Norwegian Constitution Day - Celebration Abroad

Celebration Abroad

Syttende Mai is also celebrated in many Norwegian immigrant communities throughout the world, with traditional foods, sometimes including lutefisk. In the United States and Canada, the local lodges of the Sons of Norway often play a central part in organizing the festivities. One major celebration occurs in Petersburg, Alaska also known as "Little Norway". The town is a Norwegian settlement and strongly retains its roots. The festival occurs the weekend closest to May 17 and includes a parade, Leikarring dancers, herring toss, Norwegian pastries such as lefse and even a pack of Vikings and Valkyries.

Another major Syttende Mai celebration occurs in Stoughton, Wisconsin, which is the 2nd largest in the world, and the largest in the U.S. Festivities include canoe racing, two parades, an art fair, a 20-mile run that starts in Madison, Wisconsin, and a great deal of bratwurst consumption. The festival features the Stoughton High School Norwegian Dancers, a group that tours the country showcasing traditional ethnic dances of Scandinavia.

Smaller Syttende Mai celebrations are held in Norwegian-heritage communities throughout western Wisconsin, Minnesota, and elsewhere in the Midwestern United States. Members of Norway's Parliament Storting travel to Chicago to attend a three-day celebration consisting of a concert, banquet and parade hosted by the Norwegian National League. Spring Grove, Minnesota also hosts a 3 day festival on the weekend nearest to Syttende Mai, while nearby Decorah, Iowa, the home of Nordic Fest and the Vesterheim Norwegian-American Museum, also hosts a parade.

Other large celebrations are held in the Ballard, Seattle, Washington neighborhood, Poulsbo, Washington, and Bay Ridge, Brooklyn. Epcot's Norwegian Pavilion in Florida, celebrates Constitution Day with numerous flags around the pavilion, as well as parades around the World Showcase Lagoon.

The Norwegian community in London holds a May 17 celebration each year in Southwark Park. The celebration is attended by a large number of Norwegians abroad, and includes a small parade, a traditional mass in the church, and the selling of traditional Norwegian foods such as Solo and makrell i tomat, and a lot of Norwegian flags for Norwegians who have left theirs at home. The occasional Russ has also attended the parade.

In Orkney, Scotland, 17. May is celebrated by the Orkney Norway Friendship Association in recognition of the islands' strong historic links with Norway, with similar celebrations taking place in the neighbouring Shetland Isles.

Stockholm, Sweden, has a big celebration with a parade starting at Engelbrektsplan and ending at Skansen, in which more than 10,000 participate every year. The event includes Stockholm's only dedicated 17. May marching band, Det Norske Korps.

It is also common for Norwegians living abroad to gather and celebrate. In some countries, typically where the population of Norwegian expatriates is small, the Norwegian embassy or the diplomats' spouses arrange the event.

• Soldiers celebrating the national holiday in Meymaneh, Afghanistan.

• Norwegian Constitution Day, celebrated in Ballard, Seattle.

• 17th of May in Sydney