When I used to think of Norway, I used to think of salty licorice [which is exactly how it sounds], some lovely Norwegian girls who were my neighbors when I lived in Melbourne, and the author Roald Dahl [who I am pretty sure is actually of Norwegian descent]. But then, last year Caroline, Robert and I had our chance to visit, and it was amazing! We got to visit right on their Constitution Day [which is exactly as it sounds] and basically join in on the joyous celebrations.
I guess all the way back in the day, Norway signed their very own constitution which declared them independent from Sweden on May 17th, 1814. Even though Norway’s true and complete independence from Sweden didn’t happen until 1905, the date “May 17th” has always been Norway’s big celebration of their independence as a nation, and the signing of their very own constitution – and a big celebration it surely is! We quickly learned that the celebrations commonly consist of getting dressed up in traditional Norwegian ‘bunad‘ [which is traditional rural clothing or more modern folk costumes], and taking to the streets with flags and loud cries of ‘hurra!’ on their way to the Royal Palace in Oslo for a little wave at the Royal Family [and may be a wave back]. It is apparently also a day when any Norwegian child can eat as many ice-creams as they so desire … (although, it seems the adults jump in on this little ritual themselves…)
Basically, the way experiencing this day plays out to a foreigner is like this: a bunch of extremely tall and attractive, well-dressed Norwegian folks [who all look like JCrew models] full of jolly, ice-cream, and some form of alcohol, storm the streets in good cheer, and everyone is happy with everyone. Even if you are foreigners, like we were – everyone just gets to join in! It was rad.
So today, we take a moment to salute Norway and say, “Well done! We love that you are awesome and independent and so good looking! Thanks for letting us eat all the ice-cream we wanted, too!” 😉 And, another moment to send love to our friends … Jason + Karen, Gunhild + Joakim, Margrete + Havard … you guys were just lovely to us, and we enjoyed every second we spent with you all! Cheers!
[Be sure to check out the fantastic video at the end of the post, shot by our partner-in-Team Yes, Robert, and take a look below for some additional shots we nabbed in Norway!] Happy Weekend! xx
Norwegian Constitution Day with TeamYES from Robert Ingraham on Vimeo.
