From Oz to Oslo

Last Saturday marked our national day Norwegian Constitution Day, commonly referred to as Syttende Mai (meaning Seventeenth of May – very creative!). After hundreds of years of being traded like a baseball card between Sweden and Denmark, Norway declared itself an independent nation when community representatives from across the country signed a constitution on 17 May 1814. Despite Norway’s declarations, it actually remained under Swedish rule until 1905 – though Sweden allowed Norway to function as an independent nation, albeit with a shared king and foreign policy. As such, it was many years after the signing of the constitution that Norway was permitted to fully celebrate the occasion with the festivities it is known for today.

Syttende Mai is unlike national holidays in Australia. Back home, we consider our Australia Day and Anzac Day holidays as any other day off from work, and few people attend the activities put on by the city. In Norway for Syttende Mai, there is a full day of activities, and downtown Oslo is flooded with flags and people in traditional Norwegian dress (the 'bunad'). Most people at least attend the Barnetoget (Children's Parade), in which students from every school in Oslo parade through main street and past the royal palace. As the schools pass the palace, the Norwegian royal family (King Harald, Queen Sonja, Crown-Prince Håkon, Crown-Princess Mette-Marit and their daughter Princess Ingrid Alexandra) wave to them from the palace balconies.

As Syttende Mai is a national holiday, the night before is traditionally a night for parties and going out on the town. It was at a pre-Syttende Mai party last year that I first met my boyfriend’s friends. One friend tried making conversation in terms I would be familiar with, and asked loudly across the table, "So are you looking forward to Happy Norway Day?" All the party guests burst out laughing. Since then, Syttende Mai has been referred to as 'Happy Norway Day' both among my boyfriend’s friends and his family.

However, Syttende Mai this year was not an entirely happy one. Despite a week of warm spring weather, on Saturday we awoke to snow and four-degree temperatures. As I had missed the famous Barnetoget last year, I was determined to attend this time around, and also to glimpse the Norwegian royal family for the first time. We got to the parade early to secure a good spot, though perhaps too early considering that the bad weather brought down attendance: my boyfriend and I stood huddled under our one umbrella for over an hour waiting for the parade to begin, rapidly losing feeling in our fingers and toes. After the royal family finally emerged from within the palace and the first few schools marched past us in a wave of colour and music, we made a 17 May declaration of our own ("It’s too damn cold, let’s go home!"). Once back in the welcome warmth of our apartment, we watched the broadcast of Syttende May celebrations across the country. Later in the day, we went out to my boyfriend’s hometown, and stopped to watch the Citizens Parade featuring the local kindergartens and graduating high school students.

Syttende Mai this year has prompted me to learn more about the history of the day and other national traditions, so perhaps I’ll share these learnings with you in future posts!