This is absolutely the time of year when the scenery in Norway is at

This is absolutely the time of year when the scenery in Norway is at its most spectacular!
Trees and flowers waking to life, snow melting from mountain tops and orchards of
flowering fruit trees stimulating your senses...There are several public holidays during this
period, and Norwegians make full use of them to celebrate the end of winter.
This year it will be 200 years since the Norwegian Constitution was signed at Eidsvoll.
Numerous events will take place around the country with the objective of enhancing
knowledge about the Constitution and highlighting its historical and contemporary
significance. Don’t miss the celebration!
BICENTENARY OF EUROPE’S OLDEST CONSTITUTION
The Norwegian Constitution (Kongeriget Norges
Grundlov) of May 17, 1814 occupies a special place in
Norwegian History. Not only did it lay the foundations
for democratic development, it was also instrumental in
providing Norway with status as an independent
country.
Constituent Assembly at Eidsvoll 1814 by
Oscar Wergeland, Stortingsarkivet
After 400 years under Danish rule, the hasty formation of a Norwegian Constitution must be
viewed as a strategic move to liberate the country, perhaps more than a wish to embrace
democratic principles. Nevertheless, the 112 men in the Constituent Assembly produced one
of the most liberal constitutions in the world at the time. Inspired by the United States
Declaration of Independence and the French Constitution, the Norwegian constitution was
crafted around three principles: separation of powers, the safeguarding of civil rights and
parliamentarianism. The country’s leading representatives – all men – who took part in the
Constituent Assembly in 1814 had learned from what had gone wrong in other countries.
This is probably one of the main reasons why the Norwegian Constitution has endured for so
long.
The Norwegian Constitution has been amended more than 400 times since 1814, but not
withstanding this, is considered to be the same working document. This makes it Europe’s
oldest written constitution still in operation. After an overall linguistic revision in 1903, the
language of the Constitution has basically remained unaltered, still retaining a conservative
19th century Danish, and the 1903 norm is still used when changes to the Constitution are
proposed.
Source: Our Amazing Norway, Winter/Spring 2014
CHILDREN’S DAY IN NORWAY
On May 17, it is the colorful procession of children with
their banners, flags and Marching bands – not military
parades – that play the main role. The day is celebrated
with enthusiasm all over Norway – each place having its
own small variations.
Another distinctive characteristic that contributes to making this a unique day, is all the
beautiful bunads or national costumes that more and more Norwegians wear on the day.
There are hundreds of different ones, each more colorful than the other. It is not unusual to
see bunads from all over the country, as residents and visitors alike proudly wear the
costume associated with the region their family comes from.
Everywhere celebrations start early, so don’t be surprised if you get woken up at 7am or
8am by the local marching band’s banging their drums. In Kongsberg you will experience
canon salutes at 7am.
Parades, concerts, talks and general merrymaking are the order of the day. This is a truly
special time to be in Norway, and you should by all means join in with the locals. But don’t
expect to get much else done that day – shops and offices are closed on May 17. If you are
driving, bear in mind that the center of most cities and towns will be off limits, and traffic
jams are likely.
FOOD
May 17 is a busy day for most Norwegians and this influences the menu chosen for the day.
While hot dogs and ice cream are popular among children (it is said that kids are allowed to
eat as much ice cream and hot dogs they want to on May 17), adults often serve cured meat
and sausages as well as the traditional smoked salmon and scrambled eggs. A lot of people
also have barbecues in the evening on the 17th of May. Many schools and individual families
host breakfast parties before the start of the procession.
BUNAD
Like most folk costumes, the Norwegian bunads are a throwback to the everyday clothing of
the past. Bunads, however, have not retained their original utilitarian simplicity, but have
evolved to a wide range of costumes, varying in style, cut, coloring and accessories,
according to the locale traditions and the skills and tastes of their makers. Almost every area
of the country has its own style.
In the 19th century, manufactured cloth and garments
replaced home-made products. The growing cities
weakened the bonds to rural roots and emigration took its
toll. The bunad seemed doomed to extinction, when it was
single-handedly rescued by author Hulda Garborg. With
her fellow city dwellers, Garborg saw a need for preserving
the traditions slowly being ‘smothered’ in the cities.
th
The royal family wearing their bunads on 17 of May.
In the late 1890s she started a leikarring - a folk dance group in Oslo. Folk dances should, of
course, be done in folk costumes, which led Garborg to compile the first anthology of
bunads, published in 1903. It was a best-seller. Garborg and one of her dancers started the
folk dance movement that sparked the bunad-renaissance. Today, the result is that there are
more known types and varieties of bunads than ever before. Some, like those of Setersdal,
until recently one of the more isolated valleys, date back 300 years or more. Others, were
first designed in the late 1940s.
Women’s bunads characteristically have
skirts or dresses of double-shuttle weave
wool, bodices or jackets of contrasting
material over blouses and scarves. Sashes,
purses, ornamental silver and traditional
shoes and stockings complete the costume.
Men’s bunads are three-piece knickerbocker
suits, with matching or contrasting vests,
knee-socks and traditional shoes. It is an
expensive outfit, especially since the jewellery is an important part of the design, and prices
can easily reach NOK 20.000 - 30.000. However, when you have a bunad, you have an outfit
for life and something to pass on from generation to generation.
While the dark suit remains the standard formal attire for men, women still face the
dilemma of what to wear for formal occasions; in Norway, a bunad is always correct.
Norwegians wear their bunad on May 17 and it is also frequently worn for weddings,
christenings and other formal events. The widespread appeal of the bunad is matched by the
ranging opinions on it.
Traditionalists maintain that bunads from a particular district are properly owned and worn
only by persons born and bred there: a bunad should match the dialect of its wearer.
Moderates maintain that correct bunadstyle outweighs the circumstances of its wearer’s
birth and upbringing: anyone can wear a bunad, provided that the style is correct. Whether
or not you are concerned with wearer identity, you may see and buy the real thing at home
crafts and specialist clothing shops.
RUSS – HIGH SCHOOL GRADUATES
It is hard to walk the streets in Norway in April and May, without noticing the Russ in
the streets. At the age of eighteen or nineteen Norwegian students graduate from high
school. In the month leading up to their final exams, which will soon be followed by the
responsibilities of entering university or the working world, they celebrate the end of their
compulsory school years by becoming russ and engaging in crazy “russefeiring”
(russfestivities).
The term “russ” originates from Latin - Cornua Depositurus, meaning “about to put
aside one’s horns”. Dating back to the 1700’s, when there were no universities in
Norway, Norwegians wishing to study at a higher level had to attend the University
of Copenhagen along with Danish students. In order to be enrolled at the university
students were required to take an
examination. On completion of this, horns
were placed
on their foreheads and they were mocked by
senior students. In a ceremony announcing
the results of the exam, students were called
to the examiner. If they had passed, their
horns were removed as a sign of wisdom and
“subjugation of the wild animal within”.
They had now earned the right to call
themselves students!
The russ are instantly recognizable in April and May. They wear baggy bib overalls and a
beret-style cap with a long string hanging from it. This uniform is color coded according to
the subjects the student has studied, such as red for general studies, or blue for economics.
Knots and objects attached to the beret-string are earned by doing something silly or funny
(and quite possibly illegal).
An essential accessory is a mock business card, which bears the individual’s photograph,
name, nickname and a pithy summary of the russ’s opinion on some subject. Russ exchange
such cards for fun and to be remembered by other russ they are introduced to during the
festivities. Having a large collection of other russ’ cards is a status marker, as it is regarded as
a sign of popularity, especially when it comes to cards from members of the opposite sex.
The cards are handed out to all and sundry, and children usually collect and trade them.
For some weeks their wild and noisy behavior is indulged. They have their own parades, with
buses and vans with loud sound systems. The partying culminates on May 17, when the
“russ” parade through town, shouting slogans, blowing whistles, singing, and throwing
water. Soon the final examinations start and life returns to normal...