We will celebrate Norway’s National Day in Cardiff again this year and, as it will be a Saturday, we will do so in the morning, in the more typical Norwegian fashion.
Meet at the Wales Millennium Centre at 10.15 and join us on a red, white and blue procession to the Norwegian Church, where we’ll raise the flag, sing the national anthems, and lay a wreath to remember the fallen.
There’ll be music from the church’s resident string ensemble, the Vita Quartet, and Norwegian food and cakes and, of course, coffee, lots of it.
Upstairs in the gallery there will also be a fascinating new exhibition opening and curated by the Norwegian Church Arts Centre’s Heritage team – The Legacy of Prosperity: Exploring Cardiff Docks’ Industrial and Economic Heritage.
17 May is one of the high points of our social calendar and is a great chance to meet with other Norwegians, Norwegian speakers, and friends of Norwegian language and culture.
All are more than welcome! No tickets or booking are required.
We apologise for the lack of communication and absence of events so far in 2025. Thank you for your patience. We just haven’t yet been able to build a calendar of events this year. Like all voluntary societies these days, we are short of volunteers to take on the duties (and rewards!) of organising and communicating activities. The big calendar events of the year – Norwegian national day, the midsummer party and the Festival of Light and Friendship at Christmas – absorb a lot of our capacity. We would welcome help with those, and/or the much less taxing monthly get-togethers. We have use of the Norwegian Church in Cardiff Bay; we can also travel and meet up elsewhere, as we did in Abergavenny last year. But it is always helpful to have a focal point – a speaker, a topic, an activity (such as cooking, crafting or learning the language) to bring people in. We know there is interest but cannot meet the demand with the existing resources. If you’d be willing and able to take on some of the load – however little – we’d love to hear from you. This is the 30th anniversary year of the WNS and we’d very much like to keep going!
It is exceptionally late notice – but we have decided to hold an informal get-together at the Norwegian Church tomorrow, Sunday 16 March, at 2 pm. All are very welcome.
Fellow members have promised to bring Norwegian books to swap or borrow.
There is also talk that it is Scandinavian week at Lidl – so a great chance to pick up snacks and sweets.
Finally, we have confirmed with the church that this year’s national day celebrations will go ahead, with a small difference to the usual schedule, but one which will bring us more into line with the typical Norwegian practice. 17th May being a Saturday this year, we will celebrate in the morning, meeting at the Millennium Centre at 10.15, with a flag parade to the Church at 10.30 and speeches and flag raising at 11.00.
We will ask the church caterers to put on a Norwegian-themed menu. We hope to be able to put on a concert with the church’s new house quartet and perhaps some activities for children.
We hope to see you tomorrow, on 17th May or at one of the other yet-to-be-scheduled events. If you can help, please let us know!
We hope you had a wonderful day if you were celebrating Norway’s National Day. Thanks to everyone who joined us in Cardiff. We think there were more than 100 in the procession from the Wales Millennium Centre to the Norwegian Church. Here’s a flavour. Thanks again to the Salvation Army Band for providing music, including ‘Norge i rødt, hvitt og blått’ – Norway in red, white and blue, as seen here today!
The procession was joined by a flag-waving Lord Mayor of Cardiff, Cllr Bablin Molik, who welcomed everyone to the church and to Cardiff. She extended a special welcome to visitors from Norway, including students from Åsane High School from Cardiff’s twin region of Vestland. They had come to Wales especially to set up an exhibition on tourism to the region in the upstairs gallery of the church.
Åsmund Berthelson of Vestland Council remembered the long ties between the two regions. The trade in pit props from Norway and coal from Wales had long been superseded, he said, but trade and educational ties remained, and the bonds between the two countries remained strong.
Tony Olavesen, one of the Welsh Norwegian Society’s new honorary members, recalled the wartime collaboration between the UK and Norway. He laid a wreath to recall those who lost their lives fighting to preserve freedom.
Music was provided indoors by young vocalist Freya, who sang a modern Norwegian tune, ‘Stardust’, and pianist Janet Neilson.
The Lord Mayor of Cardiff, Cllr Bablik Molik, visits the exhibition on tourism to Norway put on by students from Vestland
The Welsh Norwegian Society and the Norwegian Church Cardiff Bay have confirmed plans to again mark Norway’s Constitution Day in Cardiff on Friday, 17th May.
The celebrations in Cardiff will begin at 4:45pm with a colourful flag-waving procession from the Wales Millennium Centre to the iconic Norwegian church.
There, the Norwegian flag will be raised and the national anthem sung. Everyone will then be invited inside the church to enjoy music and speeches from representatives from Norway and Wales.
Norway’s constitution was a declaration of independence signed in 1814 after four centuries of rule by Denmark. At first it was unsuccessful, and Norway fell under Swedish rule. Norway finally won its freedom as a nation in 1905, but in 1940 was invaded and occupied by the Nazis, who banned all displays of national pride, including the 17th May celebrations. Understandably, Norwegians today are fiercely proud of their hard-won independence.
“The 17th May is a day of celebration in Norway with the festivities usually starting with champagne breakfasts and lasting until late into the evening,” explains Bethan Winter of the Welsh Norwegian Society. “The streets are lined with crowds eagerly waving flags and proudly dressed in their colourful and unique national costume, the ‘bunad’. The event is a highlight of the Welsh-Norwegian society’s calendar and we want to bring a flavour of the celebratory mood to Cardiff Bay.”
Norwegian-style refreshments including waffles and traditional cakes will be on sale at the arts centre café which will be open until the evening.
This year there will also be a small programme of free events at the church on Saturday, 18th May.
At 1pm the church historian, Thomas Alexander Husøy-Ciaccia, will give a talk on the history of the Norwegian seamen who travelled to south Wales and the church mission which was set up to support them, resulting in the building of churches in Cardiff, Barry and Swansea.
Between 2.30 and 4pm there will be Norwegian-themed arts and crafts activities available for children.
Upstairs in the gallery there will also be an exhibition on Vestland county, Cardiff’s twin region in west Norway, curated by Norwegian high school students.
The Norwegian community in Wales extends a warm velkommen to all.
2023 saw one of the largest celebrations of Norway’s Constitution Day in Cardiff for some years. Post-pandemic, and blessed with fine weather, almost 200 people turned up to join the celebrations, starting with a procession from the Wales Millennium Centre via the Senedd to the Norwegian Church on the bayside.
Martin Price, trustee of the Norwegian Church Cardiff Bay charity, welcomed the procession.
The flag was hoisted over Cardiff Bay after the singing of the National Anthem, Ja vi elsker, accompanied by the band of the Salvation Army.
Torill Heavens, a committee member of the Welsh Norwegian Society, welcomed everybody and led proceedings in the hall. Torill is also a member of the Salvation Army Band that played for us throughout the afternoon.
Cato Syversen, the CEO of the Cardiff-based Norwegian company Creditsafe, and a trustee of the Norwegian Church Cardiff Bay, gave the traditional 17th May speech, explaining the date’s significance to Norway and Norwegians.
The Lord Mayor of Cardiff, Councillor Graham Hinchey, wished everyone “gratulerer med dagen“. The city council looked after church after it closed for services until last year, when it was handed over to a new charity, the Norwegian Church Cardiff Bay.
Nine-year-old Eira Oseng-Rees is a typical member of our community. With a Welsh father and Norwegian mother, she has grown up bilingually in south Wales – which she demonstrated by reading the poem “17. mai er jeg så glad i” – “I love 17th May so much” in both Norwegian and English.
The Church in Norway continues to support Norwegians living, working and studying abroad, even if it has far fewer physical places of worship than in the peak days of Norway’s merchant navy.
Ingrid Ims is a chaplain based at the Norwegian Church in London who works with communities throughout the UK and Ireland. She is especially keen to reach out to Norwegian students in Wales.
Ingrid expanded on Cato’s thoughts about the meaning of 17th May and its place in Norwegian independence.
Remembering the losses that Norway had suffered during its occupation during World War Two, she laid a wreath in the church to remember the fallen.
“Vi lyser fred over deres minne,” she said: We shine peace upon their memory.
The Welsh have St David’s Day, the Irish St Patrick’s Day. And the Norwegians? Well, we have syttende mai, 17th May, when we commemorate the signing of our constitution in 1814. Norway had been ruled by Denmark for four centuries, but had just suffered a devastating defeat in the Napoleonic Wars and was to be transferred from Denmark to Sweden as a penalty. The constitution declared Norway an independent kingdom – a goal that was not reached until 1905, when the union was Sweden was finally dissolved.
17th May is huge. Whilst many countries celebrate their national day with a military parade, Norway holds a party for everyone, especially children, with marching bands, parades, national costumes and ice cream. Lots of ice cream. Before they head out onto the streets, many people will have a “17th May breakfast” – often a bring-a-dish party with friends and neighbours – with freshly-baked bread, scrambled eggs, smoked salmon and champagne.
Children then parade through the streets, led by marching bands, waving flags and shouting “hurra!”. The largest parades attract tens of thousands of people. In Oslo, the procession is greeted by the royal family.
Ice cream and hot dogs are eaten while games are played. Speeches are made during the afternoon. The festivities are often rounded off in the evening with a special meal with friends and family.
Inevitably, our celebrations in Wales, taking place hundreds of miles from Norway, are somewhat muted, but we try to include as many of the familiar elements as we can – from the parade to the party food, the music to the speeches.
Thank you for joining us to celebrate 17th May this year!
Programme for the Day
16.45 Procession sets out from the Wales Millennium Centre, Roald Dahls Plass, Cardiff
17.00 Gathering at the Norwegian Church to raise the flag and sing the Norwegian national anthem
Welcome by Martin Price, Chair, Norwegian Church Cardiff Bay
17.15 Move inside the church for a traditional 17th May programme led by Torill Heavens
Addresses from Cato Syversen, CEO, Creditsafe; Councillor Graham Hinchey, the Rt Hon the Lord Mayor of Cardiff; and a representative of Vestland County, Norway
Poem read by Eira Oseng-Rees
Wreath laid by Ingrid Ims from the Norwegian Church in London.
17:45 End of official programme. The café will remain open for the sale of refreshments and Norwegian food items
We would like to thank the Salvation Army Band for making our celebration a true Norwegian experience by learning our national anthem and joining us come rain or shine.
Ja, vi elsker
The Norwegian National Anthem
Words by Bjørnstjerne Bjørnson
Ja, vi elsker dette landet Som det stiger frem Furet, værbitt over vannet, Med de tusen hjem Elsker, elsker det og tenker På vår far og mor Og den saga natt som senker drømme på vår jord
Yes, we love with fond devotion This our land that looms Rugged, storm-scarred o’er the ocean With her thousand homes. Love her, in our love recalling Those who gave us birth. And old tales which night, in falling, Brings as dreams to earth.
Norske mann i hus og hytte, Takk din store gud. Landet ville han beskytte, Skjønt det mørkt så ut. Alt hva fedrene har kjempet Mødrene har grett Har den herre stille lempet Så vi vant, vi vant vår rett
Norseman, whatsoe’er thy station, Thank thy God whose power willed and wrought the land’s salvation In her darkest hour. All our mothers sought with weeping And our sires in fight, God has fashioned in His keeping Till we gained our right.
Ja, vi elsker dette landet Som det stiger frem Furet værbitt over vannet Med de tusen hjem Og som fedres kamp har hevet Det av nød til seir Også vi, når det blir krevet For dets fred slår leir Også vi når det blir krevet For dets fred, dets fred slår leir
Yes, we love with fond devotion This our land that looms Rugged, storm-scarred o’er the ocean With her thousand homes. And, as warrior sires have made her Wealth and fame increase, At the call we too will aid her Armed to guard her peace.
17 mai er jeg så glad i
By Margrethe Munthe
17. mai er vi så glad i, moro vi har fra morgen til kveld! Da er det så du, om vi er små du, er vi med likevel. Jeg roper hurra dagen så lang, synger for Norge mangen en sang Og jeg, jeg kan duelske mitt land du, det skal du se en gang
We love 17 May, We have fun from morning to night! That’s how it is, We take part Even if we are small. I shout hurray all day long, sing many a song for Norway And I, I can love my country You, you have to see it once
Norge i rødt, hvitt og blått
‘Norway in red, white and blue’
Words by Finn Bø, Bias Bernhoft og Arild Feldborg
Hvorhen du går i li og fjell, en vinterdag, en sommerkveld med fjord og fossevell, fra eng og mo med furutrær
Fra havets bryn med fiskevær og til de hvite skjær, møter du landet i trefarvet drakt, svøpt i et gjenskinn av flaggets farveprakt. Se, en hvitstammet bjerk oppi heien, rammer stripen med blåklokker inn mot den rødmalte stuen ved veien, det er flagget som vaier i vind. Ja, så hvit som det hvite er sneen, og det røde har kveldssolen fått, og det blå ga sin farve til breen, det er Norge i rødt, hvitt og blått.
Where’er you go in fields or hills A winter day, a summer eve By fjord and waterfalls From meadows and heaths with pines
From oceans shore with fishing grounds And to the white-washed reefs You meet the country in tricolour
Wrapped in reflection of the flag’s coloured glow. See the white-stemmed birch on the hillside Framing in the bluebells with ribbons. Put beside the red-painted cottage by the roadside, It’s the flag that waves in the breeze.
Yes, as white as the whiteness of snow And the red has the sunset been given And the blue gave its colour to the glacier. That is Norway in Red, White and Blue.
Wednesday 17 May, Norway’s Constitution Day – the day the nation celebrates its re-emergence as an independent nation after four centuries of Danish rule – will again be marked in Cardiff in the now familiar manner.
Norwegians in national dress will lead a procession from the Wales Millennium Centre to the Norwegian Church, accompanied by the band of the Salvation Army. At the church the instantly recognisable flag will be hoisted and the Norwegian anthem sung. The Norwegian community and its friends in Wales will welcome dignitaries from both Wales and Norway.
The Norwegian Church Arts Centre café will serve Norwegian favourite food and drinks, and will be stocked with supplies to buy and take away.
A new exhibition telling the story of the Norwegian community in Cardiff and its church will open in the upstairs gallery.
The celebrations – which begin at 4.30 pm and last until the evening – are open to all, especially those keen to make links with others in Wales with an interest in Norway.
What an amazing ending on #norwaynationalday #syttendemai #17mai2020 hosting a zoom meeting during #lockdown2020 for our members allowing everyone to connect and get to know each other. So many wonderful #bunads to see, plenty of 🇳🇴 and great stories to listen to.
Norwegian Constitutional Day celebrations were held in Cardiff Bay on the 17th May. Over one hundred Norwegians and other nationalities with an interest in Norway came together to parade from the Wales Millennium Centre to the Norwegian Church Arts Centre.
There the flag was raised to the national anthem performed by the Salvation Army Fellowship band. Once inside the church speeches were provided by members of the Society and a violin performance performed by Vyvyan Lucas and a moment was taken to remember those who gave their lives to protect our freedoms.
Traditional waffles and coffee were then enjoyed by all.
Welsh Norwegian Society 