If you happen to be visiting Bergen on May 17, Norway’s Constitution Day celebration (and a national holiday), you should know that at 7 AM, every church bell in town will begin to ring, and then, in the midst of it, there is a canon salute. I have not yet seen the canon, but from the sound of it, it is quite large. It’s an interesting way to be woken up.
Most of the downtown area is blocked off and there are people everywhere. When I was in Oslo, I went to the opera. I had a button down shirt and, although some were dressed up, I felt like I was dressed appropriately. Today, I felt severely underdressed. Many wore casual clothes, but at least half the men were in their Sunday best, and most women were in dresses. For the women (and some of the men), there were some who were in Bunad, traditional Norwegian folk dress. According to visitnorway.com, there are about 450 different Bunads in the country, and “the embroidery and design of a bunad differs from village to village, so you can tell by their bunad where a person comes from, or where they descend from.”
There was something for everyone, from food to music, and it was all happening at once.
The harbor was busy as well, but it was these massive boats that caught my attention there.
They are designed for handling the anchors of deep water oil rigs and other ocean construction.
Just an observation: in the USA, we will put the flag on anything—shoes, socks, shower curtains, underwear, you name it. Here… no. Many are carrying small flags and there are others that hang from windows, but their flag is not worn. I suppose we all show respect in different ways. An interesting study is on American’s fascination/obsession with our flag (I’m not saying it is wrong! Just an observation.)
Sometimes you come across something you would just like to know more about. Taking a sidewalk that led through an underpass, I came across this image.
I learned that it is by the street artist TÖDDEL who operates in southern Norway. Perhaps I should have known who was pictured, but… it is Alexei Navalny (Russian opposition leader who was recently murdered by Putin and his gang.) It is based on this image or one similar.
Alexei and his wife, Yulia, had their own sign language that was developed during his multiple court appearances. In the picture, he clearly only has eyes for her. “Never Give Up,” even in the most difficult of situations.
I also later came upon this one, but don’t know anything about it other than I liked it.
Finally, this evening I attended the Gospelnight at Johanneskirken (St. John’s Church.) A
Norwegian Lutheran blended (contemporary/traditional) Eucharist service. Not my thing. Too Loud. Packed with young people. Yeah, Fr. John, complain all you want, but it was packed and they really seemed to enjoy being there. Again, not a clue as to what was being said, but I did know certain parts of the liturgy.
Perhaps the most disorienting point was when a young Asian girl, dressed in full Norwegian folk dress, got up and sang a solo. That bit was fine, but she sounded like Dolly Parton! My brain couldn’t keep it all straight.
Again, this may not be a service that I would attend regularly, but church attendance in Norway is 2%, which means they are doing whatever is necessary to bring people to the Good News. As I could not understand the pastor’s message, I prayed while she preached, that it might be received by those in attendance.
On the way back to my hotel, I saw the sun setting behind the church that is just up the street. I know where I’ll be attending on Sunday.
The traditional greeting on May 17 in Norway is “Gratulerer med dagen!” It means, “Congratulations on the day,” or “Happy Birthday.”
Happy Birthday, y’all! Hope your day is blessed.
Candle in a Cave 
Per section 8 (Respect for the flag) of the United States Flag Code:
(d) The flag should never be used as wearing apparel, bedding, or drapery. It should never be festooned, drawn back, nor up, in folds, but always allowed to fall free.
Bunting of blue, white, and red always arranged with the blue above, the white in the middle, and the red below, should be used for covering a speaker’s desk, draping the front of the platform, and for decoration in general.
I learned this in elementary school as part of flag etiquette. This, along with the very strong sense that I have not earned the right to wear even a flag patch (through military, police, or fire service) is why you will never see me wearing anything that even remotely resembles the flag.
Wow! I love this bit of your journal. I
This is probably my favorite post so far, only because I can relate to it more than the others. I’m Norwegian, and absolutely love the bunads! The dresses are so beautiful, and I always wanted one, but they are very expensive to have made. Did they only refer to it as Consitution Day, or did you see anything that said Syttende Mai? In Wisconsin they celebrate Syttende Mai in some of the Norwegian towns and it’s a big deal. I’ve been to them in Stoughton, Wisconsin. Maybe you’ll see some Norwegian dancers. The high school kids here learn how to do the traditional Norwegian dancing (similar to square dancing), but much more physical. It is mesmerizing to me to watch the young men pick up the girls and swing them around, and there are so many different types of dances they perform. I’ve missed seeing Syttende Mai for a few years now and miss it. Sorry for the long commentary. The church you showed was so large and open, seemed like a lot of wood vs the typical churches we think of. Pretty, but not very ornate in my opinion. Thanks John, you brightened my day with this post! 😊
Syttende Mai… I did not hear that phrase, but it does not mean they did not say it. Still don’t quite have an ear for the language.
The outfits for both women and men were very nice, but I can see why they would be expensive. Not only the embroidery work, but many of them seem to have incorporated silver and other material. I wonder if that part is original or an addition. Either way… lovely. The funniest thing I saw was one young lady in bunads riding an electric scooter. She was zipping down the cobbled street with her skirt and blond hair flowing out behind her.
So Syttende Mai means the 17th of May. I always wanted a bunad even though it would only be worn once a year. My mom did beautiful rosemaling so I will treasure those pieces she did instead of a dress to honor the Norwegian in me. That does sound funny and kind of out of place with the young gal all dressed up, and on the scooter. I guess practical though 🙂