SYTTENDE MAI

Syttende Mai is the Norwegian National holiday celebrating Norway’s independence from Sweden. It is celebrated on the 17th of May in both Norway and the United States. Locally, celebrations are held in Milan, Minnesota, and the largest celebration is held in Stoughton, Wisconsin. Minneapolis has a celebration each year at the Mindekirken which is the Norwegian Lutheran Church. My father is a member of the Norwegian Glee Club and they sing during the church service which is in Norwegian. Many women who attend wear their Bunads, traditional folk costumes from the area in Norway their relatives immigrated from. After the church service there is a parade of the many Norwegian-Americans who proudly celebrate their Norwegian heritage by wearing Norwegian sweaters and waving Norwegian flags. In the parking lot of the church, booths are set up displaying examples of Norwegian arts and crafts consisting of Rosemaling, Hardanger, Wood Carving and books written about Norway. This year the Sons of Norway sponsored a concert with a new band, Norville, consisting of Norwegian and Norwegian Americans, at the Mall of America. Ottar Johansen, from Bodo/Oslo, Norway, is a two-time Norwegian Grammy winner in Norway and has multiple albums released. He plays bass guitar, sings and writes songs. Joe Sun, originally from Minnesota but now residing in Nashville, Tennessee, has released over fifteen albums placing on the charts in both Europe and the U. S. He plays guitar, sings and also writes his own music. Tore Anderson, from Stjordal/Oslo, Norway, won a Norwegian Grammy in 2010. He plays guitar, sings and writes songs. Karen Pendley, from North Carolina, plays the fiddle, writes songs and sings background vocals. She specializes in Norwegian and Scandinavian Folk music. The group got together in 2009 and recently released the video for their new hit song, "Take Me Back", which brilliantly captures the majestic beauty of the mountains and fjords in Norway. This upbeat new song, “Take Me Back” was recently released on I Tunes. You can watch the video on their website, www.norville.no. I attended the mini concert with a fellow Norwegian-American and we became engrossed in the new style Norwegian American blend of music. After the perfomance, we took advantage of the opportunity to have our picture taken with the members of the band. I don’t think that makes us band groupies of the Norville band, but it definitely was a uniquely different Syttende Mai!