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NORWEGIAN TRADITIONS

What’s open and what’s closed on Ascension Day in Norway? 

Ascension Day, or ‘Kristi himmelfartsdag’, is a public holiday in Norway. Here's what’s open and what’s closed. 

Published: 6 May 2024 12:43 CEST
Updated: 8 May 2024 10:52 CEST
Pictured is a church in Lærdal Norway.
Ascension Day is a public holiday in Norway, meaning many things will be closed. Pictured is a church in Lærdal Norway.

Christ’s Ascension Day, often just called Ascension in English or Kristi himmelfartsdag, occurs 40 days after Easter and, for Christians, marks when Jesus ascended to heaven. The celebration dates back to the fourth century. 

This year, the day falls on Thursday, May 9th. Even though Norway split the church from the state in 2017, Ascension has remained a public holiday—as have other faith-based holidays. 

While there are many public holidays in Norway based on Christianity, not all of them have specific traditions that are unique to Norway. 

In fact, for most, Thursday will simply mean a day off work. The majority of offices around the country will close, and children will be off from school. 

As the holiday always falls on a Thursday, Friday is an inneklemt dag, meaning it is squeezed between a public holiday and a weekend. This means many who have planned ahead will have also booked the Friday off to enjoy four days off. 

What’s closed? 

As mentioned before, schools and offices should be closed. However, those who do work can expect a higher salary for their hours on a public holiday. 

Most supermarkets will be closed, although there are some areas exempt from this rule. 

Furthermore, Vinmonopolet, Norway’s state-owned alcohol store, will also be closed nationwide. This is because the sale of alcohol is prohibited on public holidays, meaning the last opportunity to buy beers, wines, and spirits will be before 6pm on Wednesday, May 8th. 

Many other public services will also be closed or not operating on Ascension, including, public libraries, municipal swimming pools, and sports centres. 

If you have an urgent health issue, out-of-hours doctor services at the legevakt will be available, and emergency A&E clinics will also be open. Some GP surgeries may also remain open. 

Regular kids and adult activities such as football training or band practice will also likely be cancelled. 

One last thing to know is that it is prohibited to disturb the peace on public holidays such as Ascension, this means things like mowing the lawn and playing loud music are not allowed. 

What’s open? 

Small convenience stores of 100 square metres in size or less are allowed to remain open, as are petrol stations of less than 150 square metres in size. Even in these smaller convenience stores, the sale of alcohol will remain prohibited. 

Stores in areas that are allowed to remain on Sunday due to tourism will also remain open. These are typically rural areas, rather than the big cities though. 

Garden centres and florists are allowed to stay open. 

Duty-free shops at airports in Norway are allowed to stay open. 

Restaurants, hotels and cafes are allowed to stay open. 

Museums and galleries will probably stay open for business, too.  

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For members

NORWEGIAN TRADITIONS

What foreigners in Norway find confusing about May 17th 

Constitution Day, or May 17th, is a fantastic occasion in Norway. Foreigners living in the country also love getting in on the celebrations – but a few things about the day can be confusing. 

Published: 15 May 2024 16:06 CEST
Updated: 17 May 2024 14:27 CEST
What foreigners in Norway find confusing about May 17th 

Often referred to as Norway’s national day, May 17th is much beloved in Norway. The parades and festivities are a must-see (and also pretty hard to miss) for anyone in Norway on the day. 

There are plenty of traditions that can seem strange from the outside looking in, including bunads, parades, singing the national anthem, and waving flags. Even after you’ve experienced them a few times, they can still feel puzzling. 

How to celebrate 

One aspect that can confuse foreigners, even those with a few May 17ths under the belt, is how exactly the date should be celebrated. 

While the parades are an obvious starting point, traditions can vary across families, cities and regions. 

Many will start May 17th with a combination of a typical Norwegian breakfast, with or without champagne, and then go to watch the parades. 

After that, things become more unclear. Some choose to celebrate the rest of the day with family, grilling or playing garden games. 

Others choose to party hard, whether at parties, bars, or special May 17th events. 

Meanwhile, some cities have large gatherings after the parades, torch processions, or fireworks in the evening. 

Our tip would be to choose what you like most about May 17th and go with the flow. 

Thankfully, as long as you don’t do something stupid like desecrate the Norwegian flag or spend the day antagonising people, there doesn’t appear to be a “right or wrong” way to celebrate the occasion. 

What to wear 

Outfit choice can be tricky on May 17th. People normally dress their best, be it in a traditional bunad, a suit, or other smart clothes. 

For foreigners, this can be tough. For starters, most probably do not feel Norwegian enough to wear a bunad but want to dress nicely for the occasion as a show of respect. 

Therefore, finding something that makes you feel comfortable, doesn’t feel underdressed, and is also appropriate for whatever the weather is can be a tricky balance. 

Some people wear folk costumes from where they are from, which for the most part goes down well as very few Norwegians hold an attitude of “this is our day and not yours”.

What other people are wearing

This is perhaps more the case for newcomers to Norway, but seeing a bunad for the first time can be strange. Seeing thousands of people decked out in “national costumes” (as they are sometimes referred to) can be overwhelming. 

Given that the costumes date back centuries, seeing the old mixed with the modern can also be surreal—for example, seeing someone in a bunad whizz by on an e-scooter. 

Even as you become more accustomed to seeing national costumes and learning more about them, you could confuse yourself trying to work out the origin of the bunad given the designs, colours and embroidery unique to different regions of Norway. 

The national pride

As the day marks the signing of the Norwegian constitution, it’s no surprise that its themes centre on national pride and identity and feature plenty of flag waving and singing of the national anthem. 

This can be puzzling for foreigners, as in some places, patriotism and national pride have been hijacked by populist and far-right movements and used as a tool to cause division.

Other foreigners may also be critical of the idea of a monarchy and how heavily they feature in the day’s proceedings. 

However, in Norway, no one really questions these things. This is just as well because, for the most part, May 17th demonstrates how you can celebrate a country’s essence without hijacking it for the wrong reasons. 

The locals in Norway generally choose to include those who also wish to celebrate May 17th rather than exclude them. 

It’s the fact that Norway is able to maintain a strong sense of national pride on May 17th while remaining inclusive that some may find confusing. 

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