The 17th of May

The 17th of May is Norway's National Day. This is the day they celebrate forming a constitution. This year, marked 200 years so it was a big deal for the Norwegians. I have a dear friend from Norway who invited me to celebrate with her. I really had no idea what to expect.

We went to Lund where a gathering of Norwegians was taking place. My friend promised me a parade and some Norwegian food. So we got up early, took the train and followed the people clad in Bunad (traditional Norwegian dress). I began to feel out of place at this point but after receiving a homemade Norwegian flag I thought I could fake my way, after all several generations back I have family who came from Norway.

As we stood around with the people dressed in their Bunad holding flags, I asked what was next. This is when I found out I would be marching in the parade! It was not exactly the kind of parade I was expecting. In this parade, all the Norwegians (and their sympathizers) walked together through town lead my a band. We sang Norwegian songs, waved our flags and cried out, "hurrah!"

We marched in the parade through town and to a park where the Norwegian flag was hoisted and the National Anthem sung.

Then we were all invited to a nearby school for hotdogs wrapped in lompe (similar to lefse), solo (a Norwegian orange soda), rømmegrøt (sour cream porridge is the literal translation) and of course, coffee and cake. I was a bit skeptical of the sour cream porridge but it turns out I really like it! It tastes like liquid pancakes.

My friend then hosted a picnic in the park back in Malmö where several friends came and we grilled, laid in the sun, played kubb, learned some Norwegian history and had fun together. Personally, it was the best Norwegian National Day I have ever celebrated (it also may have been the only Norwegian National Day I have celebrated).

I also learned how to play kubb, a traditional Swedish lawn game that many claim to date back to the Vikings. It was like a cross between bowling and horseshoes. There were wooden blocks propped on the ground and you had a long wooden dowel you threw through the air trying to knock down the wooden blocks across the way. You wanted to knock down all the blocks across from you before the other team knocked yours down. It seems simple, and it is, but it also takes more time and effort than you may expect.

Again, it was a terrific Norwegian National Day for me. The best yet! I continue to love the traditions and cultures I learn about and the incredible friendships I am building.