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HISTORICAL BACKGROUND The Constitution Of Norway was Signed at Eidsvoll on May 17 in the year 1814 . The constitution declared Norway to be an independent nation. By historical coincidence 131 years later, the Second World War ended in Norway just 9 days before that year's Constitution Day, on May 8 1945, when the occupying German forces surrendered. Even if The Liberation Day is an official flag day in Norway, the day is not an official holiday and is not broadly celebrated. Instead a new and broader meaning has been added to the celebration of Norwegian independence at May 17. CHILDREN'S PARADES All over Norway, children's parades with an abundance of Flags form the central elements of the celebration. Each elementary school arranges its own parade, led by the school's own marching band, that takes the children through the community, often making stops at homes for senior citizens, war memorials, etc. During the parade and stops the marching band will play and the children will sing the Norwegian national anthem, along with other marches with lyrics about the celebration of the National Day. Typically a school’s children parade will consist of some senior school children carrying the schools official banner, followed by a handful of other older children carrying full size Norwegian flags and the school’s marching band. After the band the rest of the school children follow with hand sized flags, often with the junior forms first, and often behind self made banners for each form or even individual class. Nearby kindergartens may also have been invited to join in. As the parade passes bystanders often join in behind the official parade and follow the parade back to the school. In addition to flags, people typically wear red, white and blue ribbons. Although a long-standing tradition, it has lately become more popular for men, women, and children to wear traditional outfits, called '' Bunad ''. RUSS The graduating class from the Norwegian equivalent of high school - known as Russ - has its own celebration on May 17, staying up all night and making the rounds through the community. The russ also have their own parades, in which they make parodies about various local and political aspects. CELEBRATION ACROSS THE COUNTRY
In addition to the children's parades the streets are filled with young and old turning out in festive attire, and vendors selling ice cream, hot dogs, and lately, kebabs. CELEBRATION ABROAD The National Day is also celebrated in many Norwegian Immigrant Communities in North America and elsewhere, with traditional foods, including Lutefisk . HENRIK WERGELAND The poet Henrik Wergeland is credited with making ''Syttende mai'' a celebratory day for the children rather than a day of patriotic pride. Flags and music dominate the day, and there are few military parades. To commemorate his contribution, the russ in Oslo place an oversized hat on his statue near the Norwegian Parliament ; the Jewish Community place a Wreath on his grave in the morning as a tribute to his efforts on their behalf. LACK OF MILITARY PARADES The only military parade is performed by the Royal Guard on the main street of the capitol, Oslo. During the parade, the Guard displays their drill and music skills, rather than showing off military force. An example of exercise performed by the Guard includes throwing their rifles over their shoulders, with bayonets attached, to another Guardsman who walks behind and catches it. The most impressive aspect about the Guard's parade is that they have learned their skills during the course of nine months, and during that time they also go through normal infantry training. The marching band of the Royal Guard also attend the children's parade in downtown Oslo together with he schools' own marching bands. AN INCLUSIVE HOLIDAY The former Norwegian president of parliament Jo Benkow noted that the day has increasingly become a celebration of Norway's growing ethnic diversity. Several factors have most likely contributed to the inclusive nature of the celebration:
The fact that children parading and waving Norwegian flags is such a central part of an inclusive celebration has to a certain extent protected the Norwegian flag against being misused by nationalistic groups. SEE ALSO
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