17th of May!

The 17th of May is the Norwegian Constitution Day, also refered to as National Day. It is celebrated throughout the country, and Oslo has its own grand celebration. I was thrilled to take part in the festivities! 

My day started early, before the parade along Karl Johan Gate, the main street through downtown Oslo that leads up to the royal palace. I wanted to get downtown before the masses so that I could ensure a good standing place along the parade route. The thing that struck me most while I was walking through central Oslo were the smart dressers all around me! Men and women alike were donned the traditional Norwegian outfits, called bunad. Those who were not in their traditional costume were dressed to the nines, in full suits or gorgeous dresses and heels. It was a very classy event, and I was grossly underdressed. This ain't no 4th of July...

Woman in a traditional bunad

Crown Prince Haakon and his family, May 17 (photo courtesy of nrk.no)

May 17 is also referred to as Barnas Dag, or Children's Day. It was quite clear why when the parade began. Schools from all over Oslo (103 in all!) marched down Karl Johan, many with bands or drill teams, and all with Norwegian flags and smiles.

Russ

Mayor Fabian Stang leading the parade

The weather held and a good time was had by all. Kids ate as much ice cream and polser (hot dogs) as possible, the Russ partied hard for their last time, and the royals resumed their spot to wave from the balcony of the royal palace, just like they have done for more than 100 years. I was so pleased to take part in the May 17 celebrations, especially in the capital city. 

Gratulerer med dagen!

Russ Throughout the Ages

photo courtesy of nrk.no

In my post about this year's Russ celebrations, I asked the question: Since the parents and grandparents of the current Russ also partook in the festivities when they graduated high school, is there a bit of slack for the crazy antics of the recent graduates? This got me wondering what those past generations of Russ were like.
The Norwegian Broadcasting Network (NRK) put together a picture album of Russ throughout the ages. It's interesting to see the transition of dress and cars, and while I am sure they are not all the same dares as today, it is great to see that some are, like kissing a policeman! Although this is purely speculation, I'm guessing that the dare of giving a flower to a man in a suit and telling him to relax was born in the seventies!
Check out the photos and reminisce about your graduation era, whenever that may have been...

Warning- "Russ" Abound

Spring is in full swing here in Norway. The blooming tulips on campus and the evening sun that lingers far into the night are proof, but the real test of the changing season comes in red overalls. Let's talk about the RUSS.

Russfeiring, or Russ celebration, is an annual tradition of Norwegian high school seniors right before graduation. The celebrations usually start on May 1 and end on May 17, the Norwegian Constitution Day. The weeks of celebration is a time to gather with friends for the last time before you graduate and leave for university. This is a tradition that has been observed since the 1700s when students had to travel to Denmark to attend university. Of course, the tradition looks quite different today!

OUTFIT:

Russ are easy to spot thanks to their attire. The typical russ can be seen in red or blue overalls, which are to go unwashed during the entire russfeiring.

BUSSES: To get around, russ often have a bus shared by friends. In recent years, elaborate busses, with decorated interiors, sound systems, and fancy paint jobs have become a status symbol among the russ, and the graduates may save all year long to contribute to the buss. Some even average 3-5,000 USD per member!

COMMERCIAL PRESENCE: Over the years, russ has created a huge industry that brings in millions of dollars on merchandise, clothing, and transportation. Last year, merchandise distributer Russeservice earned 43 million NOK in sales (almost 8 million US dollars), and they expect the 2011 sales to be even higher. A group of girls in Oslo have been planning their own russ celebrations "since we started in the first class of high school" and they aren't holding back at all!

TRADITIONS:

The 'russekort' is a business card of sorts. A typical russekort has a picture, name, telephone number, school, and slogan. Most russ try to put as little factual information on the card as possible. Although these cards are traded between fellow russ, the most excited to receive them are school children! They are so eager to collect them, running up to russ on the subway, on the street, in the parking lot, wherever the russ may gather. Here is one that I found on the ground near my apartment building:

 The dares are what russ are arguably best know for. Each year, a list of tasks is released. Participants are awarded knots on their caps once they complete a dare. These range from harmless pranks (eating a Big Mac in two bites, eat lunch in your underwear in a cafe) to dangerous escapades (drinking a bottle of wine in 20 minutes, having sex with 17 partners).

RITE OF PASSAGE
Social Anthropologist Allan Sande thinks that there is something deeper than a three-week teenage binge:
-Russ deals with coming to grips with taboos like sex and intoxication.
-It is a form of ritualized play, very organized and regulated.
-It signifies a "transitional period when the usual rules and restrictions that govern a teenager's life are forgotten."

SAFETY:
Most russ are old enough to legally buy booze (18 years of age in Norway) and alcohol plays a central role in the russ celebrations. Per-Ivar Iverson, Operations Leader of the Asker og Baerum Police District said "Experience shows us that russ season leads to lots of complaints and reports in to us. We don't want to be negative, though, and we want the russ to have fun." There have been many reports of sexual abuse and fights in the past years of russ, which the alcoholic portion of the festivities seem to exacerbate.

TRADITION OR TRAGEDY?
While the russ tradition is certainly engrained in Norwegian society, some claim that the celebrations are a tragedy and only hurt the youth of Norway. Is it another reason for the "Kids These Days" rant? Or, since the parents and grandparents of the current russ class also partook in the celebrations, is there a bit more slack? Should we just let 'em have their fun? "Boys will be boys?"

So on the eve of the 17th of May, the Russ are soaking in the last night of their drunken debauchery and savoring the last moments of their childhoods. Here's to hoping the hangover doesn't get in the way of tomorrow's flag waving and parades!

ADDITIONAL LINKS:
The TV show Alt for Norge did an episode that attempts to capture the wild russ experience from a unique, reality TV show perspective.

Night at the Opera

For my birthday, I was given the generous gift of a show of my choice at the Oslo Opera House. I took myself out to the theater tonight to redeem my birthday present. I was really lucky to go to a show in this beautiful venue. The Opera House opened in August 2008 after almost a decade of construction. It was awarded the World Cultural Building of the Year in 2008 and the European Union's Prize for Contemporary Architecture in 2009. It sits right on the harbor and the unique architectural design and slanted walkways make it appear as if it is coming out of the water. In the snow-free months, visitors are able to walk all over the building, including the roof! When I was there in September, there were sculptures scattered along the sloping roof tops that visitors could interact with. This building is much more than a venue.

I saw "Bewitched- With a Magic Wand in the Opera." The show was geared towards children, which was perfect since my Norwegian language skills are at the child-level. Plus, theater is always more fun when the majority of the audience is excited kids! The play was not the American 1960's Bewitched story line, but a tale of a classroom full of kids who get a first-hand lesson about opera through a spell-casting witch of a substitute teacher. They are transported into the world of opera and have to find a way to return Susanna to Figaro (en frisør, the barber, of Seville). It was a great show, complete with a Norwegian-sweater-wearing giant and a flying witch!

Thanks Chris and Charlie! It was a generous and much appreciated gift!

Stockholm- Venice of the North!

Last week, I traveled to Stockholm for five fantastic days of sightseeing and exploration. I had heard so much about the "Crown Jewel of Scandinavia" and I had to check it out myself! I decided to purchase a 3-day Stockholm Card for middle section of my visit. With the Stockholm Card, I had unlimited access to all public transportation, including buses, trams, and the underground. The card covers the entrance fee to more than 80 museums and notable sights, and although I didn't visit all of them, I did get my money's worth!

My hostel in Stockholm

On Thursday evening, I arrived in Stockholm, picked up some information at the Tourist Office downtown, and walked from the bus station to my hostel. After checking in, I hit the streets again to find some grub, and I stumbled upon this awesome Malaysian restaurant. I bunked with some fellow American students from Middlebury who are studying in Germany.

Skansen was the highlight of my first full day in Stockholm. Covering 75 acres, it is "Sweden in Miniature!" Artur Hazelius founded the museum in 1891, and traditional buildings from across Sweden have been brought to or built on the current site. It is the oldest open-air museum in the world, and home to traditional farmsteads and native Scandinavian animals, like Brown bears, Wolves, Reindeer, Wolverines, and Lynx.

Bragehall

Sami Camp

The Bakery at Skansen

The Furniture Shop at Skansen

The afternoon brought a visit to Junibacken, a museum/tribute to Swedish author Astrid Lindgren. Her best known work is Pippi Longstocking, but her list of work is extensive and includes screenplays, novels, and short essays. I took a ride on the Story Train, a theme ride through Lindgren's novels.

Next stop was the Vasa Museum. Vasa was a war ship made in the 1600s in Stockholm under the rule of King Gustav II Adolf. Sweden was at war with Russia, Poland, and Denmark for parts of his 21 years as ruler, and he used Vasa as a symbol of power to show the other nations how tough the Swedes were. Not only was the vessel exquisitely decorated, displaying signs of power in the sculptures and carvings, the King insisted that more and heavier cannons be added. This was to be a ship to rule them all! Unfortunately, things didn't quite go as planned. After setting out for the maiden voyage, Vasa was overtaken by leeward winds, from side to side, then began to sink as water flooded through the gunports! That was the end of Vasa, until more than 300 years later, when the wreck was located, salvaged, and restored to its current condition, which is 95% original. Today, Vasa is one of the most visited tourist attractions in Europe.

The next day brought sun and I hit the streets early. First stop: City Hall. Stockholm City Hall is the host of the dinner following the Nobel Prize Ceremony every year in December. It is an incredible building, with numerous styles and influences. A guided tour was included with the Stockholm Card, and I was sure to take advantage of the guide's knowledge!

This is the "Blue Room" of City Hall. As you can see, its not blue. After 12 years of construction, the architect, Ragner Östberg, decided that the he wanted to keep the bricks red. The room was designed like an Italian piazza and the ceiling was intended to stay open, but the Swedish climate didn't agree with the building design...  A pipe organ with over 10,000 pipes is situated above the terrace in the Blue Room and plays the national song as honored guests enter the hall for the Nobel Dinner. Östberg knew how important the building would be for the city, and he anticipated that the Blue Room would host many significant events. The staircase was an integral component to the space, and he wanted something that was comfortable and elegant. To pick the best design, he had his wife walk down staircases of every dimension in a ball gown and heels to find the right fit. 

The "Golden Room" has gold tiles that total over seven kilos! The artist asked for six years to complete the project and was given less than two. How's that for a deadline?!

The ceiling in the main chamber of the city hall was exquisite. Originally, it was to be a flat ceiling, but the Östberg changed his mind during construction (again) and wanted to keep the beams visible. Many Swedes believe that it looks like the underside of an overturned Viking ship. Vikings would bring their vessels on land and turn them upside down for shelters. Meetings were held under their protection, so the idea that major governmental decisions are still made under the protection of a ship carries some significance.

In the afternoon, I took a (long) journey to Södertälje, a township west of Stockholm. I was headed to Tom Tit's Experiment, a children's science museum that was included with the Stockholm card. It was quite the trip out there, but worth it! I'm a sucker for cool experiments, and despite the entire museum being in Swedish, and not having an experiment partner, I kept myself entertained!

An auditorium with the layout of the periodic table. How cool!

On Sunday, I managed to visit eight (8!) museums, a full day to say the least. I'll try to keep it brief:
I started off with a visit to the largest spherical building in the world, the "Globen." I got some nice views at the top, but not much more than that. Next, I visited the Post Museum which I really enjoyed!

The Royal Palace offered three museums, and with that handy little Stockholm card, I made my way to all three. The Royal Apartments were a step back into Swedish royal history, with ornate furniture, silver cabinets and carpeted walls. I was reminded time and again that the decisions that these kings were imposing on the citizens of their countries were what immigrants to the USA were trying to escape from. Now, people from around the world come to admire the finery of royal life in the 1500 and 1600s. No doubt it was exquisite, but it was important for me to take a step back to examine the lives of regular folks during the time period.

I hopped a bus over to Tekniska, the Musuem of Technology, followed by a visit to the Natural History Musuem.

I watched the sunset from Kaknastornet, the TV and radio broadcasting tower on the edge of Stockholm. At the end of Day Four, my instinct was to sit down on the escalator, so I knew I had seen enough.

I spent my final day wandering through the Ekoparken, the National Urban Park that streches six miles through the city. You can find more about the Ekoparken and Stockholm's role as 2010 European Green Capital here. I also spent a few hours in Gamla Stan, the oldest district of Stockholm.

You know what they say, "When in Sweden, eat Swedish meatballs!"

It was an excellent visit and I am sure that I will be back in Stockholm sometime in the future. With that said, when I landed back in Oslo, it really felt like home.

Matpakke- More Than Just Lunch?

Norwegians are practical folks. Proof of that is the matpakke, literally "packed food." This is the no-nonsense lunch for the majority of Norwegians, from school kids to business professionals. The ingredients are basic and rarely change. A typical matpakke consists of open-faced sandwiches of bread and cheese, either of the white or sweet brown variety. Sometimes the cheese is topped with salami or cucumber. On a good day, your matpakke might have a piece of fruit or some carrot sticks, but not much more. 

The matpakke is a widespread custom and spans the generations. This packed lunch is a way to share a meal without the fuss of going out to a restaurant, and is an affordable choice compared to hot prepared meals.

This simple meal tells more about the this country than you may see at first glance. From an outsider's view, the matpakke seems to be a statement of the nation's self-reliance. Making a matpakke for your children is just one example of how Norwegians take care of themselves. I believe that the meal echos the preparation and organization of the country. When every citizen puts enough time and forethought into creating a hand-packed lunch before they leave their home, it says something about the pace of the society. By taking ownership of their own health through basic meals, Norwegians are showing a (refreshing) level of personal responsibility and involvement.

I see the matpakke as more than just lunch- it is the embodiment of the simple, efficient, no-nonsense, healthy way of life that Norwegians live.