#norwegian constitution day

[henk-heijmans]

Norwegian Constitution Day, 2022 - by Per Breiehagen, Norwegian

[blackswaneuroparedux]

Dette landet Harald berget med sin kjemperad, dette landet Håkon verget, medens Øyvind kvad; Olav på det landet malet korset med sitt blod, fra dets høye Sverre talet Roma midt imot.

Bønder sine økser brynte hvor en hær dro frem; Tordenskjold langs kysten lynte, så den lystes hjem. Kvinner selv stod opp og strede som de vare menn; andre kunne bare grede, men det kom igjen!

Visstnok var vi ikke mange, men vi strakk dog til, da vi prøvdes noen gange, og det stod på spill; ti vi heller landet brente enn det kom til fall; husker bare hva som hendte ned på Fredrikshald!

Hårde tider har vi døyet, ble til sist forstøtt; men i verste nød blåøyet frihet ble oss født. Det gav faderkraft å bære hungersnød og krig, det gav døden selv sin ære — og det gav forlik.

- Ja, vi elsker dette landet - Yes, we love this country (1864)

Yes, we love this country as it rises forth, rugged, weathered, over the water, with the thousands of homes, love, love it and think of our father and mother and the saga-night that lays dreams upon our earth

Norwegian man in house and cabin, thank your great God! The country he wanted to protect, although things looked dark. All the fights fathers have fought, and the mothers have wept, the Lord has quietly eased so we won our rights.

Yes, we love this country as it rises forth, rugged, weathered, above the sea, with those thousand homes. And as the fathers' struggle has raised it from need to victory, even we, when it is demanded, for its peace will encamp (for defence).

There’s no real proper translation of the song traditonally sung to celebrate Norway’s Constitution Day on 17 May.

‘Ja vi elsker’ has a long history as a nationalist song and a song of protest. In the last days of the Norway-Sweden union, Swedish socialists sang the song in support of the Norwegian right to leave the union.

During World War II, Norwegian resistance members used the song. It had originally been used by Nazi collaborators as a propaganda song, but the regime eventually banned its use because of its connection to the resistance.

Bjørnstjerne Bjørnson began to write the lyrics of what he intended to be a patriotic song around 1859. An accompanying melody was written by his cousin Rikard Nordraak sometime during the winter of 1863-1864. The song's first public performance took place on 17 May 1864, to mark the 50th anniversary of the Norwegian constitution.

Over many decades, Ja vi elsker eventually replaced Sønner av Norge (Sons of Norway) as the de-facto national song, but both were used for long periods of time until the early 20th century. In December 2019, Norway officially adopted Ja vi elsker as the official national anthem.

While Ja vi elsker is commonly heard at sporting events and on the constitution day, there are other national songs used in various situations. Sønner av Norge had the title of national song for many decades. Since 2011, Ole Paus' Mitt lille land has been referred to as a “new national song” and it was used several times in connection with the 2011 terror attacks.

There is also an unofficial Royal anthem known as Kongesangen, or the King's song. It is played alongside Ja vi elsker on 17 May. Brits will instantly recognise it as the melody is the same as the British national anthem, God Save the Queen.

Gratulerer med dagen!

17 May: Happy Constitution Day Norway!

[doasyoudesireandlive]

Happy 17th of May to all my fellow norwegians! Gratulerer med dagen, alle nordmenn! ❤️

HIPP HIPP HURRA! 🇧🇻

[pseudophan]

honestly they were disrespectful to themselves. they let it get completely out of hand for a MONTH. the palace did this to themselves

yeah... look nobody will get me to agree with people being like 'conspiracy theorists have gone too far' 'you've all been disrespectful towards catherine' 'there was never a reason for any of this' 'you should be ashamed for what you said' etc etc etc. because like... first of all, again, i hold zero respect for these people. why the fuck should i. but even if i did... it's their own fucking fault???? the fuck?????? lmao?????????? literally only a handful of people gave a fuck until that doctored photo. and then they just kept making it worse. and i'm sorry but i actually don't think they're entitled to their privacy when their entire job is pr and they're blatantly lying in all their pr shit like ? what else are you good for lol. but then that also makes me angry because as much as i don't like kate for several reasons i'm still a bit genuinely offended at her behalf for how they've handled all this shit.. like making her take the blame for the photoshop (i hope for her sake it was her own idea, because otherwise........), having her appear alone in the video announcing her cancer (why tf isn't william there when she's talking about how he's by her side lmao), the general just lack of giving a fuck about anything whilst the world went wild theorising about her.... i can't tell whether she's taking the fall to cover for something else or if they're just all absolute assholes ?? again like. i don't like kate middleton. for many reasons. but i like william and charles a whole lot less and it's infuriating that they're making me feel like she's been wronged lmao

[joneoyvilde03]

🇳🇴 Happy Norway Constitution Day with wilt & Pomni🇳🇴

Hello everyone happy Constitution Day glade for Norway a Norwegian with about wilt & Pomni we hope excited On the 17th of May I can wait for it and thanks for made joneoyvilde03

character from:

foster’s home for imaginary friends/cartoon network

the amazing digital world/GLITCH Productions

by joneoyvilde03

[magioghvitetekopper]

Feeling way too good in this national sami costume, and it's my first time wearing it at the 17th of may. Happy constitution day Norway 🇳🇴

[divan-daikon]

happy 17th of may to my fellow norwegians!! won some chocolate and led lotusflower lights i also got to shoot a (fake) firearm, didn’t win anything from that tho

[annkama]

Happy constitution day of Norway. Anders is very happy, don't you see?

[scotianostra]

May 17th is Norwegian Constitution Day or Syttende Mai as its known in Norway.

A wonderful spring holiday celebrated with red, white and blue ribbons, national costumes and waving of the Norwegian flag, the three colours are everywhere in Norway at this time of year.

It’s a day Norwegians all over the world take off to celebrate and marks the historic signing of the Constitution in 1814, the year Norway gained its independence from Sweden, which was fully realized in 1905.

In every city, town and village in Norway, children and adults alike express their cultural pride by marching to the bright music of school bands, celebrating the joy of springtime and honoring of those citizens who created Norway’s constitutional government, founding her independence.

Especially popular is the Children’s Procession that brings every child out in their best clothes or national costume.

In Edinburgh the Norwegian community celebrate Syttende Mai too.

Edinburgh’s celebrations include the Norwegian Scottish Society dinner, after a reception at the Norwegian Consulate’s residence.

Each year Norwegian students in Edinburgh hold a breakfast at Prestonfield House followed by a parade along Waterloo Place and onto Princes Street. At the boom of Edinburgh Castle’s One o’ clock gun, the pigeons fly and the parade begins!

Tonight expats and guests gather at The Royal Scots Club Abercromby Place for a celebration dinner held by the Norwegian Scottish Association. The association was founded in Edinburgh in 1966, and has enjoyed over 50 years of Norwegian-Scottish friendship.

Norwegian Scottish Association roots lie in a much older friendly society, one rooted in the shared experience of Norwegians and Scots during the Second World War. Founded in Dumfries in 1941, the Scottish Norwegian Society brought Scots and Norwegians together in difficult times. Having escaped the German occupation of their homeland in 1940, around a thousand Norwegians had come to be stationed at various times in Dumfries, and it was not long before the idea of a formal society was begun.

Of course our history with Norway goes back centuries, Northern Scotland, was, at one time, a Norse domain and the Northern Isles experienced the most long-lasting Norse influence. Almost half of the people on Shetland today have Viking ancestry, and around 30% of Orkney residents.

Many agree that there are many points of commonality between the Norse character and the Scottish one that leads to a sense of kinship between the two countries, even for those living much further south in Scotland, where Viking influence did not reach. Words like bairn and muckle made their way into Scot’s language via the Norwegians.

I touched upon the links during the second world war earlier and have posted before about the Shetland bus which provided a transport link between the Shetland Islands and occupied Norway. Many Norwegian refugees fled their occupied home with the help of Norwegian sailors who undertook daring, high-risk trips across the North Sea. The whole episode became emblematic of the friendship across the seas.

More recently Edinburgh’s Zoo also has a strong connection to Norway as it is home to a very special resident. Sir Nils Olav III is the mascot and colonel-in-chief of the Norwegian King’s Guard. The king penguin’s rank has been passed down through three generations since 1972. Knighted in 2008, he even received a military promotion in 2016 with the brigadier title bestowed upon him in a special ceremony at the zoo.

The Zoo’s link with Norway originated in 1913 when arctic explorer Roald Amundsen presented a penguin to them on their opening. Once a year the penguin inspects soldiers from Norway’s King’s Guard.

Edinburgh's Syttende mai parade – the 17th May or Norwegian Constitution Day parade traditionally takes place along the capital's main thoroughfare, Princes Street. At the boom of Edinburgh Castle's 'one o' clock gun', the pigeons fly and the parade begins!

Pics are from last ears parade.

[henk-heijmans]

Norwegian Constitution Day, 2020 - by Per Breiehagen, Norwegian

[blackswaneuroparedux]

Å være nordmann er å lengte hjem når du er hjemme, og lengte bort når du er borte. - Sigrid Undset To be Norwegian is to long for home when you're at home, and to long for away when you're away.

Happy Constitution Day 17 May 1814

[sigyn-foxyposts]

"Happy 17th of May!! ✨🇳🇴"

To all my mutuals who enjoy my culture and norwegian friends out there, happy birthday from the Loki fam who are all celebrating Norway's independence day!!

For context on why exactly we do celebrate: Norway declared independence as it's own kingdom, seperate from danmark and Sweden with the constitution that was signed on 17th of May in 1814.

The constitution was an attempt to avoid being ceased by Sweden after the defeat of Denmark-Norway in the Napoleonic Wars.

Hip hip hurra! 🎉🎊🍾 (≧∇≦)/

[lisbeth-kk]

May Prompts (17) Chaos

The Luckiest Girl in the World (chapter 17)

Summary: Mrs. Hudson is treating her tenants to an American dish, and lectures them about a special Constitution Day celebration.

Seventeen Years Old

Nana’s American pancakes were legendary. She’d learned to make them while she lived overseas, and whenever there was a special occasion, she served them. Unlike most countries, the UK doesn’t have a Constitution Day or National Day, but several days are celebrated. It varied from year to year, which of those Nana chose to honour. Our birthdays were never neglected like St. Patrick’s Day, or Wilberforce Day might be. Never knowing when we were graced with the sinful treat, made the surprise even sweeter.

***

“Rosie, dear. Give me a hand, will you,” Nana called from downstairs one Saturday afternoon in the middle of May.

Dad and Papa were reading in their chairs, but not for long.

“Pancakes,” Papa whispered when the sweet and familiar scent crept up from downstairs.

I hurried to assure Nana that I’d be right down to help her carry up the tray with pancakes, maple syrup, and fresh berries.

***

“So, what’s the occasion, Mrs. H,” Dad asked after his second pancake.

The moaning and praise of Nana’s skills had been the only thing breaking the silence so far, but now that the first hunger had been stilled, the time for revelation had come. To my knowledge, we’d never had pancakes on this date before.

“We’re celebrating Norway today,” Nana stated.

“Elaborate.” “Please,” Papa added when Dad sent him a disapproving look for being so terse.

“Well,” Nana said, and sat back in her chair, which meant we were in for a lecture.

Papa rolled his eyes, but he chuckled along with Dad and me, picked up a strawberry and dipped it in syrup before he slipped it into his mouth. Nana cleared her throat and continued.

“Last weekend, I watched the Eurovision Song Contest, and didn’t that turn out to be more chaotic than normal… Anyway, I was enthralled by the Norwegian performance. Quite powerful. I had heard an interview with the band earlier when they spoke of their Constitution Day, and it was most intriguing.”

She took a sip of coffee and looked at us to see if everyone was paying attention to her presentation of this Scandinavian saga. 

“They have parades all over the country, but not military parades. Far from it in fact. Children are walking the streets of the cities and the roads in the more rural places, while brass bands play the national anthem and other songs and marches. Everyone is dressed in their best clothes. Their national costumes are really something else. I looked them up on the internet. There are about 450 different kinds! Can you believe it?”

Nana was getting really warmed up now, and there was no way of stopping her. Not that either of us wanted to. Knowledge like this was fun and interesting.

“So, it’s mostly about the children and eating hot dogs and as much ice cream as possible. They obviously cheer and sing, while waving their flags, and in the capital, the royal family greet the children from the balcony. It was mentioned that from an outsider’s point of view, it may look quite civil, but the band could tell the listeners that when the children are to be picked up by their parents when the parade is over, there’s chaos beyond belief. Crossing the streets are almost impossible.”

I thought she had finished and cleared my throat to ask her about the song contest, but a stern look, made me shut my mouth and sit back in my chair.

“There’s also some obscure tradition with graduated students of a certain age, eighteen or nineteen, I think, but I didn’t pay that much mind. What I could gather from it was that it had mostly to do with too much alcohol and dressing up in red, blue or black coveralls with all sorts of patches on them,” Nana concluded.

“Thanks for the history lesson, Mrs. Hudson,” Dad said. “It’s quite refreshing to know that not all parades need to contain soldiers and weapons.”

We all agreed to this, but the question was now burning on my tongue.

“Nana? I thought you were boycotting the Eurovision this year.”

“Stated in a moment of passion, dear. I admit I’m a weak woman,” she said with nonchalance.

This retort resulted in a snort from Papa, and spilled coffee on the front of Dad’s shirt due to him choking on the brew.

@calaisreno @totallysilvergirl @keirgreeneyes @raina-at @helloliriels

More tags in the replies

[prisonhannibal]

I talk a lot of shit about norwegian people but in honor of constitution day I will be nice. the bunad is so beautiful and iconic and i also I think it’s so fun how they’ll dress up like they’re in a painting from the national romantic art era from the 1800s, and then do tequila shots and scream the lyrics of songs about doing coke

[bogkeep]

spending norwegian constitution day alone in the classroom slowly chipping away at my school project...

[andiatas]

VG: Royal duty to testify investigated in 1994 – this was the conclusion

The police will now decide whether Crown Princess Mette-Marit can be summoned for questioning or not. A similar issue was thoroughly considered 30 years ago.

Just over a week ago, the attorney for Juliane Snekkestad – one of the women in the Høiby case – submitted a request to the Oslo Police District to summon the Crown Princess for questioning.

The attorney, Petter J. Grødem, informs VG that he has not yet received a response to the request from the police.

Ever since Marius Borg Høiby (27) was arrested in August, questions have been raised about whether members of the Royal House can be, for example, questioned.

The constitution grants certain special rights to royalty, and opinions have been divided on whether [members who married into the family] also have immunity.

Two experts VG spoke to believe that the police can summon everyone in the Royal House – besides the King – for questioning like all other citizens. However, as a mother, Mette-Marit does not have the duty to testify.

She can therefore refuse because she is close family to the accused.

It is section 37 of the Constitution that is relevant here: "The Royal Princes and Princesses shall not be responsible for their persons to anyone other than the King or whomever he appoints as judge over them."

In 1994, Princess Märtha Louise was summoned as a witness in a divorce case in England and was listed as a co-defendant in the lawsuit.

The case was widely reported in the media, and the legal department of the Norwegian Ministry of Justice prepared a study of the issue.

Their conclusion was that Princess Märtha Louise did not have an obligation to [testify].

[...]

A key point for this conclusion was that the Princess had been made a party to the case:

"Section 37 of the Constitution prevents a Prince or Princess from being made a general party in a divorce case without the King's consent."

The following section of the study may be relevant to the current issue:

"On the other hand, the provision can hardly be interpreted in principle as exempting the Princes and Princesses from giving ordinary witness statements in a civil or criminal case."

Excerpts from an article by Marianne Vikås, Nora Viskjer, Morten S. Hopperstad, Bjørnar Tommelstad, Hilde Kristine Misje, Siri B. Christensen and Gordon Andersen for Verdens Gang (VG), published Nov. 4, 2024, at 18:28 and updated the same day at 18:38. The excerpt has been translated and edited for clarity by me.