May 17th is Constitution Day in Norway. It is a special day for Norwegians, including those of Norwegian decent like my family.
I remember celebrating as a child at our local Sons of Norway lodge in Portland Oregon. There was flag waving, dancing, the wearing of rational costumes and lots of food.
So…you can imagine what a thrill it was to be in Norway for the Syttende Mai this year and soak in all the sights and sounds of the day. It truly is an experience of a lifetime and one I will never forget. The weather was perfect which made the day even more amazing. The warm weather brought out the young and the old…everyone dresses up…in the traditional costumes, dresses, suits and ties.
We noticed that there are no lawn chairs, coolers or blankets. Everyone just walks around visiting and watching the 3 hour long parade. Even my husband who is not a parade lover enjoyed the celebration.
Enjoy!
They are off to the parade!
The parade route!
This bunad (traditional costume) is from Hallingdal which is where some of my ancestors are from.
Even the babies dress up and get their picture taken!
Our sisters serving in Oslo…
and the elders…
The parade route from the palace….
The Royal Family comes out to wave at the crowd. Everyone sings Ja, vi elsker dette landet (Yes, We Love This Land of Ours) and the parade begins!
Everyone loves getting their picture taken…
The bunad on the left is the bunad that my mother had from Hallingdal.
These are the Hunts. They have been living/working in Frankfurt and are heading back to Utah. They traveled through Norway and we were lucky enough to have them to dinner and then see them again at the parade. Our paths have crossed many times over the years. It was a perfect day for them to see Oslo.
I love the embroidery on all the bunads!
Selfie stick…
I love the size of some of the drummers!
These girls stopped us in the park and asked us to take a picture for them and then we asked if we could have one too….so fun!
When we were all paraded out…we returned to the mission home for some food and fun. We were joined by some of the missionaries around Oslo.
President Hill sharing some of his mission stories….
Elder Mitchell had a little too much sun! I had even reminded everyone to wear sunscreen…
The sisters…Sister Wadley does not really know how to play the ukulele 🙂
Catching a blueberry that she had thrown way up in the air….and the celebration after!
At the end of the day we enjoyed an evening walk through the neighborhood to the fjord…
7 comments. Leave new
Love This! Thank you for sharing.
These pics are fun! Thanks for sharing! Our Dani said the celebration was awesome and she feels so grateful to be serving to Oslo area and able to experience it. She also said the food and company was great! Thanks for taking care of our missionary!❤️❤️
I can see Grandma Evy grinning from ear to ear in heaven! This makes me want to plan my trip back in May so I can experience it. What great pictures! Love you mom!
Hurrah for Syttende Mai.
What a wonderful celebration to be part of with all of your ancestry there. We wish we had planned to be there with you for the fun! That would be a great time for your family to come over next year.
Have you chosen which Bunad you are wearing home? I can’t wait to see? Might take you two more years to decide 😉
Quynn said that was an AMAZING celebration! Thank you so much for the beautiful photo’s and giving us a sense of the festivities of the day. We love Norway and all of you wonderful missionaries. Thanks for taking such great care of them!