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NORWEGIAN TRADITIONS

May 17th: A guide to how Norway celebrates its national day

Norway marks its national day on Monday May 17th but celebrations are once again slightly muted due to the ongoing coronavirus pandemic. Here we explain how the country commemorates the day it signed its constitution in 1814.

Published: 13 May 2017 07:48 CEST
Updated: 17 May 2023 09:08 CEST
May 17th: A guide to how Norway celebrates its national day
A 1993 photo of young Norwegians celebrating May 17th. Photo: Terje Bendiksby/NTB/SCANPIX
May 17th, or constitution day, commemorates the signing of Norway’s constitution in 1814 and which declared the country as independent.
 
For the first time in three years, Norway will mark its national day of celebration, Constitution Day, without pandemic restrictions. Here’s what you need to know about the day of celebration.
 
 
Get up early
 
Celebrations kick off early for Norway’s national day, so forget about having a lie in on the day. Whether it’s the cannons being fired at dawn, the ‘buekorps’ (boys and girls brigades) enthusiastically banging their drums through the streets of Bergen or the children’s parades getting under way in Oslo and other towns and cities, expect an early start, and high noise levels throughout the day.
 
May 17th marching band.
Norway’s national day normally means getting up early. Pictured is a May17th marching band. Photo: Marie Peyre.

 
Dress appropriately
 
Norwegians like to dress casually at any other time, but on May 17th, they do smarten up. Many (women in particular) proudly don the local ‘bunad’, the traditional costume, of which there are over 200 different kinds in Norway. Those who don’t still dress smartly (this means a suit for men, or at the very least a jacket).
 
 
Sportswear and casual clothes, so popular any other time of the year, are a no-no, and although allowances are made for foreigners, it is worth making an effort to blend in. 
 
Norwegians will be wearing Bunads on May 17th. Pictured is a children’s parade. Photo: Marie Peyre.
 
Fly the flag
 
On 17 May Norwegians paint the town red… and white, and blue. The flag is indeed a big part of the celebrations, and your party kit is not complete without one. Thankfully cheap flags can be bought pretty much everywhere in the days before the event, from local supermarkets to discount shops and many other places, so just get one and join in. 
 
Norwegian scouts carrying Norway's flags.
Norwegian scouts carrying Norway’s flags. Photo by Marie Peyre


Photo: Marie Peyre
 
Brace yourself for queues
 
To get a drink. To get a bite to eat. To go to the loo. On public transport. On packed roads. Plan accordingly. 
 

Photo: Marie Peyre
 
Book your table well in advance
 
While many Norwegians will grab a ‘pølse i brød’ (hot dog) or an ice-cream while out and about on the day (it has indeed become a bit of a tradition for many), lots will also sit down for a proper lunch, and many hotels and restaurants offer special May 17th menus.
 
If you really want to make a day of it and enjoy Norway’s Constitution Day in style, make sure to book well in advance at your chosen restaurant. Just turning up on the day is bound to bring disappointment.
 
Photo: Marie Peyre
 
Pack an umbrella
 
Spring can be unpredictable in Norway. You might get a glorious, sunny warm day, or it might be cold, grey and windy. Each year, speculations as to what the weather will be like on May 17th make for lively conversation topics earlier on in the month. Snow has even been known to fall on May 17th. So don’t assume anything, check the weather forecast and pack an umbrella just in case. Better be safe than sorry. 
 
Snap away
 
May 17th celebrations are really something unique, and this is a very special time to be visiting Norway. Great photo opportunities abound on the day. Make sure you bring your camera (or at least make sure your mobile is fully charged, with plenty of available storage). 
 
A russetog, or russ parade. Russ is where final year high school students in Norway party for around a month in the lead up to May 17th. Photo by Marie Peyre.


Photo: Marie Peyre
 
Learn to say ‘Gratulerer med dagen’
 
That’s how Norwegians greet each other on the day. This can be roughly translated as ‘Congratulations on this special day’. It also means ‘Happy birthday’. Which is a bit confusing for foreigners, but kind of makes sense, as this is the anniversary of Norway’s constitution, which was signed at Eidsvoll on May 17th 1814. 
 
This article was first published in 2017.
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NORWEGIAN TRADITIONS

What’s open and what’s closed on May 1st in Norway?

May 1st, or Labour Day, is widely celebrated in Norway, with anyone even vaguely left-leaning joining marches and attending political speeches across the country. But it's also a public holiday, so what's open and what's closed?

Published: 29 April 2024 13:18 CEST
Updated: 30 April 2024 17:38 CEST
What's open and what's closed on May 1st in Norway?

Although neither May 1st nor Norway’s national day, May 17th, are included in Norway’s law on religious public holidays, they are both classed as public holidays, or røda dagar under a separate law.

This law allows public demonstrations which are not permitted on religious holidays, but states that otherwise, the two days should be treated in the same way.  

This means that May 1st is covered by the same relatively strict rules on shop opening times, with the state alcohol monopoly, Vinmonopolet closed, big supermarkets closed, and those grocery shops which are open banned from selling beer. 

Several categories of shop are allowed to stay open, and you’ll find that many restaurants and hotels stay open too.

Tourists should be warned, however, that fewer museums stay open in Norway’s major cities on May 1st than do during Easter. 

Read Also: What happens in Norway on May 1st?

What’s closed? 

Vinmonopolet is closed all day, meaning that if you want to buy strong beer, wine and spirits for May 1st, you need to get there before its shops close at 6pm on Tuesday, April 30th.

The stores will open again at 10am on Wednesday, May 2nd. 

Big supermarkets like Menu, Kiwi, and Rema 1000, will also be closed if, as most are, they are more than 100 square metres in size. 

Even smaller grocery stores which are allowed to remain open are not permitted to sell beer. 

A lot of other public services will also be closed or not operating on May 1st, including primary care or GP’s clinics, public libraries, municipal swimming pools, and sports centres. 

If you have an illness or injury that can’t wait, you can contact the legevakten, or emergency room at your local hospital.

What’s open? 

Small convenience stores of less 100 square metres in size or less are allowed to remain open, as are petrol stations of less than 150 square metres in size. 

In some tourist areas, such as those served by the Hurtigruten cruise ships, bigger shops are allowed to stay open under a special agreement with the authorities.  

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

Many museums in the big cities which stay open over holidays such as Easter are closed on May Day to allow their employees to join the demonstrations.  

In Oslo, the Munch Museum is closed, but the Norwegian Maritime Museum, which includes the popular Fram and Kon-Tiki museums, is open, as is the Museum of Cultural History. 

In Bergen, the Bryggens Museum is closed, as are the other eight museums that are part of the Bymuseet, or city museum. 

All of the museums and galleries grouped under the popular KODE art gallery are also closed, including Troldhaugen, the home of the composer Edvard Grieg, the neo-Classical Permanenten gallery and the contemporary Stenersen gallery.

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