There is always a lot of talk about what to wear on your head in the folklore costuming community.

Traditionally you would cover your hair. Currently we don’t (for everyday wear). People feel uncomfortable wearing traditional headwear with the costume, others feel it’s a disservice to tradition to not wear it. This becomes an evergreen discussion.

I wanted to pitch an interesting proposition: headbands! I’m mired in the fertile soil of Swedish trad costuming, but I’m looking to Norwegian traditions for this.

When I was last in Trondheim I noted that the Trønderbunad has several types of headwear and amongst them are embroidered diadems and head wraps. This is seemingly a younger tradition than the old fashioned wraps and hats. Now, in Sweden we have a problem: the hat is where the traditional lace goes. If you lose the hat, you lose the reason to make the lace, and perhaps the knowledge of making the lace too! Therefore I humbly suggest headbands as a modern alternative, for lace preservation and a modern, feminine folkloric accessory. It is a huvudbonad, which more people might be comfortable wearing for celebrations, which can still carry traditional significance, depending on materials and techniques.

Just my personal opinion. I think they’re neat.

#crafts #folklore #sewing #slöjd #folkdräkt #hemslöjd #bunad #husflid #klöppeln #knyppling #folkcostume #knipling #lace #lacemaking #spets #spitze #sweden #norway