Saturday, May 17, 2014

Norway

May 17th is Norway's National Day, or the Norwegian Constitution Day. This year is a day of special significance, as the constitution was enacted two hundred years ago today. Norwegians refer to it as well as Syttende Mai or Nasjonaldagen. Check out Bergen Daily Photo or Stavanger Daily Photo, two blogs from Norway for celebrations of the holiday from home.

I went over to the Museum of Civilization in Gatineau today for some tulip shots, and came across people en route with the Norwegian flag, in traditional Norwegian clothing. It turns out that the embassy here partnered with the Museum in celebrations of the bicentennial. Much of the celebrations were done by the time I arrived; one of the attendants mentioned there had been a brass band playing earlier and a good sized crowd that came out. Still, there were kids engaged in games, and people in traditional clothing strolling about. These are the steps between the Museum and the curatorial wing, decorated for the occasion, with the Norwegian and Canadian flags side by side.


The embassy also asked for something unusual for the occasion- reenactors from the period in uniform. We don't have period Norwegian uniformed fellows, but these reenactors came out with British uniforms of the time. They were quite popular for people to pose with. The Ottawa River forms a nice backdrop.


This woman graciously posed for me with the Museum's glass wall as a backdrop. She mentioned that her clothing was typical of northern parts of the country.




18 comments:

  1. nice to see celebrations of culture.

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  2. I had no idea Norway was such a big part of Canada's culture!

    I love reenactors of all countries and periods!

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  3. Very nice, William! I love the green outfit the lady is wearing!

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  4. Love the history with this. Great photos, William!

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  5. Tomorrow there will be a church service and parade in Minneapolis to celebrate. Last year I took photos, but this year I won't go and will miss it. It is wonderful to celebrate a day to mark a Constitution. The photo of the woman in native dress is wonderful.

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  6. Love the green dress! I heard a bit about the Norwegian holiday on the radio today.

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  7. @Tex: it is!

    @Cheryl: I imagine there are a good number of immigrants here from that background.

    @Linda: so did I.

    @Molly Jo: thanks!

    @Kate: from what I have seen, I would like to experience it in Norway.

    @Linda: Inna and Gunn have made mention of it periodically in their posts in the last few days.

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  8. Very enjoyable to see your photos today William. Years ago I visited my sister and her family in Norway who had been living in Norway for several years. I remember going into the Oslo Museum and buying a book on Norwegian Traditional Clothing. It is still on my shelf and is a great memory of a very special time. Thank you for the links of the two Norwegian blogs. I shall be very interested in checking them out.

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  9. Ah, so that explains the Norwegian flags and the gathering I saw yesterday in public park. Thanks for explaining.

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  10. This is very interesting. Love the redcoats. Some of my ancestors came from Norway (among other places). My folks used to tell me that's where my rascally side came from. Hmmm.

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  11. That's cool. Nothing like this around here. Well, maybe in Paris...

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  12. Nice surprise you came across these wonderful costumes.
    Thanks for sharing them with us.

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  13. Denise: you're welcome.

    Stuart: no problem!

    Lowell: I was puzzled at first by the redcoats!

    Ciel: it wouldn't have surprised me if Paris had activities going on.

    Jan: you're welcome.

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  14. These are great! Beautiful shots. Thank you William.

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  15. I didn't know Canada's ties with Norway were so strong...though there is that mountain named for Thor....

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  16. Love the shot of the stairs; those curving lines are wonderful. It's always interesting to see both period and "native" dress...and it's kind of fun to see those uniforms next to contemporary clothing, too.

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  17. I'm sorry you missed the celebration, but glad you still caught some. The costumes are very interesting.

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  18. @Luis: you're welcome!

    @Norma: and one named for Odin, and another named for Asgard...

    @Kay: it makes for quite a contrast!

    @Hilda: they certainly were!

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