Follow up: May 17th

It's a little late (nearly a month) but I thought i'd quickly post up some pictures of 17th may around the world :)
you don't have to be in Norway to celebrate, there was celebrations in Australia, Singapore, America and even Brasil!

May 17 - Norwegian National Day

Syttende mai (17th of May) is nearly upon us, in other words, Norwegian National Day!

This is probably one of (if not the) biggest days in Norway, filled with parades and alcohol, flags and food. It celebrates the signing of the Constitution of Norway on May 17, 1814. It is the second oldest single-document constitution in the world (and first in Europe). In Oslo, the parades go past the Royal Palace where Norwegians see the King (Harald V) and the Queen (Sonja) of Norway.

Children's parade in front of the Royal Palace in Oslo

The day is primarily focused by parades, though typically has no military marches, the parades are citizens, dressed in the national outfit (the bunad) and waving Norwegian flags. Marching bands play music and the National and Royal anthems (Ja, vi elsker dette landet and Kongesangen respectively) are usually sung, childrens marches tend to occur in the morning followed by speeches, and so on. There is even a march from the Royal Guard. The celebrations can go all day, with vendors selling food along the street for the hungry Norwegians running around waving flags all day.

The day is commonly ended with family celebrations, sometimes including the extended family, for large dinners and perhaps, drinking. It is a big celebration and some towns have their own changes to the celebrations, but one thing you can be sure of is that Norwegian flags will be present everywhere.

I told you it was a big day

Russefeiring!

As you may or may not know, Russ is coming up. For those who don't know, it typically starts around the 1st of May (with many preparing earlier, by spending 1.5 million kroner on a bus) and ends on Norwegian National day (which will have a separate post) on the 17th of May. You probably have somewhat similar celebrations in your own country, but nothing can compare to Russ. Everyone gets dressed up in colours, overalls, and hats, usually with a certain colour dictating their area of further study (the most common is usually red - referring to higher education). I suppose this is not enough to set Russ apart from other high school graduation celebrations however, but what does is that Russ (an interesting word, both singular in referring to the celebration, and plural in referring to Russ - the students that are attending Russ) has many traditions, quirks, and of course, as you saw in the link above, buses, vans, cars and so on decorated with Norwegian colours, Russ colours and usually decked out with lighting, sound systems, TV's and who knows what else. A lot of effort can be put into a russebuss.

There is many other parts both during Russ and leading up to it that make it an event like no other in the world, typical of a high school graduation celebration of course, there is lots of alcohol, sex, loud music and everything else you can imagine. There is too much to type about here, so i'll provide some links, some pictures, and some quick dot points on the interesting bits about Russ celebrations...

• Russ make "russekort" (russ cards) which are fake business cards, usually funny, offensive, and anything in between, which they hand out to eachother, and pretty much anyone that asks. They also commonly get asked by kids for their Russ cards, which previously led to some parents having issues, so now some Russ carry around 2 sets, a kids set and a more vulgar 'real' set (though I haven't seen this myself, I've also never checked).  I might get some examples later and post them up.
• Russ are traditionally required to wear their russ outfit for the entire 1st-17th, without removing them, cleaning them etc etc. except for sleeping. As you can imagine, it smells after a while, with so much drinking, dancing, sweating etc. 
• an interesting thing about Russ are Russknuter, which are items (usually useless miscellaneous items) which are tied into a tassel on the russ hats, from doing different tasks - I think this facebook group sums it up adequately, http://www.facebook.com/note.php?note_id=67512513113 (some of these have received critisism every year, for being stupid, illegal, dangerous, etc. etc.) there is pretty much an infinite amount of russ knots. 

And now i can't be bothered coming up with anything else so, here's a wiki link and an aftenposten link and some pictures following:

A big russebuss

A good photo to show an example of the russ overalls and hat

As I'm sure you can imagine, there's tons of Russ pictures out there, you just have to look. Most of which are a little X rated to post here!

Norway? More like Snoreway!

(you'll have to forgive me for the spacing of images - I wasn't sure how to make it right, so rather than play with it just left it as is)

The other night I was with a friend who said "Why would anyone want to come to Norway, what's in Norway?"

And I suppose for some people cold dark winters and relatively mild short summers aren't their thing, along with many of the social and cultural aspects of Norway. There are many aspects about Norway some may not like, living here. For example, night life is not as big as it is in other countries, and all alcohol stores are state run, and close on Sundays and after certain times (meaning most people forward think it). To most people, Norway is probably boring. This happens to be an opinion offered by Norwegians themselves (possibly more than foreigners even), especially when it comes to Oslo, which many Norwegians apparently consider one of the most boring cities in Europe.

So, I suppose the point of this is to give some reasons to visit Norway...

 1. Geirangerfjorden:
Actually, just fjords in general. They are all around the entire Norwegian coastline, spanning many many kilometers, of dramatic, beautiful, untouched scenery. There is not many other countries where you will see as spectacular a sight as this.

2. Aurora Borealis and the Midnight Sun:
Norway is often called the "land of the midnight sun" though I'm unsure why, since you can experience this in all of the extreme North. Essentially, it is the time when the sun doesn't go below the horizon during the summer. Very beautiful, but I prefer what happens in the winter - Auroras. This is something of which you cannot describe which is amazing to see, and cannot be experienced in many other places.

3. Trondheim:
This is one of the best 'cities' in Norway, with some of the most amazing history, many old buildings and some of the best cultural things to see and do (and eat). Anyone visiting Norway should visit Trondheim.

4. Bryggen:
Bryggen in Bergen is a UNESCO World Heritage Site, a part of 'old Bergen' along the wharf, with lots of preserved buildings, and lots of history. The city of Bergen itself is also worth an extended visit, as it has many museums, cafes and so on.

5. Flåmsbana:
The Flåm train line runs through multiple small towns in Norway, and is incredibly scenic, passing through steep mountains, with many breathtaking waterfalls and cliffs. It is a very popular tourist attraction, and for good reason. Such sites cannot be seen elsewhere.

6. Preikestolen:
Near the town of Stavanger, this is also a popular tourist attraction, and a national icon, of sorts. It is also called the pulpit rock in English, and overlooks the Lysefjord. It's a small hike up there, but the view is always worth it.







7. Vega Islands:
This is another UNESCO WHS in Norway. It is about halfway along the western coastline of Norway, North of Trondheim, and is a series of many small Islands, dotted with old fishing towns. Many of the towns in the area are very scenic, and the islands themselves are also very beautiful. There is many pictures of this area around, but I don't think any capture it well enough. My favorite part of the area is Lofoten (not quiet in the same location, but very nearby).

8. Vikings:
...and other viking-related things. Throughout Norway there is a lot of Viking history, many museums, many old stave churches, and remnants of the forefathers of the country. It is something which Norwegians are quiet proud of, and eager to show to visitors, and something which is deeply embedded in society and culture. It is also probably one of the main reasons most people would want to visit Norway, apart from the nature.




I suppose 9 & 10 would be Women and Food, respectively, but i'm too lazy to talk about that. Perhaps another time.