May 17, 2023
Norway Constitution Day 2023
This Doodle’s Key Themes
Today’s Doodle celebrates Norway Constitution Day or Syttende Mai in Norwegian. On this day in 1814, Norway became one of the first countries in the world to officially adopt its modern constitution.
Constitution Day wasn’t regularly celebrated until 1833 when writer Henrik Wergeland gave a public speech honoring Norwegian heritage. Wergeland became a symbol of Norway’s Independence and citizens have celebrated the day ever since. In 1864, the country started a longstanding tradition of organizing a children’s parade to honor Norway’s bright future.
Depicted in today’s artwork, the Norwegian flag features a blue cross outline in white atop a red background. Citizens don the country’s colors or wear bright bunads (modern interpretations of folk costumes) during celebrations. The most popular children’s parade is in Oslo where school bands march past the Royal Palace as the Royal Family waves to the crowd from their balcony.
Gratulerer med dagen, Norge!
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