How to take part in celebrating our National Day

May 17th is Norway´s National Day. On 17th of May 1814, Norway's constitution was signed in Eidsvoll and each year this anniversary gives us all a chance to celebrate that we live in a free and democratic country.

Everyone is welcome to participate in the celebration. It is a day of fun, community, flags and parades. This is also a day to celebrate Norway´s cultural diversity and we are glad that we can celebrate together with many other nations. There are people representing over 170 different nationalities in Stavanger.

We hope that this information will make it easier for everyone to participate in the celebration.

Dress code, flags and traffic 

Dress code:

On 17th of May we wear our nicest clothes. Many Norwegians wear the national costume which is called bunad. It is common to pin ribbons of red, white and blue on the left side of your chest, the colors of the Norwegian flag.

Remember to check the weather report and dress accordingly.

Flag:

Get a hold of a small Norwegian flag that you can keep with you during the day. We Norwegians wave the flag and say HURRA!

Key phrase:

”Gratulerer med dagen” literally means ”Happy birthday!” Respond with ”Gratulerer med dagen”. We can greet those we meet with these words and a smile, even if we do not know them.

Public holiday:

All shops and public offices will be closed on the day.

Restaurants and bars will be open in the city.

Driving:

Take the bus or walk. Plan in advance. This day everybody is outside.

Watching the parades:

Find a place along the parade route. See the maps in the booklet. You can greet the passing people in the parade by shouting "HURRA!" or "HIPP HIPP HURRA!" and waving the flag.

Russ:

The city will be full of youth wearing red and blue costumes. These are called Russ and are students celebrating their upcoming graduation from high school.