Norwegian Independence Day

Quick Facts

AKA Name	Norwegian Constitution Day, Syttende mai, Syttande mai, Søttende mai
Hashtags	#NorwegianIndependenceDay, #NationalDayofNorway
Related Hashtags	#Norway, #Independence, #Norge, #Syttendemai, #17mai
2022 Date	May 17, 2022
2023 Date	May 17, 2023

2022 Holidays & Dates

		US & Common Holidays
		Misc. & Int'l. Observancesℹ
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Norwegian Independence Day in 2022

Tuesday, May 17

Days to go:

Norwegian Independence Day History

Norwegian Independence Day celebrates the day that the Norway constitution was signed in 1814. The celebration is uncommonly non-militaristic. People wearing the traditional Norwegian costume, the bunad, and children parading with flags are a prominent feature of the day.

Top Tweets for Norwegian Independence Day

Updated 05:09

Happy Syttende Mai (May 17, Norwegian Independence Day) to all you Norwegians out there! Today is an especially special one, as it’s my mother’s 90th birthday, quite possibly Norway’s finest. https://t.co/AaWJeaAcuf
— Karl Kohlhase (@KarlKohlhase) May 17, 2022

In 1869, Augsburg University was the first seminary founded by Norwegian Lutherans in America. Today, we celebrate Norway Constitution Day, also known as Syttende Mai, and recognize our Norwegian heritage as one that is steeped in independence, tradition, and acceptance!🇳🇴🥳👏 https://t.co/CGy19lTf7T
— Augsburg Alumni (@AugsburgAlumni) May 17, 2022

Happy Sytennde Mai.. Norwegian Independence Day today...I'm proud to be of Norwegian ancestry https://t.co/3njpvGN58u
— Tom (@Tom78173828) May 17, 2022

Norwegian Independence Day Facts

Because of a forced union with Sweden that caused changes to the constitution a month after it was signed, the day of celebration became the 4th of November for a long time. Finally, in 1905, Norway would separate from the union and the 17th of May became the national day of celebration once again.
For the first twenty years after their introduction, only boys could participate in the iconic children's parades held on this date.
Norway doesn't have an official national anthem. Different songs have been used throughout the years with one becoming more popular than the other. Today, the de facto national anthem is Ja, vi elsker dette landet. Before it, it was Sønner av Norge.
Famous people with Norwegian ancestry include Jennifer Connelly, Lauren Cohan, Josh Duhamel, Chris Pratt, Aksel Hennie and Jimmy Fallon.
This day marks the end of russ-ing. Russ is a high school in Norway. During a period of about 6 6 weeks before May 17, students get to behave in a mischievous way. During this time this behavior is traditionally more tolerated by people.

Norwegian Independence Day Top Events and Things to Do

Attend the Seattle May 17th Festival (Syttende Mai). As of 2018, there's a parade, music and dancing, a luncheon, events for kids and free admission to the Nordic Heritage Museum.
Watch a Norwegian film. The Norwegian Film Institute lists recent Norwegian award-winning films here.
Go skiing. Norwegian Sondre Norheim is known as the father of modern skiing. Ski is a Norwegian word related to Old Norse skíth ("billet, snowshoe").