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 National costumes ("bunad") have long traditions in Norway, and when you look at the national costumes in the nordic countries, you will see many similarities, but also with some Eastern European national costumes, e.g. in the Baltic states. They are officially allowed as formal dress for both men and women and can be found in many national romantic paintings. The royal family and members of the government are also often seen wearing bunad. On May 17th you get a good opportunity to study them, as they appear in thousands in the parades and festivities on the National Day.
The bunad has been standardized for different parts of the country, but still quite a few "inofficial" variants exist and can be seen often. There are probably at least 200 different bunads. The official version is very expensive (around 15 000-30 000 NOK - approximately 3000-6000 USD), but the inofficial ones are "only" half this price. In addition, special silver jewelry is used, special shoes and so on. You can even buy a matching umbrella.
The association promoting the standardisations (nicknamed "the bunad police") is known to be very strict, there was once a story in the papers about an American tourist wanting to buy a bunad scarf, but was denied this as she could not prove that she originated from the part of Norway the bunad belonged to! You can read more about the history and the different costumes in this Wiki article.
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 May 17th is celebrated by different groups for different reasons. High school graduate students celebrate as part of their graduation (although the exams aren't actually over), children love the ice cream and singing, seniors and veterans remember the war and liberation. In 1814 Norway was still the subordinate part of the Swedish-Norwegian Union, but the Nationalist waves in Europe were also present in Norway, and on May 17th a constitution proclaiming Norway as an independent nation was signed (read all about it in this Wiki article).
The celebration of the national day gradually grew into what we associate whith it today, namely parades, marching bands and national costumes.
It all starts a couple of weeks before. The streets are cleaned, a sure sign of spring and May 17th approaching. I wonder how many cars actually get towed off during this process ... Then there is some occasional painting and mending work, flowers are put up and on the actual day there are flags everywhere. It is quite an impressive sight standing at Egertorget and looking down the parade street (Karl Johan) up to the Royal Palace. Already around 8 am the streets are filled with people, all wearing their finest clothes or a national costume. There is folk dancing in the streets, followed by a short, but impressive military parade with the Royal Guard (follow them until they stop for the second time, and you're in for a couple of surprises). Then there are some different marching bands playing (mostly the national anthem and other traditional songs, but also other music). Around 10 am the children's parades start, they go down the parade street and up to the palace, where the royal family stands on the balcony, waving. Many schools have their bands with them in the parade, and there is singing and cheering all the way up to the palace. Around 3 pm you might witness the graduate students' ("russ") parade, which is quite often cancelled by the police because they have partied all night and are usually rather loud and get up to all sorts of mischief, which is also part of the tradition. When the parades are finished, the crowds usually dissolve and people just walk around enjoying the day. Eating hot dogs and ice cream is essential, and at the primary schools there are usually games and prizes for the children. Restaurants and cafes are usually packed, so it is a good idea to find a place outside the city centre if you are in a group and want to have dinner. Around 6 pm you have the chance to learn some proper Norwegian folk dancing for free on University square just before yoy walk the last stretch up to the palace. But be sure to have some Norwegians with you to get the most out of it, as the instructions usually are in Norwegian only. And be careful, it's very easy to trip and fall over!
The evening is usually spent having a barbecue with friends and family.
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