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Norwegian Constitution Day
Norwegian Constitution Day is the national day of Norway and is an official public holiday observed on May 17 each year. Among Norwegians, the day is referred to simply as syttende mai (lit. "seventeenth May"), Nasjonaldagen (The National Day) or Grunnlovsdagen (The Constitution Day), although the latter is less frequent.
- Also calledSyttende mai (bokmål), Syttande mai (nynorsk) or Søttende mai (old) (May 17)
- Observed byNorwegiansTypeNationalSignificance
- Celebrating the signing of the Norwegian Constitution in Eidsvoll, May 17, 1814.
- CelebrationsParades, flags, speechesDateMay 17
- Next time17 May 2019
- FrequencyannualRelated toConstitution of Norway
- Norwegian Constituent Assembly
Union Dissolution Day (7 June)
History
The Constitution of Norway was signed at Eidsvoll on May 17 in the year 1814. The constitution declared Norway to be an independent kingdom in an attempt to avoid being ceded to Sweden after Denmark–Norway's devastating defeat in the Napoleonic Wars.
The celebration of this day began spontaneously among students and others from early on. However, Norway was at that time in a union with Sweden (following the Convention of Moss in August 1814) and for some years the King of Sweden and Norway was reluctant to allow the celebrations. For a few years during the 1820s, King Karl Johan actually banned it, believing that celebrations like this were in fact a kind of protest and disregard — even revolt — against the union. The king's attitude changed after the Battle of the Square in 1829, an incident which resulted in such a commotion that the king had to allow commemorations on the day. It was, however, not until 1833 that public addresses were held, and official celebration was initiated near the monument of former government minister Christian Krohg, who had spent much of his political life curbing the personal power of the monarch. The address was held by Henrik Wergeland, thoroughly witnessed and accounted for by an informant dispatched by the king himself.
After 1864 the day became more established when the first children's parade was launched in Christiania, at first consisting only of boys. This initiative was taken by Bjørnstjerne Bjørnson, although Wergeland made the first known children's parade at Eidsvoll around 1820. It was only in 1899 that girls were allowed to join in the parade for the first time. In 1905, the union with Sweden was dissolved and Prince Carl of Denmark was chosen to be King of an independent Norway, under the name Haakon VII. Obviously, this ended any Swedish concern for the activities of the National Day.
By historical coincidence, the Second World War ended in Norway nine days before that year's Constitution Day, on May 8, 1945, when the occupying German forces surrendered. Even if The Liberation Day is an official flag day in Norway, the day is not an official holiday and is not widely celebrated. Instead, a new and broader meaning has been added to the celebration of Norwegian Constitution Day on May 17
Children's parades
A noteworthy aspect of the Norwegian Constitution Day is its very non-military nature. All over Norway, children's parades with an abundance of flags form the central elements of the celebration. Each elementary school district arranges its own parade with marching bands between schools. The parade takes the children through the community, often making stops at homes of senior citizens, war memorials, etc. The longest parade is in Oslo, where some 100,000 people travel to the city centre to participate in the main festivities. This is broadcast on TV every year, with comments on costumes, banners, etc., together with local reports from celebrations around the country. The massive Oslo parade includes some 100 schools, marching bands, and passes the royal palace where the royal family greet the people from the main balcony.
Typically, a school's children parade will consist of some senior school children carrying the school's official banner, followed by a handful of other older children carrying full size Norwegian flags, and the school's marching band. After the band, the rest of the school children follow with hand-sized flags, often with the junior forms first, and often behind self-made banners for each form or even individual class. Nearby kindergartens may also have been invited to join in. As the parade passes, bystanders often join in behind the official parade, and follow the parade back to the school.
Depending on the community, the parade may make stops at particular sites along the route, such as a nursing home or war memorial. In Oslo the parade stops at the Royal Palace while Skaugum, the home of the crown prince, has been a traditional waypoint for parades in Asker.
During the parade a marching band will play and the children will sing lyrics about the celebration of the National Day. The parade concludes with the stationary singing of the national anthem "Ja, vi elsker dette landet" (typically verses 1, 7 and 8), and the royal anthem "Kongesangen".
In addition to flags, people typically wear red, white and blue ribbons. Although a long-standing tradition, it has lately become more popular for men, women and children to wear traditional outfits, called bunad. The children also make a lot of noise shouting "Hurra!", singing, blowing whistles and shaking rattles.
Additional celebration
All over Norway are memorials to the fallen at wars and to other notable national people honored with speeches and wreaths early in the morning. At many places (like in Oslo) at noon, salute is fired.
In addition to children's parades, there are parades for the public (borgertog), where every citizen is welcome to join in. These are led by marching bands and often local boy scouts and girl guides, local choirs, NGOs etc. This takes place in the early morning or in the afternoon, before or after the school's parade.
All parades begin or end with speeches. Both grown-ups and older children are invited to speak. After the parades, there are games for the children, and often a lot of ice cream, pop, sweets and hot-dogs are consumed.
Russ
The graduating class from videregående (upper secondary school, sixth form) the Norwegian equivalent of high school, known as russ, has its own celebration on May 17, staying up all night and making the rounds through the community. The russ also have their own parades later in the day, usually around 4 or 5 PM. In this parade, russ will parade through the street with their russebil (russ car) carrying signs and pickets. They may parody various local and political aspects, although recently this has become less frequent. Russ parades have lately become smaller and smaller due to diligent police discouragement.
Celebration across the country
The Constitution Day is celebrated in most small settlements and larger towns across Norway, with many variations.
- In Oslo, children from all the city's schools gather to parade past the Royal Palace, where they and the Royal Family exchange waves and greetings.
- In the municipality of Asker, outside Oslo, the children gather outside the residence of the throne heir at Skaugum Estate in the morning (giving the Prince and his family time to attend the parade in Oslo later in the day).
- Bergen has its own traditions for the parade, including comic troupes, various local organizations, a children's parade, and the unique buekorps.
- In Trondheim, children from all the city's schools parade the streets of Trondheim in the morning. Later in the afternoon, the "Citizens Parade" (Borgertoget) starts. This is a parade where firefighters, sports teams, students associations and other associations are represented.
- In Kristiansand, in addition to parades of schoolchildren and citizens earlier that day, the city is known for the conclusion of the National Day with dancing in the streets ("Tapto") and spectacular fireworks. For those who want to continue the party until midnight, a trad jazz band with local touches plays until midnight in front of the Christiansholm Fortress (Free entrance).
In addition to the children's parades the streets across the country are filled with young and old, turning out in festive attire, and vendors selling ice cream, hot dogs, and lately, kebabs.
Although May 17 is the National Day, foreigners are welcome to join in with all activities.
Celebration abroad
Syttende Mai is also celebrated in many Norwegian immigrant communities throughout the world, with traditional foods, sometimes including lutefisk. In the United States and Canada, the local lodges of the Sons of Norway often play a central part in organizing the festivities.
The Bay Ridge neighborhood in Brooklyn, New York City has had an annual 17 May Parade and celebration since 1952. It is well-attended and celebrated by Norwegian-Americans who immigrated to Brooklyn in the early 20th century.
One major celebration occurs in Petersburg, Alaska also known as "Little Norway". The town is a Norwegian settlement and strongly retains its roots. The festival occurs the weekend closest to May 17 and includes a parade, Leikarring dancers, herring toss, Norwegian pastries such as lefse and even a pack of Vikings and Valkyries.
Another major Syttende Mai celebration occurs in Stoughton, Wisconsin which, along with Seattle, Washington, claims to be the 2nd largest in the world, and the largest in the U.S. Festivities include canoe racing, two parades, an art fair, a 20-mile run that starts in Madison, Wisconsin, and a great deal of bratwurst consumption. The festival features the Stoughton High School Norwegian Dancers, a group that tours the country showcasing traditional ethnic dances of Scandinavia.
Smaller Syttende Mai celebrations are held in Norwegian-heritage communities throughout western Wisconsin, Minnesota, and elsewhere in the Midwestern United States. Members of Norway's Parliament Storting travel to Chicago to attend a three-day celebration consisting of a concert, banquet and parade hosted by the Norwegian National League.[10]Spring Grove, Minnesota also hosts a 3-day festival on the weekend nearest to Syttende Mai, while nearby Decorah, Iowa, the home of Nordic Fest and the Vesterheim Norwegian-American Museum, also hosts a parade. Syttende Mai is also celebrated in Oswego, New York. Since 1969, the city of Westby in western Wisconsin has celebrated a four-day festival featuring authentic Norwegian foods, crafts, a "frokost" and Norwegian church service.
Other large celebrations are held in the Ballard neighborhood of Seattle, Washington, (which also claims to be the largest Syttende Mai parade outside of Oslo) Poulsbo, Washington, and Bay Ridge, Brooklyn. Epcot's Norwegian Pavilion in Florida, celebrates Constitution Day with numerous flags around the pavilion, as well as parades around the World Showcase Lagoon. Salt Lake City, Utah, holds its annual celebration at the International Peace Gardens where 400-700 people attend each year.
The Norwegian community in London holds a May 17 celebration each year in Southwark Park. The celebration is attended by a large number of Norwegians abroad, and includes a small parade, a traditional service in the church, and the selling of traditional Norwegian foods such as Solo and makrell i tomat, and a lot of Norwegian flags for Norwegians who have left theirs at home. The occasional Russ has also attended the parade.
In Orkney, Scotland, 17. May is celebrated by the Orkney Norway Friendship Association in recognition of the islands' strong historic links with Norway, with similar celebrations taking place in neighbouring Shetland.
In Glasgow, Scotland, the 17th of May is celebrated at Murano Street Student Village where Norwegian students and their friends congregate to enjoy the traditional festivities of the day. This includes the wearing of Norwegian traditional colours as well as the consumption of copious amounts of alcoholic beverages.
Stockholm, Sweden, has a big celebration with a parade starting at Engelbrektsplan and ending at Skansen, in which more than 10,000 participate every year. The event includes Stockholm's only dedicated 17. May marching band, Det Norske Korps.
It is also common for Norwegians living abroad to gather and celebrate. In some countries, typically where the population of Norwegian expatriates is small, the Norwegian embassy or the diplomats' spouses arrange the event.
In New Zealand the 17th of May is celebrated in Fiordland, a small piece of Norway in the fjords and mountains of southwest New Zealand. All Fjordland buildings are made of eucaliptus and are inspired by Norwegian architecture. They have an exposition of photos and facts about Norway, typical food, and a presentation with six Fjord Horses making a choreography with Norwegian music Vi på Langedrag by Sigmund Groven.
