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 Mindekirken, 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
performance, 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!