Going to Norway is always fun! But one day particularly stands out. Since my semester in Bergen in 2015, I always wanted to be there for May 17th, also known as Nasjonaldagen (National Day) or Grunnlovsdagen (Constitution Day). As you might imagine from the title, it is a national holiday in Norway - it commemorates the ratification of the constitution of the Kingdom of Norway in 1814 (even though Norway did not gain independence from Sweden until almost a century later in 1905).

A quick glance at Wikipedia tells us that the festivities are supposed to be "largely folkloristic" - meaning that one should expect lots of traditional clothes, festivities and so on. I packed an M10 plus the APO Summicron-M 50mm (so, the top of the crop already right there). Without further ado, let's take a look at some impressions from Oslo on May 17th, 2019!

Downtown Oslo's main street, Karl Johans Gate, on the morning of May 17th. This and all subsequent photos were taken with the Leica APO-Summicron-M 50mm.

Karl Johans Gate, the main street leading up to the Royal Castle from Oslo Main Station, was already full of people when I got there. The street itself as well as neighboring streets are closed off by police to make room for a large parade with the castle as destination. The parade itself consists of different groups: I saw brass bands, soldiers and school groups presenting their banners to the royal family (who, as I was told, have to salute everyone for the whole day, a good arm workout if I've ever seen one).

A typical school banner from one of the parade's school groups. Joining the parade are (at least) all schools from the Greater Oslo area.

There are lots and lots of groups marching to greet the royal family, but also lots of bystanders flanking the parade at the same time. My guess is that lots of them are also relatives looking to get a photo of their friends or their kids being part in the formation.

A brass band marching along Karl Johans Gate. The stylish uniforms are made up of the colors of the Norwegian flag.

Here, you can also get a look of the Bunad, the traditional Norwegian women's dress which you see all over the place on May 17th. It is uniquely personalized to reflect a woman's family origin by color composition, embroidery and design pattern. This is probably the most traditional element that I saw there - even though the men also have a corresponding folkedrakt to show, apparently only a very small minority of predominantly older men actually wear it. Among youth, it seems that wearing a classic suit + shirt combo (no tie though) seems to be the most common theme.

The crawling castle grounds, with the royal balcony head on. Not a lot of space to go around.

The royal family greeting the passing parade groups. This spot marks also the apex of the parade, which is then lead back by a U-turn.

All in all, what a great time to be there! Normally, I really, really dislike large crowds, but this was certainly different. If you are a photographer and you like bright colors, this is the event for you. Same thing goes if you are more the portrait photographer type - you can meet some people with their literally unique heritage dresses, what's not to love?

There is a LOT of country pride going on, which at first is unusual for a guy visiting from Germany (especially the ubiquitous presentation of the flag). Yet, it also makes the experience in a way, since it ties everything together under a bright and colorful umbrella: The celebration of the country, Norway. And I am super on board with that. How about you?