Hurra for Syttende mai!

The phrase "highlight of my life" is thrown around all too often and easily these days. I don't mean to use it lightly now, but when I think about my heritage, how important Norway is to me, all the time I've spent dreaming about wearing a bunad, and celebrating Syttende mai (17th of May) in Norway, I think this might qualify. It's a little early to say, but I really think I'll look back on this day and call it a highlight. Certainly a dream fulfilled, to say the least.

So what is Syttende mai? A little history: For a long time Norway was a part of the Swedish and Danish kingdoms. On May 17, 1814, Norway signed its own constitution, though it was still technically under Swedish rule. It wasn't until 1905 that the union with Sweden officially ended, but they celebrate their independence based on their constitution. Yes, the country of Norway as it exists today is actually younger than the US! Syttende mai celebrations became a bigger deal after the liberation from German occupation during WWII, and Norwegians were once again free. So on Syttende mai, Norway celebrates peace and freedom, with a big focus on children as well as the royal family.

Besides the fact that they are completely different holidays, there a few main differences I noticed between the 4th of July and the 17th of May. First of all, everyone dresses for the occasion; whether it be in bunad, dresses, or suits, it is a formal affair. Arriving in your Norwegian flag t-shirt from Old Navy is unacceptable (not that I tried, but I wouldn't recommend it). Next, everyone is obsessed with eating hotdogs and ice cream. It's the day when you can really go wild eating good stuff. The day is not complete unless you eat at least one hotdog and ice cream. Third, music is a big deal and there are lots of traditional songs (though nothing like Lee Greenwood's "Proud to be an American," thank goodness). But lots of music and singing, and the National Anthem is still stuck in my head. Of course there's other stuff that's different too, but that gives you a place to start.

With all that in mind, here's a play-by-play of how I celebrated the big day:

7:00am

Woke up to the sound of marching band drums beating outside my window. Was confused for a few seconds, then remembered it was Syttende mai, got really excited, and couldn't go back to sleep.

8:45am

Grabbed my supplies for the day (bunad and flag) and took the first bus of the day down to the city. Got more excited as each person who got on the bus was either in bunad or a suit. 

9:00am

Arrived at my friend Marit's place to prep food for our Master's student brunch and get dressed. Got even more excited as she and her roommates donned their bunads.

9:45am

BUNAD TIME :D

Help from a professional

10:30am

Arrived fashionably (if I do say so myself) late to our Master's Brunch:

Nina and Marit, fineste bunad buddies :)

Good food to get the day started

Some of the master's students at the medical dept.

Haha, let's just take this opportunity to

admire the fine embroidery on Nina's bunad.

12:30pm
Head to the city center to find a place to watch the parade. I was told Syttende mai was a magical time when the sun shines bright and everyone smiles and eats all the ice cream they can handle. But in reality, sometimes it looks more like this:

Please enjoy Marit's umbrella

1:00pm
The parade begins. It's your standard parade, with lots of community groups, weirdos, and important looking people. My favorite part was probably the Mustache Club, didn't get a picture of them though. Look who I spotted walking with the Red Cross:

My cousin Torgrim (black hat)

What's a parade without Stormtroopers?

1:45pm

Spotted some other friends across the street and a ways down, hopped in the parade for a bit and hopped out again to join them.

Red, white, and blue Norwegians!

Thoroughly enjoying myself

Seemed like the novelty of everything to me

helped others get a little more excited too.

I believe Rannveig and I yelled the loudest of everyone that day.
Hipp hipp hurra!

2:15pm
Join the parade! It was winding down and we saw the perfect opportunity to join one of the student groups and try to get the crowd pumped up.

 I know it appears otherwise,
but no one and nothing could rain on my parade!

The parade is over, but I don't want to stop...

A friend (many friends, actually) commented that the day should have sunny because it would have been so much better. But I said no, I think that would have been too much for me to handle!


3:00pm
At this point, I was in a parade-induced daze and in desperate need of refueling. A stop by Salam Church for hotdogs and cake did just the trick.

Marianne, Camilla, and Julie

You-know-you're-starting-to-become-Norwegian moment of the day: Correcting Camilla after she sang a line of the National Anthem incorrectly.

Future roommates :)

My parade-walking buddy, Andrea, who could

not stop laughing at me/my enthusiasm.

4:30pm
People head home to rest, get ready for dinner, or maybe, if you're a student, return to studying for finals. Many take off their bunad and call it a day. But I was determined to celebrate all day in proper fashion, come what may. And while I was not about to take the bunad off for anything, I did loosen it for a few well-appreciated minutes. 


5:30pm
Run out of adrenaline and crash:

Quick rest and recharge because the day is not over!

6:30pm
Dinner with more great Norskies. We sung songs before both dinner and dessert. It was cool to see young people respecting the day and keeping traditions alive. And there was ice cream for dessert, so don't worry, I checked that off the list.

Bon appetit

All the girls - super kos!

No smiling, a nod to the olden days.

Nice one for all the moms out there.

"Awkward hands"

Norwegians are goofy

Who is the Norwegian???

10:30pm
Arrive home after a long but wonderful day. Greet my Norwegian roommate, get a surprised look at the sight of me in a bunad, and wish him a happy Syttende mai. He had stayed home all day studying, didn't want to venture out into the rain. I told him he missed out and made him take one more pic:

A successful Syttende mai!

11:00pm
Reluctant but ready to take off the bunad. After several (embarrassing) minutes I finally figured out how to take off the silver jewelry holding my shirt together without damaging it. Went to bed good and tired and smiling, already looking forward to next year.


Great day, great friends, great celebration, great country! Thanks everyone who was a part of my Syttende mai and thanks for letting me celebrate with you.


And now, back to studying for finals!

Things just got real

I have never come home and immediately written about my day and posted it on this blog. Most things can wait. But something awesome happened today that cannot wait: I got a traditional Norwegian costume to wear on Syttende Mai (Norway's Constitution Day on May 17th)!


Behold, in all it's glory:

The Råndastakk med rutaliv bunad.
Please don't say it looks Scottish. It's not.

I am borrowing the outfit from my friend Marit (tusen takk til deg og familien din). Her grandmother made it for her mother to wear for her Confirmation ceremony when she was a teenager.


A bunad (pronounced 'boo-nod') is a traditional Norwegian costume, worn on special occasions like weddings and Syttende Mai. Every region of Norway has it's own style of bunad, and people usually get one from the place they have the most heritage. The bunad I'm wearing is called "Råndastakk med rutaliv" and it comes from an area called Gudbrandsdal, where one of my great-grandfathers was born. I've been dreaming about getting to wear something like this for a long time, and now the dream is a reality!


Bunads are usually incredibly expensive, because they are handmade and include valuable silver. You don't just go out and buy one because you feel like it. You save up for it for years and it can take years to make. We're talking about thousands of dollars. As the (my) saying goes: Nothing's cheap in Norway except cell phone service. Seriously, I pay way less here than I (my parents) did in the States, it's weird.


Back to the point: Many bunads are more elaborate than what I'll be wearing, but this is as good as it gets aside from having my own. And to get to wear one from a place I actually have some connection to...wow! For me, this might as well be Cinderella's gown. It means a lot that they would let me borrow something so special. I am downright giddy, and I don't think that's a word that most people would use to describe me. That should tell you how significant this is for me!


Syttende Mai is the biggest celebration of the year and the biggest day for bunads. I am so happy I get to be in Norway for this holiday (a dream in itself) but I am THRILLED I get to wear a traditional outfit and blend in with real Norwegians. Now I won't look like (as much of) a fool when I have my picture taken with my friends, and you'll be able to tell how special their bunads are when I post pictures.


Feeling left out? You don't have to be! If you're in Seattle on May 17th you should head to Ballard for the biggest Syttende Mai celebration outside of Norway. Go have some fun and celebrate Norway. It won't be the real thing, but we can pretend!