Norway’s infamous “russ” season, normally a time when many high school students celebrate graduation with wild mass partying and bizarre rituals, has been postponed by the Corona crisis. While more than a few Norwegians can look forward to sleep better at night this spring, some reckon that the time is ripe to finally end the […]
Army joins schools’ friendship dance
October 1, 2019
VIDEO: It started with school children and spread all over Norway this year: Norwegian Broadcasting (NRK)’s annual friendship dance. Even the Army has since joined in, claiming that the dance’s promotion of integration and inclusion meets its own motto of “Respect, responsibility and courage.” The project, which is also part of an anti-bullying campaign, resulted […]
The autumn leaves, of red and gold
October 22, 2018
SEE THE VIDEO: They’ve been drifting past windows, or even framing them. It’s that time of year in Norway, when the nights are cold, the days somewhat warmer but brisk, and the fall colours breathtaking. Here’s a video of the Hagerup Waterfall in the hills above Hakadal, just north of Oslo, followed by some photos […]
Trøndelag merger strikes a chord
June 25, 2018
SEE THE VIDEO: At a time when tempers are flaring and conflicts abound over state-ordered county and municipal mergers, at least one has proceeded with a fair degree of harmony. So much harmony, in fact, that county officials in the newly merged Trøndelag invested in a new song and video aimed at stirring up a […]
Crash site memorial offers a shady oasis
June 4, 2018
PHOTO FEATURE: Jets still fly every day over the site of a wartime plane crash in 1945 that tragically killed British liberators just before they were due to land themselves at what’s now Oslo’s main airport at Gardermoen. They came to help ensure the unconditional surrender of Nazi German forces, and now a memorial to […]
Sights and sounds at a patriotic party
May 17, 2018
SEE THE VIDEO: Song, music and brass bands led to lots of festive sights and sounds on the 17th of May in one of Norway’s leading coastal communities, despite its relatively small population of less than 40,000 residents. See and listen to the experience as a vast majority of them seemed to be out on […]
Sounds from the 17th on Svalbard
May 17, 2017
VIDEO FEATURE: This was one of many busy brass bands in Norway on the 17th of May. Svalbard’s Longyearbyen Storband, all dressed in hardhats and working clothes from the state-owned coal company Store Norske, were out early for a wreath-laying at the town’s monument to miners, then marched in the parade and played at another tribute to […]
Party at the palace, and for the people
May 10, 2017
SEE THE VIDEO: An estimated 3,000 Norwegians streamed to the Royal Palace in Oslo on Tuesday evening, to pay tribute to King Harald and Queen Sonja as they began official celebrations of their 80th birthdays. Those defying chilly temperatures and the threat of rain on the palace grounds also got a glimpse of royals from all […]
Pipeline protests reach Parliament
December 1, 2016
SEE THE VIDEO: Protests in Norway against construction of the controversial Dakota Access Pipeline in the US have not subsided. Scores of protesters gathered in front of the Norwegian Parliament Thursday evening, shortly after Greenpeace Norway presented a demand backed by 420 organizations in 50 countries that Norway’s biggest bank and many others immediately suspend funding for the […]
Sights and sounds of the 17th of May
May 17, 2016
SEE THE VIDEO: The 17th of May in Norway’s northern city of Kirkenes offered some refreshing differences from the country’s larger celebrations in cities like Oslo or Bergen. Its children’s parade marched through residential areas instead of the city center, for example, and it was extra colourful with all the Sami celebrants wearing their formal […]
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