Oslo celebrates May 17, Norwegian National Day

The streets of Oslo were packed on May 17 as Norwegians in and around Norway’s capital celebrated their national day without restrictions for the first time in three years.

Norwegian Constitution Day celebrates the signing of the Norwegian constitution at Eidsvoll in 1814.

Fantastic weather ensured that the streets of Norway’s capital were flooded with a mix of upbeat Norwegians, high school graduates and confused tourists to watch the children’s parade at the end of the morning.

Around 30,000 school children from 130 schools marched through the streets of Oslo, a new record of participants.

The children’s parade (or child train as it is known in Norwegian) is a feature of May 17 celebrations across the country, but by far the largest takes place in Oslo. The parade culminates in front of the Royal Palace, where the Royal Family of Norway spend hours greeting the youth of the city.

The children from the Høybråten school started at 10 am and the parade ended with Oslo’s katedralskole almost four hours later. The Norwegian-German school, the French school in Oslo and the Northern Light international school were among the participants.

The day began as always in a calmer way with the placement of floral offerings to remember the fallen over the years. The theme of war and conflict was fresh on many people’s minds this year, according to Oslo Mayor Marianne Borgen. “Having 30,000 children celebrating our democracy, peace and community is very important now that many are experiencing insecurity due to war and conflict,” she told NRK.

Norway has taken in many refugees from Ukraine in recent months and they were included in the day’s celebrations in many parts of the country. local Ålesund Elise Asen He said a local choir sang the national anthems of Norway and Ukraine at the start of the day’s celebrations. “While war rages to the east of us, we have learned to appreciate peace and freedom,” she added.

As with most other national day celebrations around the world, food is an important part of the day for most Norwegians. Breakfasts on May 17 are usually lavish and include salmon and a glass of champagne. Later in the day, friends and family often gather at homes or restaurants to spend hours celebrating the day over a multi-course meal.

Once the children’s parade was over, other events took place throughout the day throughout the city. Many restaurants and other places were sold out well in advance, but with stalls selling hot dogs and waffles on every corner, no one went hungry. Just east of central Oslo, Grønland was home to an amusement park where ice cream vendors did a brisk business.

During the afternoon, the grounds of Akershus Castle hosted a classical music concert. Hundreds of people gathered for the free concert with the Oslo Symphony Orchestra and talented musicians from Oslo schools.

The castle grounds were a popular spot throughout the day, as were the waterfront bars and restaurants on Aker Brygge. There was only standing room at the bars throughout the sun drenched afternoon.