Congratulations Norway!

The Norwegian Constitution Day (commonly referred to simply as the seventeenth of May) is an official holiday every year. The celebration is to commemorate the signing of the Norwegian constitution in 1814, which declared Norway to be an independent nation. The most striking features of the celebration are all the parades, marching bands, people in national costumes, flags, hot dogs and ice cream.

There are parades all over Norway on 17th May, many of which are broadcasted on Norwegian TV. They mainly consist of children, and the largest parade, first introduced in 1870, is the one marching the streets of Oslo and past the Royal Palace. This year it will consist of children, teachers and marching bands from 109 elementary and secondary schools. Each school has it's own banner, the children carry flags, sing the national anthem and other songs associated with the celebration. The only military element of the day, is the performances by the Royal Guard's drill squad and marching band. And ever since 1906, except during the war years, the Royal Family have been greeting the children's parade in Oslo from their main balcony.

As hundreds of thousands of people join the festivities in the city, there are usually many stalls around selling waffles, hot dogs, ice cream and sodas. It is also common to meet up with friends and family for brunch during the day, eating salmon, cured meats, scrambled eggs, salads, strawberries, cakes etc. And if the weather allows it, many people choose to BBQ.

As mentioned above, there are many people wearing the national costume on the Norwegian Constitution Day. They might look slightly old fashioned, but personally I think they're quite cool, and feel fabulous the times I get to borrow my mom's bunad (I haven't got one of my own as they are hand made, decorated with gold and silver jewellery, and therefor are quite expensive)! There's a great variety of styles, representing all the different parts of Norway. I've included a photo of my sister and me wearing bunads from the part of Norway where my mom's from (an my brother wearing a suit that's way too big for him). There are bunads for men as well, but they seem to be less common, at least in the city. However, as you can see from the photo, Crown Prince Haakon, his son and step son all have bunads. Crown Princess Mette-Marit and Princess Ingrid Alexandra, are wearing a different bunad designs than the one my sister and I are wearing.

Last year, this day was celebrated in Britten House with Norwegian hot dogs, Norwegian beer, Norwegian chocolate, pancakes and ice cream. This year, I haven't got any Norwegian foods or drinks, but will be celebrating with my flag and some red, white and blue Seventeenth of May-decorations.

I wish everyone a great day, whether you're celebrating Norway or not!

Una,

UEA Norwegian Student Ambassador

Ps. Only 12 days left until the final of the Eurovision Song Contest, which is hosted by Norway who won last year. Saturday 29th May, “Bar b4 LCR” will be showing Eurovision on the big screen.