Syttende Mai

May 16, 2025 @ 9:00 AM - 5:00 PM

Syttende Mai

May 16, 2025

Vesterheim invites everyone to celebrate Syttende Mai, Norway’s Constitution Day! In 2025, Vesterheim is celebrating a day early on May 16!

Syttende Mai (May 17th) is the day Norway ratified its constitution in 1814 at Eidsvoll and Norwegians celebrate with excited crowds—especially children—marching through the streets, waving flags, and singing songs.

Vesterheim’s celebration includes free admission all day with a Children’s Parade throughout Vesterheim Heritage Park, a performance by Decorah’s Nordic Dancers, hands-on crafts, live music, ice cream, and more.

There will be a concert with Norwegian fiddler Vidar Skrede!

Check back for details and a complete schedule.

In case of inclement weather, the parade and Nordic Dancers will be canceled. All other activities will continue as planned.

Syttende Mai is made possible by a generous gift to the Vesterheim Annual Fund from Jeff and Marilyn Roverud.

Commemorate the 200th Anniversary of the first organized emigration of Norwegians to the United States with Vesterheim in 2025! The single-masted sloop, Restauration, left Stavanger on July 4, 1825, with 52 people on board and landed in New York Harbor on October 9, 1825.

Vesterheim joins Crossings, a group of Norwegian-American organizations, to commemorate this anniversary with programming inspired by the strong connections between the people of Norway and the United States. Whether you have Norwegian roots or an interest in Scandinavian traditions, we invite you to join Vesterheim’s special programs, exhibitions, and classes to share the history and traditions of Norwegian Americans.

Below are some fun family activities to add to your Syttende Mai Celebration!

Click here for activities that families can do at home together. Be sure to make your own Norwegian flag for your Syttende Mai celebration!

Plus, watch the video instructions on the right for how to make your own Norwegian flag windsock or waving streamer with things you can find around the house! Thanks to Chivonne Marlow, Vesterheim Visitor Services Manager, and Jennifer Kovarik, Vesterheim Youth Educator, for sharing their expertise.

In this video from 2021, Norwegian storyteller Anne Elisebeth Skogen told the story, Schoolgirl and My Very First May 17th Parade in 1962. Anne Elisebeth grew up in the little town of Egersund, Norway, south of Stavanger. With an education in drama and storytelling, Anne Elisebeth runs her own storytelling business, telling stories for schools, organizations, festivals, and companies.

Watch the video until the end to see Decorah musicians Beth and Jon Rotto (playing fiddle and rhythm guitar, respectively) playing Norwegian and Norwegian-American tunes from the Bethania Church in Vesterheim’s Heritage Park last year. Beth and Jon are founding members of the dance band Foot-Notes, who have been playing for old-time dances in the Decorah area for over three decades.

In this video from 2022, Anne Elisebeth tells the story My Last 17 Mai in My Hometown, Now as a Red Russ, her memories of russefeiring, a long-standing tradition for high school graduates in Norway.

Learn how to greet people on Syttende Mai! Take this short Norwegian language lesson from Maren Johnson, Assistant Professor of Nordic Studies at Luther College.

Every party needs food and this bløtkake recipe is perfect for Syttende Mai! This version is from Vesterheim Folk Art School instructor Darlene Fossum-Martin, Vesterheim, Vol. 6, No. 1, 2008 – Food for Thought.

Darlene starts with a basic sponge cake that can be adapted for any version of bløtkake and then continues with her special variation of rosemary, pears, raspberries, and kiwi filling. Find the recipe here and enjoy!

Details

Date:: May 16, 2025
Time:: 9:00 AM - 5:00 PM
Event Category:: Annual Events