Well Ed, most books on Norwegian costume will mention this. But then, they'd all be in Norwegian.

I've done a bit of reading about old Norwegian costumes. The tradition of bringing ribbons home from over the sea, or buying them at pretty stiff prices is really old, were talking early Medieval times and even before that. Most people wore rough woollen garments that were felted, or waulked, to make them more durable. It was only in the cities or large towns (Oslo, Bergen and Trondheim, or Nidaros as it was called then) that people would wear garments of fine wool, linen, or even silk, and only those that could afford it. In some places they would grow stinging nettles, whose fibres were woven into fabric even softer and more durable than linen. This country wasn't exactly densely populated (and still isn't) and to travel to town to buy finery like this, was not something you did on an afternoon off. (From Lillehammer to Nidaros would be about a month's travel). To spice up their Sunday finery, people would sew on silken ribbons and pieces of velvet. The more, the better. It was a way to show off.

Norwegian costumes also sport silk scarves or shawls, that were not there originally, but as trade developed, these little luxuries became more and more common, and are today an integrated part of traditional Norwegian costume.

(Jayzus, I DO go on a bit, don't I?)

Magpie