17. Mai

If you accidentally come to Norway on a sunny Saturday that happens to be the 17th of May, you might get the feeling that you’ve entered Alice’s wonderland, or some other related fairy-tale country. There is nothing ordinary about this day and there is nobody acting as usual. It’s a huge birthday celebration and every single Norwegian is congratulated and congratulates from dusk till dawn (Gratulerer med dagen! :) ). The entire population is on the streets, marching, waving, smiling, admiring, photographing, but most of all “Hurra”-ing (Hipp! Hipp! - Hurrrra! … Hurra! Hurra! Hurraaaa!). Everybody is there, from kindergarten children to pupils, students, musicians, sky divers, gymnasts, dancers, soldiers, skiers, motor drivers, war veterans and even ERASMUS studentsJ, wearing their finest clothes which are most often the traditional “bunads” (to my delight). All in all, it’s a day you should definitely not miss and I’ve had my share in waving the Norwegian flag, taking pictures (check the link as usual), eating ice-cream and watching parades.

Check out wiki fore more info on the 17th of May, Norway's Constitution Day!