‘Gratulerer med dagen’
Håper at det smaker
Meaning: I hope it tastes good, bon appetit!
‘Gratulerer med dagen’. This the Norwegian greeting on National Day…roughly translated as ‘Congratulations on this special day’ or ‘Happy birthday’. It’s the anniversary of Norway’s constitution, which was signed at Eidsvoll on May 17th 1814.
It’s also the beginning of a week of birthday celebrations in our home, so sure, let’s start! Por que no?!
It’s always been a great insight into the culture, celebrating an independence day in different countries we’ve lived in. National Day in the U.A.E is huge, with a party atmosphere in the streets until the early hours of the morning. Kenya’s and Indonesia’s Independence days were more formal celebrations. We were excited to have the opportunity to be in Norway for national day, and be part of the festivities.
This year’s celebrations have taken on a new form, because of crowd control in the light of the virus. Instead of parades of people, there were boat parades, a first. Everyone was excited about this. The procession of vessels passed by our cabin on the river. We sat out by the river with coffee, in anticipation.
Celebrations started early. A few cannons were fired. And the procession of boats passed along the river, heading towards Arendal.
Everyone was super smart. Some women were wearing the local ‘bunad’, the traditional costume, of which there are over 200 different kinds in Norway. Most men were in suits.
I prepared caramelised onions for our ‘pølse i brød’ (hot dogs) and assembled a red, white and blue pavlova, the colours of the Norwegian flag. Håper at det smaker.
The weather was a bit blustery and blowy. The sun came and went. But the mood was very celebratory. There were flags everywhere we looked. National pride.
When is independence day or national day where you are?
What do those celebrations look like?
© Maggie M / Mother City Time