Photo: Gunnar Strom
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The Constitution of Norway was signed at Eidsvoll on May 17 in the year 1814. The constitution declared Norway to be an independent nation, and the National Day is duly celebrated all over Norway.
A noteworthy aspect of the Norwegian Constitution Day is its very non-military nature. Children's parades with an abundance of flags form the central elements of the celebration. During the parade a marching band will play and the children will sing lyrics about the celebration of the National Day. The children also make a lot of noise shouting "Hurra!" (Hurray!), singing, blowing whistles and shaking rattles. Each elementary school district arranges its own parade with marching bands between schools. The massive Oslo parade includes some 100 schools, marching bands, and passes the royal palace where the royal family greet the people from the main balcony.
In addition to flags, people typically wear red, white and blue ribbons. On this day many people also wear their traditional Norwegian costumes, called bunad. Bunads are typically of rural origin, and are local to Norway's traditional districts, being the result both of traditional evolution and organized efforts to discover and modernize traditional designs. The designs are elaborate, with embroidery, scarves, shawls and hand-made silver or gold jewellery. There are bunads both for men and women, although women's bunads are more diverse and popular.