Photos of friends celebrating

  Syttende Mai 2003 !  (17th of May 2003) 

in northern Rogaland, Norway

(Haugesund/Karmøy/Tysvær areas)

These photos were taken by friends in Norway and sent to California for inclusion in this album.  This is a time for parades, crowds and flag waving, but it is also a very social time when friends visit friends.  There are many web sites with great photos of the crowds and parades.  Here we present some more personal photos of our friends in Norway as they celebrate this very special national holiday in their own unique way.

Norway List member Geir Kristian Eide standing behind son Bernt Andreas and Geir's wife Ragnhild. This taken near the entrance to their home in Karmøy kommune.	For those interested in Norwegian bunads or bunader, here is an enlargement of Ragnhild from the photo on left - this showing better her "Sogne-bunad."	While the photos to the left show off this dressed up family & Ragnhild's beautiful bunad from the Songnefjord area from which she came, this shot captures them with friendly smiles on their veranda.	Here is a picture showing Bernt Andreas and Ragnhild in the children's "Syttende Mai" parade just outside Lillesund junior school in Haugesund.
Now how did that San Francisco Troll tee-shirt get to the Slogvik farm in Tysvær? Rotraud gets ready in their Slogvik home.	Rotraud brings a basket of gifts Hervik jams & juice, plus candles, to their close friend Kjell Ebne. Flags are ever present on this day.	Here Kjell & Sigrun inspect the gifts in their comfortable home in the north part of Karmøy Island.	While the "VERY traditional" red, white & blue candles burn on the coffee table, Einar, Kjell & Sigrun enjoy quiet conversation.
Einar & Rotraud Slogvik next drive the short distance north, up to the city of Haugesund to visit more friends.	They are warmly greeted by another San Francisco Troll by the name of Andreas Tofte.  [Bonus photo: Andreas takes photo of neighbor's katt, post holiday.]	Resident Troll Andreas sits close to the towering kransekake while guests enjoy smørbrød, beer, wine, soft drinks & coffee.	Andrea's wife Margunn (sitting) & good friend Marit enjoy a good laugh. The kransekake seems to be getting shorter..?

Here is a quote that describe one friend's view of this holiday:

     " How real people celebrate 17.mai is almost the same way that we do. During the day it is mostly for the children, the evenings for the grown ups, but the celebration has a limit: if it is a working-day the next day, the party ends earlier and there is very little drinking. This year the next day was a Sunday, so people could celebrate longer. But don't think that 17.mai is a drinking-day. Most people are moderate. We and many others have traditions often with breakfast, lunch and evening-party. People drop in or are invited. In our case the open house is always in our home. Everyone (there are not so many left any more) knows that they can drop in any time of the day getting a good meal. By this tradition we like to show that we appreciate our friends and family. This year we made 80 "smørbrød" the night before."

Another friend added that the way they celebrate May 17 is not traditional. They avoid the traditional celebration, because one member does not like crowds. "Therefore we prefer to be together with good friends (that make very good food), who also don't like too many people around them."

Another friend from farther south in Rogaland reports, "Here we had really nice weather in the morning when the children's parade took place. We are so lucky to have the parade passing by our house so we can watch it from our veranda. Later we got some rain but altogether a beautiful day."

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