Does the date 17th of May mean anything to you?

No? Well here’s another cultural treat for you! The 17th of May is celebrated by Norwegians everywhere, as it marks the day when our constitution was passed and we received our independence – so to speak. In short, what happened was…:



(Foto: Stortingets arkiv)

Norway had been part of a union with Sweden and Denmark, and had not had our own government for almost 300 years. To put it bluntly, we had no say in national or international affairs, and the proud Nowegians wanted their voices heard. A selection of educated patriots gathered at an estate at Eidsvoll to find a way to peacefully claim our independence. The Eidsvoll council drafted up our constitution and selected a suitable king. They finalized an agreement with Sweden, which was passed the 17th of May 1814. (At this point, Denmark was no longer in the union.) The story doesn’t end there, though. The new king, Christian Frederik, was deposed after only a few months, and Sweden still ruled Norway until 1905. However, we were allowed to keep our constitution, and gradually established our own consulate to build international connections.

(Henrik Wergeland)

King Karl Johan of Sweden, our regent at the time, was not happy about the celebration of the 17th of May, but the more he protested, the bigger the celebrations got. In 1928 in Oslo, a ship called ’Constitutionen’ (translation: ”The Contitution”) was received at the docks on May 17th by a mass of applauding people. The celebration was dispersed by cavalery and infantery. The people accused the government of using unnecessary force, and the author Henrik Wergeland became a key person in the fight for our right to celebrate constitution day. He wrote speeches, songs and supporting articles, and in 1930 our parlament beseeched King Karl Johan to acknowledge the date as a natioanal festive day.

(Bjørnstjerne Bjørnson)

Bjørnstjerne Bjørnson, author of our national anthem (in 1864), was also a pioneer. He organized the first children’s parade in Oslo in 1870. The children met at Akershus fortress, passed the parlament building and continued up to the royal palace. The children’s parade is now the main event of our national day, and ever since 1906, the Norwegian royal family has greeted the children from their balcony.

The fight for our right to govern ourselves was long, even after we passed our consitution May 17th 1814. Still, we celebrate this date to honor the Eidsvoll men who rekindeled our belief in Norway as a free nation and the children as our future. So tomorrow, May 17th, take to the street and be part of our proud audience as the children make their way past the statue of King Karl Johan towards the palace. They will be singing the songs written by Wergeland and Bjørnson, cheering for the King and his family - who cheer back from their balcony.

(17th May 2010)

The full plan for the day can be found at here.

Sources: aktivioslo.no; visitoslo.no