celebration of the year and the biggest day for bunads. I am so happy I get to be in Norway for this holiday (a dream in itself) but I am THRILLED I get to wear a traditional outfit and blend in with real Norwegians. Now I won't look like (as much of) a fool when I have my picture taken with my friends, and you'll be able to tell how special their bunads are when I post pictures.


Feeling left out? You don't have to be! If you're in Seattle on May 17th you should head to Ballard for the biggest Syttende Mai celebration outside of Norway. Go have some fun and celebrate Norway. It won't be the real thing, but we can pretend!