Constitution Day In Norway May 17th

Story by Vivienne Mackie

photos by Jane Ognedal & Harald Clausen(Stavanger),

Oyvind E. Haga (Tromso)

Written by Vivienne Mackie, as told to her by Monica A. Olsen. Monica has a unique perspective on this holiday, as she comes from Tromso, in north Norway, about 500 km north of the Arctic Circle. Some images by Jane Ognedal and Harald Claussen of Stavanger, Norway, and some by Øyvind E. Haga of Tromso, Norway. Thanks to them all.

On May 17, every school child in Norway is happy because this is the greatest national holiday—the day when the constitution was signed in 1814. The celebrating and parades start early in the day. "It's a day for everyone, but the focus is on children. The parade is called the '17 maitog', and we think it's the first sign of spring. In Oslo there will be lilacs, but in Tromso it may still be snowing. It is a day of singing."

The biggest parade is in Oslo, the capital, led by more than 30,000 children. Crowds of spectators line the flag-draped streets, and most people carry a small flag, a red banner with blue and white crosses. The space in front of the royal palace is for children from the city hospitals, and the whole parade is also televised for old or sick people to watch.

As brass bands and lines and lines of marchers go past the palace, they look up and smile. On a balcony above, the king and the royal family smile and wave back. The musicians have bright blue, red, or green band uniforms. The children are in their best clothes or colorfully embroidered regional costumes. Children like to be in the school orchestra, "like my friend Rune, who played the tuba.” Next in line are the students, "the Russ," who will graduate in June from the gymnasia, (the senior high schools). They wear red or blue overalls and scarlet caps with long blue tassels and carry bamboo canes. As they pass the royal family the students cheer and twirl their caps in the air on the ends of the canes. They are very happy and proud to be finishing school, and have been having a long party since May 1.

Trade unions and other organizations follow the students. Often they have brightly decorated cars and floats as part of the parade. Everyone is waving flags.

Though this parade is the biggest, every town and village has a parade of its own, with bands, children marching, and flags. Many of the marchers will have their special regional costume, called a bunad. Anyone who knows the different patterns can tell which part of Norway a girl comes from by her costume. "I remember feeling very cold, because mostly the costumes are made from cool materials. There's a strict dress code, that we can't add anything, not even a jacket, and certainly not makeup, an umbrella, or other jewelry. The costumes have lots of embroidery and silver and a big 'sølje' [a silver jewelry needle].”

After the parades, each neighborhood has its own celebration in the afternoon. Children who are too little to join in the long school parade march near their homes. They wave flags and sing the national anthem of Norway:

"Norway, thine is our devotion

Land of hearth and home,

Rising storm-scarred o'er the ocean,

Where the breakers foam."

At the back of this children's parade, mothers push baby strollers and fathers carry toddlers on their shoulders. Then everyone goes to a park or field to listen to speeches by the mayor; one of the children is elected to give a speech. People sing patriotic songs and cheer for the king and country on this national day. Afterwards, there'll be a wonderful picnic with games, jumping contests, and fun races. Kids eat ice cream—in the old days that wasn't so common)—as well as cotton candy and hot dogs bought from street stands.

In the evening there is usually a feast in the village hall with music and folk dancing, which usually gets very loud and excited, or friends get together for a party in the evening. Monica remembers the routine in Tromso: "Professor Blix, the head of our department, invites us all, including our families, for breakfast at 9 pm. He has a party for the whole (university) department and all their families. He wears a big hat and a black coat and fires off a canon at 9pm sharp then raises the Norwegian flag. They have a long table with flags in his living room, and there's a traditional feast, of seagull eggs, local beer (MACK-ØL), many herring dishes, and lots of aquavita. They play famous marches and we shout 'hoorah', then sing department songs, and the national anthem while we salute the king and take our hats off.

“After coffee and cake, at 11 pm there's a children's parade outside on a hill. The adults shout 'hip hip hoorah.' Later we go to the harbor, where the Arctic Club built the Arctic Museum. They own a boat called the Polar Star, a wooden sailing vessel they're now turning into a museum in a glass enclosure. It is decorated with flags and open to the public on that day. We serve coffee and waffle cakes, and people can talk to some of the old sealers. It's normally freezing cold, so we tend to end up inside in cafes, or at home. It's a very special day.”

Waffle cakes: These are made with eggs, sour milk, a little salt and cardamom, and flour, then fried in a special waffle iron. When still warm, add butter and two slices of sweet sticky brown goat cheese, a little strawberry jam, and sour cream.

Seagull eggs: We buy these in a shop, but some people go out and collect them themselves. Seagulls only lay eggs when it's warmer and they can nest. If spring is late it may be hard to get enough eggs. Boil the eggs at least 10 minutes, as they are quite big. Then cut in half with the shell still on. We leave the shell because it's so beautiful, a mottled brown, black, and green. The egg white is actually blue-white and is very jelly-ish. The yolk can be red (if the seagull ate crustaceans) or yellow (if it ate fish). Then add fresh onion, sour cream, and herring. Delicious!

Herring: We have many ways to prepare herring, but these two are very popular:

1. Mustard herring

Mix a large spoon of sweet mustard, 2 large spoons soy oil, 1½ small spoons of sugar with small cup of mayonnaise. Add 1½ cups cream, 3 large spoons chopped beetroot, 1 large spoon chopped picked cucumber, and 6 herring filets cut into 2 cm pieces. Decorate with cucumber or parsley.

2. Sherry herring

Cut 4 large herring filets into 2 cm pieces. Cut half a red onion in thin slices, then layer the herring and onion in a pretty glass bowl. Grind fresh black pepper on top. Warm 2 spoons sherry (don't boil) and pour over the herring. Leave in the fridge overnight.

Check out the Stavanger web site http://kub.stavanger.kommune.no/ramsvik/17mai/ (and click on English version)

Also www.destinasjontromso.no for information on Tromso and www.norway.org/may17 for celebrations of May 17 in the United States (for example, in Washington DC; Miami, Florida; Brooklyn, New York; New Orleans, Louisiana; Houston, Texas; St Louis, Missouri).