This is how a nation that loves itself is celebrated
17. May is definitely the biggest national holiday in Norway. What actually happened on May 17, 1814 in Norway, how did it happen, what do Norwegians celebrate and why is this day so important to them? And why is the strike of Norwegian journalists so painful this year?
The celebrations on May 17 mean for Norway both a celebration of independence and the definitive victory of constitutionalism in the country. From 1380, Norway, until then an independent kingdom, was united in a union with Denmark. It gradually became more and more a part of Denmark, and all central offices were in the capital, Copenhagen. Norway, but especially since the beginning of the 19th century more called for some offices to be moved to Norway. It was mainly about the university and the bank. In 1807, Denmark joined Napoleon during the Napoleonic Wars, but this harmed the interests of the Norwegian part of the country, which was completely dependent on trade with Napoleon's greatest enemy, England. Difficult years came for Norway, and there were also rare voices for Norway to unite with Sweden, which had been part of the anti-Napoleonic alliance since 1809 and was trying to acquire Norway. He finally succeeded in this in January 1814, when Denmark had to give up the Norwegian part of the country, which was acquired by the Swedish king.
Norwegians, headed by the Danish prince and in Norway by Christian Frederik, they tried to reverse the fate of Norway and gain independence. The Danish prince's initial efforts to become an absolutist hereditary monarch did not find support in Norway, and Christian Frederik was confronted with the Norwegians' demand for the establishment of a constitution. He finally acceded to these demands and had the Reichstag convened, whose most important task was the preparation and adoption of the constitution and the election of the king.
17. In May 1814, the Norwegian Royal Assembly adopted the first Norwegian constitution and elected the Danish prince, regent Christian Frederik as the king of Norway. The constitution contained many elements from other constitutions of the time, which were and of course several purely Norwegian articles. Overall, the constitution was highly democratic and, by the standards of the time, a high percentage of Norwegian men gained the right to vote.
This effort of the Norwegians for independence did not go unanswered, and the Norwegians joined the union with Sweden in the summer of 1814. The future king of Sweden, Karl Johan, in turn, agreed that after certain changes the Norwegians could keep the constitution and receive a high degree of self-government. Of course, the constitution was amended and supplemented several times later, but it is still the valid constitution of Norway. And that is why this day is still celebrated exuberantly.
Royal traditionally on May 17th, he stands on the balcony of the Royal Castle Slottet in Oslo, from where he waves to the passing marching crowd, especially the morning children's procession is very popular. Castle Slottet is located in the center of the city and is on a hill, the main street Karl Johan opens up to it. The celebrations are of course the biggest in Oslo, but they are certainly more traditional in the most Norwegian city in the world, Bergen.
Celebrations in the second largest city Bergen also have their own specifics. In Bergen, the marches of the city's children's choirs, the so-called buekorpser, which have existed since the middle of the 19th century. These corps march along with the flag march and drum to the beat. Every the choir is bound to a specific city district. On May 17, the choirs march in uniform, the boys are armed with a wooden rifle and march according to the instructions of the oldest leader of the group. In the first years, the buekorpser were a very popular part of the celebrations, but over the course of a few years, voices critical of their militant appearance gradually became louder and more frequent.
Nowadays, the buekorpser are once again a very popular part of the celebrations, the boys' choirs rehearse the march throughout the year and their presence is mostly received very positively in Bergen. But especially a person who does not suffer from Bergen patriotism mostly shakes his head, he sees little boys marching with wooden rifles on their shoulders.
Another Bergen specialty with a long tradition is climbing a high pole (klatrestange) on top of which various objects are suspended. The task is to climb all the way to the top, and what the person can carry with him to the bottom is his. The task is not at all as simple as it seems, the column is sometimes painted to make it slide more.
Today, when the celebration of May 17 is already a mass celebration involving all Norwegians, rather than expanding the celebration, the emphasis is on what values the celebration should present. What those all-Norwegian values that should unite all people living in Norway? Are the traditional values and ways of celebration the binding force and object of celebration, or do they have nothing to say to today's Norwegians, and an effort is in place to consolidate the Norwegian nation with some more current and modern slogans. These questions will probably come up more and more often and accompany celebrations for years to come. Today's Norway is a combination of both of these tendencies, on the one hand, a self-confident and modern state that tries to make a big difference on a world scale, interwoven but, on the other hand, with enormous traditionalism, patriotism and and complete introspection.
17. May 2018 will be marked by a Norwegian journalists' strike. No, they are not striking for freedom of speech and they are not even fighting the director of state television. They want (surprise the world) higher salaries and more time for quality work. For many Norwegians accustomed to all-day live streaming and footage of celebrations across Norway, the unmoderated footage exclusively from the capital will come as a shock. I also have to admit that when I turned on the radio this morning and instead of the traditional pathetic speeches about Norwegian uniqueness, Norwegian pop was playing, I felt strange. Something is happening in Norway.
Article source: https://bubo.sk/blog/17-maj-v-norsku-1
Article author: Jozef Zelizňák