Buekorps
The Buekorps in Bergen emerged in the mid-19th century as children’s imitation of their fathers’ civic guard through play, drill, music, and role-playing. They were Norway’s first youth organizations. The tradition is entirely driven by and for children and young people, and knowledge is passed on through oral learning and
practical participation. Participation usually begins around the age of seven and continues into young adulthood. For more than 170 years, the buekorps have created community, friendship, democratic participation, and a sense of belonging for generations of young people.
About the tradition and knowledge
Buekorps is a living tradition in which children and young people organize themselves into their own corps with uniforms, drums, banners, wooden rifles, and drill exercises. The tradition is based on oral transmission and practical learning, where older members teach younger ones through long-term participation. Knowledge of commands, marching, drumming, discipline, organization, rituals, and social norms is learned through practice and community rather than formal instruction.
The activities mainly take place during the spring, especially in the months leading up to Norway’s Constitution Day on May 17, although many buekorps also organize activities throughout the rest of the year. The corps march through the streets and neighborhoods of Bergen, arrange drills, performances, competitions, and participate in public ceremonies and local traditions. Springtime and the national celebrations are the most important periods for the activity.
Participation primarily requires a Buekorps community, usually connected to a specific neighborhood, and older members who can pass on the tradition. Uniforms, drums, banners, signal instruments, and wooden rifles are important material elements, but the most important foundation is the social community and the continuous transfer of knowledge between children and youth.
The Buekorps are closely connected to specific social environments and local communities. Each corps has a strong connection to its neighborhood and functions as a social community where children and young people develop friendship, belonging, responsibility, and leadership. The tradition is unique in that it is run entirely by children and young people themselves, completely without direction from adults. Through democratic elections, the members choose their own leaders and distribute roles and responsibilities within the corps.
17.mai i Bergen 2025
17.mai i Bergen 2025
17.mai i Bergen 2025
Knowledge transfer
The transmission of knowledge in the Buekorps traditionally takes place through oral tradition and practical participation over time. There is no common standard shared by all Buekorps, and there are significant differences between the corps regarding rituals, commands, drill exercises, organization, uniform traditions, and social practices. Each Buekorps has its own culture and identity, which is passed down internally between generations of active members.
What all corps have in common is that knowledge is learned gradually through active participation. New members observe and learn from older participants during drills, marches, gatherings, and social activities. The youngest members begin with simple tasks and gradually take on greater responsibility as they grow older and rise through the ranks. Full understanding of the traditions, leadership roles, commands, and organization is normally achieved only after many years of active participation.
The transfer of knowledge is largely based on experience and practice rather than formal education. Historically, little of the tradition has been written down, and much of the knowledge exists only through active practice. Continuous participation and steady recruitment from all age groups are therefore essential to maintaining the tradition. When older members leave, responsibility and knowledge are passed on to younger participants who gradually assume roles within the corps.
The tradition is unique in that this learning takes place almost exclusively between children and young people, entirely without adult direction. This makes continuous recruitment and participation particularly important for the survival and continuation of the element.
Historical background
The Buekorps in Bergen emerged in the mid-19th century as children’s imitation of the adults’ civic guards and military organization. Children and young people organized themselves into their own corps with banners, drums, wooden rifles, uniforms, and drill exercises, inspired by the military ideals of the time and the strong sense of neighborhood community in the city’s districts. The activity was closely connected to play, role-playing, and the desire to imitate adult authority and defense structures — not unlike today’s cosplay phenomenon.
Many central elements of the tradition have been preserved to this day. The buekorps still march through the streets, use uniforms, drums, banners, and commands, and organize themselves with elected leaders and ranks. The tradition is still entirely driven by the young participants themselves, and knowledge is still
primarily transmitted through oral learning and practical participation over time.
At the same time, both society and the purpose of the tradition have changed significantly. The original connection to civic guards and military ideals has disappeared. Today, the buekorps are primarily about community, friendship, identity, belonging, and meaningful leisure activities for children and young people.
The tradition functions as a social and cultural meeting place across backgrounds and neighborhoods.
The Buekorps have also evolved along with society. Participation is now open to all genders, and the tradition includes children and young people from diverse social and cultural backgrounds. Immigrant communities make up an increasingly larger part of the buekorps movement. Inclusion and diversity are central elements of the movement. Although the historical expressions and rituals have been preserved,
their meaning has shifted from military inspiration to a living cultural tradition and youth movement with strong local identity and social value.
Plan for preservation
The continuation of the Buekorps movement depends entirely on continuous recruitment and active participation among children and young people. The tradition survives only through living practice, where knowledge, responsibility, and belonging are gradually transferred from older to younger members through many years of participation.
In today’s society, there is less awareness of the importance of communities with vertical age structures, where younger and older participants learn from one another over time. At the same time, the Buekorps face challenges from the growing range of organized leisure activities and digital arenas. This makes it important to highlight the unique qualities of participation in a buekorps.
The Buekorps are strong social communities where children and young people develop friendship, responsibility, leadership, democratic understanding, and local belonging. For many, the sense of belonging to the community lasts a lifetime, even after active participation has ended. This long-term community is a central part of the tradition’s cultural value.
The safeguarding plan for the element is therefore based on strengthening visibility and understanding of the tradition in society, especially among children, parents, schools, and public authorities.
Recruitment through visibility in local communities, continued use of public spaces, cooperation between the corps, documentation of the traditions, and increased awareness of the cultural and social importance of the buekorps will be important measures to ensure the tradition’s continued vitality.
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