Hipp, hipp, hurra!

It is coming up to 17^th of May! A date that holds a special significance for many Norwegians (me included). On this very day, just one hundred and ninety nine years ago, our forefathers got their own constitution and even a random king!

Here is a photo of some of my forefathers:

Back left: My great, great grandmother. Back right: My great, great, great grandmother.

Front left: My grandmother. Front right: My great grandmother.

This momentous occasion was not really celebrated until a couple of poetic guys rocked up and gave fiery speeches and wrote poems and songs in the mid to late 1800s, one of which was to become our national anthem. 

One momentous 17^th of May was in 1906, when for the first time in history, the king and queen joined in the celebrations. My great, great, great grandmother was 57 years old that year (Whereas she would be about 75 years old in the photo above).

Another very sweet 17^th of May celebration happened in 1945, just 9 days after the second world war had ended, and peace had been declared in Europe and much of the world.  17^th of May celebrations had off course not been allowed during the time of the occupation, and so I think it held a special significance to many Norwegian grandparents (mine included). 

To me, a very sweet  17^th of May celebration happened last year when I finally got to show my husband what the fuss was all about. 

Here is a photo of my husband and me getting ready to celebrate: 

Why do I write this? 

Well, my wise auntie once said that "some occasions suit big words", and so, as another  17^th of May comes around, it seems fitting to write a few words of history, and so to share in the tradition of speech making which started the whole thing. 

Gratulerer med dagen, kjære gamle Norge!