Syttende Mai??

I am a proud Norwegian. On my Dad’s side, our family has only been in the US for about 120 years. Half of his father’s siblings were born in Norway, the other half here in the United States. I find it quite hysterical that here, in Minnesota, the land of the Scandinavians, that no one knows what Syttende Mai is but yet everyone knows what Cinco de Mayo is!! Just as Cinco de Mayo is the Mexican independence day and the 4^th of July is the American independence day, Syttende Mai is the Norwegian independence day. It is also known as the Constitution Day or “grunnlovsdag” in celebration of the signing of their constitution in 1814. This constitution ended the 500 year union with Denmark.

The first Syttende Mai celebrations in Norway we all about political demonstrations against Swedish control. First they had them in private clubs under the guidance of Matthias Conrad Peterson of Trondheim. Peterson was really Danish but in his heart of hearts, he was all Norwegian (don’t we all want to be? Ha!). In 1824, he proposed that Syttende Mai be celebrated publicly as Norway’s Constitution Day.

So, in 1824 against the wishes of the King of Sweden, Carl Johan, celebrations began in Oslo (then known as Christiania). In 1829, a scuttlebutt of sorts happened on Syttende Mai. A beautiful steamboat called the Constitutionen arrived in the harbor of Oslo. People had gathered in large numbers near the harbor for the celebration and in the city marketplace called Stortorget. The military at Akershus Castle was ordered to disburse the crowd because they were chanting “Long live the Constitution.” The military knew that the people were honoring both the ship and the document but were forced to attack anyway. Fortunately, no one was killed but the Norwegians were humiliated. It was called the Battle of the Marketplace.

The hero of this battle was actually a young college student!! His name was Henrik Wergeland and was the actual son of the one of the signers of the Constitution. This battle was the beginning of a lifelong commitment for human rights, equality, freedom and democracy. Wergeland’s successful promotion of the Syttende Mai celebrations are illustrated by the “Hurra for Syttende Mai,” or “Horray for the Seventeenth of May,” which is said all through the day’s celebrations both in the US and in Norway.

The first official Children’s Parade was in Oslo on May 16, 1870. Bjornstjerne Bjornson was the man who instigated this fun tradition. He was a controversial patriot, author, political agitator and inspirational speaker. He actually wrote the national anthem called “Ja, vi elsker dette landet,” or “Yes, we love this country.” His cousin, Richard Nordraak wrote the music to go with it. I guess family doing things for family goes way back!!

Since the signing of the constitution in 1814, the relationship between Norway and Sweden was strained. The Norwegians elected a King, Kirstian Frederik and a war ensued with Sweden. This war only lasted 6 months (well, let’s face, it, we Scandinavians can never be mad for too long!) and a peace treaty between the two was signed established the two separate Kingdoms under one common monarch, King Charles XIII, who consented to recognize Syttende Mai. In 1905, after much hard work and diligence by the Norwegian people, all ties between Norway and Sweden were peacefully dissolved.

Syttende Mai is celebrated today in Norway and all across the US. It is mainly known as the children’s day and communities have parades, food (hmm, lefse, krumkakke, rosettes, how many can you name?) and several other celebrations.

Another way to celebrate this day is for Norwegians to share their heritage with others. I did this today at my son’s Montessori. We brought krumkakke, lefse and red/white/blue cookies. We also brought little Norwegian flags for the kids to bring home, a map of Norway, a picture of a Viking ship and several other fun things. The kids really loved it and my son really loved being the center of attention and professing his love of his heritage.

I think it’s an awesome thing to celebrate where we come from and keep traditions alive. As I stated before, I find it quite laughable that we all know of the Mexican Independence but absolutely no one that I ever talk to (under the age of 60), knows anything of this holiday unless they have the background that I do. Last time I checked, Scandinavians settled Minnesota! My hometown has a huge celebration on May 1^st and dances around the May pole, another Scandinavian tradition. I hope these traditions don’t get lost in the big city!!

Har en stor dag!! (Have a great day!!)

Beth Riegger
To find out more information on how to increase your credit score, click here.