17th of May

Norwegian Constitution Day is the National Day of Norway and is an official national holiday observed on May 17 each year. Among Norwegians, the day is referred to simply as syttende mai (meaning Seventeenth May), Nasjonaldagen (The National Day) or Grunnlovsdagen (The Constitution Day). A noteworthy aspect of the Norwegian Constitution Day is its very non-military nature (contrary to France for example). All over Norway, children's parades with an abundance of flags form the central elements of the celebration. Each elementary school district arranges its own parade with marching bands between schools. The parade takes the children through the community, often making stops at homes of senior citizens, war memorials, etc. 


We were  in the city center with the other volunteers and some other friends to see the parade. Stavanger was completely crowded, there was food everywhere, lots of boys really dressed up with a suit and more girls dressed in the traditional costume the "bunad" (different patterns depending on the region). The atmosphere was really joyful and suprisingly the weither was good! It's a part of the culture so it's something that we wanted to see. :)