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National Celebrations from an Outsider’s Perspective

May 17th in as an Expression of Social Memory

Nevena Škrbic‰ Alempijevic‰ Department of Ethnology and Cultural Anthropology University of Zagreb [email protected]

Abstract Key words: The focus of this paper is the social memory dimension of May 17th, the Norwegian May 17th, Constitution Day, as organized and acted out in Bergen in 2005. The celebrations are national celebrations, approached through Pierre Nora’s concept of “realms of memory”. The author places social memory, emphasis on the participants’ sensory and bodily experiences. She also discusses the way outsider’s perspective her outsider’s gaze into May 17th reflects the way she experienced national holidays in Croatia. The event is perceived from two different perspectives: by following in the foot- steps of the main organizers, the May 17th Committee members, and by experiencing the day in the company of members of a family living in Bergen. In that way the author obtained some insight into the official discourse about May 17th, as well as into one pri- vate interpretation of the occasion. For these informants, rememberance and the nation- al component played a significant part of their celebrations. The author concludes that not only motifs relating to 1814, the year of the drafting of the new constitution at Eidsvoll, were noticeable at the celebrations. Motifs evoking the Viking era and WW2 were also present. This is why the author concludes that it is the glorious past that soci- eties remember during contemporary May 17th celebrations.

In the Realm of Memory is a meeting of the May 17th Committee, th It is two weeks before the May 17 cele- the body to which, according to an agree- brations in 2005, and thirty representatives ment with the town’s government, “the of various Bergen-based companies, insti- centre of Bergen belongs on May 17th“, as tutions and influential societies gather in its members have pointed out to me. The the conference room of Rick’s Hotel. This richly decorated interior refurbished in old-

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fashioned red wallpaper and gilt chande- with the aim of conducting a study entitled liers form a perfect setting for the narratives “National Celebrations as Expressions of of the Committee’s history dating back to Social Memory”. I have approached 1847 and its importance for the character national celebrations as realms of memory, of the celebrations “as the people of Bergen as the French historian Pierre Nora has know it” (Sletten 1985:14; www.17- defined them (1996). Nora includes not mai.no). Many details are yet to be only physical places in this term, but also resolved: the number and order of groups events that conquer and transform spaces in the main parade, the positioning of may- in a specific way, such as commemorations, poles and stands where participants can anniversaries and festivals, all of which can buy their party supplies, the christening of be used by group members to embody the brand new Viking ship named after images of their past. The memories that Olav Kyrre and positioned at the celebrations evoke have not frozen; they Festplassen Square as the Committee’s gift don’t rely on objective accounts of past to the citizens of Bergen. The majority of events. On the contrary, it is a “notion pro- members arrive a bit early and are chatting duced, defined, established, constructed, and laughing, asking me about my native decreed, and maintained by the artifice and country and how I cope with the rains of desire of a society fundamentally absorbed Bergen. It resembles a conversation by its own transformation and renewal” between old friends. At 19.30 sharp, for (1996:6). For this reason, national celebra- when the meeting was scheduled, the chair- tions play a major role in the community’s man bangs his hammer on the table. It identity politics, sustaining a sense of same- seems to me as if the atmosphere in the ness over time and space. Still, through room, and the people themselves, change commemorative practices this representa- instantly. Everybody straightens themselves tion of sameness is constantly revised and in their chairs, opens their May 17th fold- adjusted to the actual social and political ers, banishing all petty everyday subjects context (Gillis 1994). Contemporary cele- from their conversations, as well as the brations can, thus, be seen as an echo of the laughter from their lips. The singing of group members’ current attitudes towards “Vær hilset, Bergen” (“Greetings, Bergen”) their historical background. They can, of put the participants in the right mood. course, encompass many diverse practices They are ready, in the words of several and meanings attributed to them by indi- Committee members, to take part in some- vidual participants. The evocation of the thing serious, honourable and important. past does not necessarily have to be at the Passing through the solid door with the heart of such events: the people who engage note “May 17th Committee”, I felt as if I in them can, for instance, view them as are- was stepping into a place reserved for nas for festivity and fun, innovative, vari- upholding the community and the nation’s able and unrepeatable, dealing with present past, a place where the common denomi- concerns rather than with the birth of a nator of individual experiences is highlight- nation. But the past remembered during ed and contemporary performances and celebrations is innovative, variable and new cultural production are given a sense unrepeatable as well; remembered past can of continuity; a privileged place to be for a also be fun, as I learnt from the May 17th Croatian ethnologist who came to Bergen celebration in Bergen. In this context, I will

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not be approaching the remembering of the When dealing with social memory, we are past as a process of trans-generational trans- not venturing into the territory of a mysti- mission of facts built into the very founda- cal communal mind – it is always individ- tions of national community. For many uals, the members of the group, who participants the references to the past serve remember. This also applies to historical to achieve a sense of national continuity, memory, which does not relate to personal- which is highly important when they ly experienced events of the past, but reach- define their community’s sense of identity es people through written and other types over time; what being a Norwegian means of records, and can be kept alive through today. This is why, among many possible commemorations, festive enactments, etc. approaches to the celebrations, I have cho- (Halbwachs 1992:23-24). Once I had sen the social memory dimension of May acquired an overview of all the different 17th as the main focus of my study. I have groups, families and individuals who cele- tried to follow this thread while looking at brate May 17th in their own fashion, my the different ways of preparing for and cel- next problem was to decide whose experi- ebrating the day, the equipment and cos- ence to study. Obviously there was no way tumes used and the narratives that explain I could take in all the diverse voices of peo- the participants’ involvement. The expres- ple attending, or choosing not to attend the sions of social memory that I studiedi in celebrations. The most dominant voice Bergen have triggered another corpus of which is heard most easily, is the official memories: my own. My personal views and narrative of what the celebrations should be previous experience of national celebrations all about, what ceremonies should be in my own country has influenced the undertaken, which performances should be prism through which I observed the prac- attended, and which memories of the tices in Bergen. I have therefore found it is nation’s past are expected to be evoked. important to explain what my outsider’s There is plenty of material for shedding view on the celebrations entail and in light on this aspect. It is, for instance, which way I tried to study the variety of explained in a publication entitled Atter er experiences that people draw from the cel- dagen opprunden, published by Bergen’s ebrations. May 17th Committee Bergen (Sletten 1985).2 Although very useful to a cultural scholar, since it explains the emergence of Where the Abstract becomes Concrete the celebrations and their history, this How can a scholar who studies national account introduces no multivocality, no celebrations grasp something as fluid and interpretations relating to people who are abstract as memory, an attitude towards not involved with organising public events one’s past? This issue has been dealt with by yet taking part and enjoying the festivities Paul Connerton, who has found the con- and thereby effectively producing their cretisations of social memory in bodily own events. It is a view from behind the practices performed during commemora- stage, presented as an authoritative source. tive ceremonies (Connerton 2003:88). My In the words of the chairman of the May decision was therefore to bring the practical 17th Committee: “This book gives the and sensory sides of the celebrations to the whole truth - everything you will ever want forefront (comp. Frykman and Gilje 2003). and need to know about May 17th.”

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One of my objectives was to find out preference in their capacity as a Committee how the stage was set for the national cele- representative or as a member of their own brations by the event organisers. However, family, neighbourhood etc. One of them what I found to be even more significant explained his decision to retire from the were the many alternative May 17th arenas Committee this year: outside the framework of set commemora- tive procedures. Such unofficial events I’ve been on the Committee for 15 years would take place anywhere, staged by peo- now, and it has been hard but pleasant ple who choose to make the day special, not work. Now I think I would like to try by organising events for the whole city, but something different, spending the day by creating their own May 17th by giving a in the family circle, in an unofficial personal slant to public presentations, atmosphere, inviting friends over for choosing from the official programme, lunch, waving to the grandchildren in skipping some events seen as irrelevant and the parade instead of making sure that inventing new traditions of their own. I the parade is moving at a proper pace. tried to look at the events from two differ- Not seeing people, seeing only the ent perspectives. On the one hand, I was parade. (…) It is something different, following in the footsteps of the May 17th you know. When you are in the Committee members. On the other hand, I Committee, your day is full of official was spending time in the company of mem- obligations and people expect you to be bers of a family living in Bergen, Aina and up to it, so that the nation’s day gets cel- Lars Sverkeli3, a married couple in their six- ebrated properly and in high spirits. ties who have two adult sons.4 These two When you are with your family, you still perspectives showed up some interesting have this strong feeling for the day, it’s differences in people’s ways of celebrating. just that your love for the country gets In this way I obtained insight into the offi- this more familiar face: the face of your cial, public discourse about May 17th, as nearest and dearest, and the home you well as into at least one (out of many avail- live in. able) private interpretation of it. Although I refer to an official dis- The celebrations last for a short period course, I am well aware that all Committee only, but because the time slot is packed members interpret the day in a different with events, I was unable to follow both the way within their own families, once they Committee members and the Sverkeli fam- cast aside their role of Committee member. ily throughout the day. Some moments But being a member of the Committee were considered crucial by all, like watch- means that your celebrations need to follow ing the two afternoon processions, the flag a set pattern. All Committee members parade and the main parade; and attending repeatedly stressed this distinction between the choral concert in the Town Hall. acting as a private individual and a public However, I did take part in most events figure who is constantly being asked by the that received a high ranking by the two dif- media to give a statement on what May ferent groups, since they generally did not 17th is about. During interviews they will overlap.5 The difference in event prefer- often switch from one role to another, ences reflected the difference in interpreta- clearly stating whether they voice a certain tions of May 17th.

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Approach: Being an Outsider differed most from my tacit understanding Norwegian Constitution Day has already of how to celebrate a nation’s birthday, been the focus of ethnological attention in which of course was based on my own the past. Swedish researcher Barbro Blehr observations and personal experiences. In in her article “On Ritual Effectiveness: The Croatia, I had been accustomed to a very Case of Constitution Day” discusses how different set of definitions with respect to contemporary national holidays can pro- national celebrations: we celebrate birth- mote nationalist ideology among partici- days in a festive mood, but not the coun- pants, while showing that the celebrations try’s birthday, at least not any longer. There can give an enjoyable sense of belonging to are several possible reasons: one is that the local community and the family circle grand celebrations of the Republic’s or without reflecting on national dimensions President’s birthday to many carry an echo (1999). The author bases her analysis on of the Yugoslav period. Huge political gath- the ways in which the celebrations are erings at stadiums, massive parades headed incorporated and acted out through bodily by people carrying wreaths and birthday movements and ritualized actions. greetings, children waving national flags However, it is clear from the text that she and reciting poetry, dancing and singing in herself, through her family relationships, the schoolyards for the country and for has acquired “some personal habits of cele- freedom; all this inevitably brings back brating, as well as a sense of what the day images of former socialist national holidays was all about” (1999:41). which have been subject to intentional for- Although I have also chosen to focus on getting since the Homeland War in the the bodily aspects of the celebrations, my nineties. Furthermore, in a young democ- starting point was quite different from racy, new national celebrations have yet to Barbro Blehr’s: I had no tacit knowledge of become established traditions: some the way the holiday is being celebrated and national holiday dates are changeable and experienced by participants. Nevertheless, I additional ones have recently been intro- wanted to be exposed to the participants’ duced, which causes uncertainty about lived experiences without reducing them to when to celebrate the nation’s birthday, if at a system of symbols waiting for scholarly all. Also, the people of Croatia are often decoding. I wondered how I should deal concerned about the potential negative with this lack of insider’s knowledge. A pos- nationalist connotations of such celebra- sible solution became clear in discussions tions. For all these reasons, nation celebra- with fellow ethnologists in Bergen: I pon- tions are considered deadly serious matters, dered over and found curious practices that and there is an air of uneasiness about were considered rather mundane by my them. The media discourse rarely present Norwegian colleagues. So, I tried to turn the celebration of Croatian national holi- my position of an outsider-scholar into an days as a matter for ordinary people, and advantage: by admitting the fact that I am never as a source of relaxed enjoyment of a approaching the celebrations from a dis- highlight in people’s everyday lives, which tance, perhaps I could grasp things that enables them to commemorate their were difficult to observe from the inside. attachment to the nation in a whole variety What first attracted my attention were of different modes. Individual interpreta- the practices, narratives and attitudes that tions are not generally depicted as an

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important part of any such celebrations confused by the question. There was a clash (comp. Ćanić Divić 2004; Knežević of cultural perspectives. 2004:4). The question asking me to judge The Bergen celebrations of May 17th whether a piece of traditional costume was in 2005 incorporated commemorative and pretty or not reminded me of the contests military features, through the involvement sometimes held in the rural parts of of buekorps (children brigades evoking the Croatia, during which a jury of experts will Citizens’ Guards, marching through the judge which of the girls dressed in their city with wooden rifles and drums), is going to make the best through the Committee’s traditional Act of bride on the basis of the beauty and Remembrance for the victims of WW2, authenticity of their outfit. Not many etc. Some may well consider Croatian ethnologists and folklorists would the May 17th celebrations to show signs of like to be identified as a member of these nationalism. However, compared to commissions. The folk costumes have a dif- Croatia the most conspicuous difference is ferent status in Croatia. From the nineties that the Bergen celebrations incorporate on, folk costumes can be encountered in popular rejoicing and enjoy wide-spread various contexts: in museums, on the stage public recognition. This is a long-estab- at folklore festivals and through the pro- lished celebratory tradition which accom- grammes of folk dance associations. They modates a more relaxed attitude and even are part of a tourist attraction – at airports, allows for laughter. foreign visitors are sometimes welcomed by One of the May 17th elements with girls in folk costumes. They often serve as which I first came into contact a year decoration at occasions during which offi- before my fieldwork in Bergen, while still cial protocol applies, and they can be seen in Zagreb, was the “bunad”, the Norwegian in religious processions. However, in most national costume. It was brought to my cases they are far from being a cherished attention by my Norwegian colleague who item in one’s private wardrobe, occasional- had been browsing the Internet for pictures ly taken out to display the personal pride in from last year’s May 17th celebrations. She being connected to a place and a country. was discussing the occasions for which the Especially among younger urban people “bunad” is worn - weddings, confirma- one can detect detachment, sometimes tions, promotions - and the festive atmos- even shame, if they happen to own any phere that the “bunad” will bring to any passed down from their grandpar- such ceremony. All of a sudden, one of the ents. photos made her slip out of her role as a The colourful display of a town centre scholar explaining to a Croatian colleague overcrowded with men and women, boys how various cultural practices are attached and girls dressed in national costumes on to an element of traditional heritage in a May 17th was a vivid and truly unique sight contemporary context. She turned into the for a scholar from Croatia. I felt quite at loss owner of a “bunad”, who takes great pride when my informants asked about my kit for in her costume: “Oh, I have a piece of jew- the celebrations: had I prepared my own ellery like this. It has been in my family for national costume from Croatia for the occa- years now. Don’t you think it’s pretty?” I sion? In other words, would the paradigm confirmed it was very pretty, although I was of “thinking with one’s feet” (Jackson 1983)

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also extend to the way I dressed for May Narratives on the usage of national cos- 17th? Need I say, I had no national cos- tumes at the May 17th celebrations in tume, and borrowing one from a museum Bergen have been as numerous as the peo- or a folklore association never crossed my ple wearing them. People celebrating in mind while I was packing for my stay in their “bunad“ often pointed out its inher- Bergen. Still, the question made me consid- ent connection to a place. Descending from er what impact this would have had on my a specific place, having one’s grandparents study. True, my very appearance in a cos- buried there, even if no living relatives tume from the island of Brač would serve as remained, was a frequent narrative used by a methodological tool: it would be benefi- second-generation Bergensians to explain cial to my research to observe how I, dressed why they wore a “bunad” from some other in a national costume, would be welcomed Norwegian area. Along with this local and by other participants in the celebrations and regional identification, national connota- to hear their comments on my costume and tions have a heavy presence in stories about the way I was using it. However, I felt that the usage of the “bunad”. Here, the my preconceptions would make me too “bunad” is not restricted to a representative self-conscious, thinking about how I felt image of one particular national costume.6 and how I was acting rather then focusing The paradigm of “unity through diversity” on what others were doing. My strict black was evoked by some of my informants in costume turned out to be a fine choice for order to clarify how all the different region- the occasion: it blended in well with the al and local variants were built into a sym- outfits worn by the members of the May bol of national belonging. During the cele- 17th Committee. brations, the “bunad” functions as a histor- ical costume, through which the rich national past is also evoked in the today’s “Bunad”, memories and contemporary context. Being a member of a family is also usages often stressed as one of the major identifi- The “bunad” turned out to be a splendid cations exhibited through the costume. looking-glass through which ways of enact- The pieces of clothing and accessories, as ing and celebrating one’s past could be well as the knowledge of how to use and observed. Although many such national combine them, are being handed down costumes are products of Romanticist from generation to generation. This narra- imagination or the national myth-building tive of the heritage cycle within a family at the end of the 19th century, the com- and how the memory of certain deceased mon narrative of the “bunad” is the one family members was triggered by specific depicting it (i.e., its numerous variants) as parts of the costume, form a significant a piece of clothing from a misty, timeless part of many “bunad” stories. past. Even when it is newly made, its cut The meaning of the “bunad” is con- and ornaments should be “ancient”, “tradi- stantly changing to incorporate all kinds of tional” and “authentic”. What makes it a individual feelings and interpretations. great subject for the study of social memo- Also, through them the participants express ry is the way it intertwines the past imag- various levels of self-identification. While ined and invented with contemporary making its traditionality legitimate through needs and performances. references to historical background, parts

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The May 17th Committee in the morning parade. Photographer: The author.

of the costume play a prominent role in be up at 8 am, and come down at 9 pm. contemporary Norwegian society. They are Just like in the army. But I like it, it creates perceived as a means of expressing and this special feeling for the day.” For the reasserting local, regional, national, ethnic, Sverkelis, it is a day of rememberance. But diasporic identities, but also, at the same it’s not only the nation’s birthday of which time, as channels through which family they are reminded. While preparing her and individual memories are voiced and “bunad” for the celebrations, Aina remem- reproduced. bers all her relatives who gave her the indi- vidual parts of the dress; trying to find an adequate blouse for her granddaughter, she Some Ways of Making May 17th Happen commented how fast they grow and that In the Sverkeli home, the specific prepara- very soon they would be inviting them over tions and cheerful excitement announce for the May 17th lunch. In her eyes, that the great day has arrived. For Aina and preparing the “bunad” is an activity that Lars there are certain festive details through brings families together. She herself, which the celebratory atmosphere of May together with her daughter-in-law, took a 17th is marked, placing it in contrast to any course in making the male “bunad” and other non-working day. There are ceremo- made an outfit for her son with her own nial procedures, like attaching ribbons in hands. In the previous years the morning the national colours to the elegant grey suit fuss that accompanies the dressing for the and hoisting the national flag in the gar- day and the hoisting of the flag gained its den, which Lars cherishes: “The flag should momentum through preparations for

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A jury member is evaluating the different elements of the afternoon parade. Photographer: The author

breakfast at home, to which Aina and Lars by the brass band. Their route, starting at used to invite close family members. the Mariakirken Church and ending up at However, this year both their sons and their the Festplassen Square, is intercepted by families will be involved with other May frequent stops in front of monuments and 17th activities, or they will be away for the plates erected in honour of distinguished day. Aina and Lars have therefore decided people from Bergen and , of WW2 to have their breakfast at Hotel Norge. The victims, and of the very first May 17th meals had to be booked well in advance, Committee members. There the top hats since the hotel is a popular spot for kicking are taken off, the objects are addressed in off the day, as evidenced by the large num- silence, accompanied by songs like the ber of people present. The breakfast room national anthem, “Ja, vi elsker”, or speech- has been specially decorated for the festivi- es in which past sacrifice and heroism are ties: the rich banquet, tables attentively set, evoked as a promise of a bright future, and, vases with red, blue and white flowers. governed by a strict protocol, wreaths are Together with a couple of old friends, all placed by individuals chosen in advance. dressed up and in good spirits, they indulge The stage erected at the Festplassen in delicacies befitting the day. Square, in the shape of a replica Viking Just as the Sverkelis finish their prepa- ship, is one of the stops, where the speech- rations at home, the morning parade winds es for the day are delivered. On their way its way through the city centre. It is headed the Committee members communicate by the members of the May 17th with the by-standers, waving their top hats Committee, dressed in black suits and with to them, cheering, shouting “hooray”, and long ribbons in national colours draped smiling. Some observers take an active role. from their chest. They walk slowly and A group of five elderly men, wearing the with dignity at pace with the music played same ribbons as the Committee members,

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follows the procession around the town, cially selected Board. There are two of stopping in several different places and them, the main parade and the children’s greeting people with rattles. However, the flag parade, moving round the town centre majority just stops on the sidewalk for a along a circular route, in opposite direc- short while to look and listen to what is tions, both ending up at the Festplassen happening. They rarely come outside in Square. This is the most frequented May order to attend the morning parade – they 17th event, described by many partici- are mostly caught while running their own pants, as well as by observers, as the ele- errands, or stretching their heads from win- ment that makes the day unique. In many dows and balconies in order to catch a narratives that describe the local dimen- glimpse of the parade, and then continuing sions of May 17th, these two parades are with their own morning routine. The defined as “the Bergen way of celebrating”, morning procession is defined by the thus embodying the distinctiveness of the Committee members as one of the crucial festivities in Bergen, and Bergen itself. My moments of paying tribute and expressing informants tell me that the existence of two affection for the nation. But it is rarely per- separate, carefully prepared afternoon pro- ceived as the highlight of the day by people cessions is a distinctly different tradition who are not involved in organising the offi- from that observed in most other cial programme. So the question is: to Norwegian cities, of having one joint whom is the morning parade communicat- parade. The number, refinement and neat ing? Being among the Committee mem- arrangement of groups and individuals who bers during the procession, I could tell that take part in the parade is a frequent topic of it definitely plays an important role within media reports, but also of informal chats their group. However, unlike the afternoon among friends and relatives. The parades parades, its messages are not primarily provide an opportunity for the public to directed at other groups who take part in evaluate the Committee’s work. Walking at the celebrations. This parade is directed at the head of the main parade, some holding their predecessors, at spaces that they re-fill national flags, some waving their top hats with memory, at the past they are evoking at the crowd of people along their whole in the present. The Committee’s breakfast route round the town centre, they receive at Hotel Norge had quite a different char- credit and gratitude for the efforts they acter to the one taken by the Sverkelis. For have put in for the benefit of the commu- the Committee members this is not a time nity. to spend with families or friends – they Three members of the Committee do have their meal in the company of repre- not participate in the parade. They stand sentatives of Bergen Council and various by the Blue Stone, a monument in the city guests of honour. It is a framework that centre, paper and pen in hand, taking provides group cohesion and in which notes. Their observant gaze follows both thanks is given for the beneficial work done the main parade and the children’s parade. for the community. Groups of buekorps, some of them carry- The afternoon parades represent the ing banners, attempting to hold them as highlight of the day, the moment for which parallel to the ground as possible, wind the Committee members have been prepar- bands, army cadettes, police troops and fire ing for months, under the auspices of a spe- brigades, groups carrying emblems of insti-

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tutions and companies in which they work, neighbours watching the parade’. That’s sometimes in their official festive outfits, simply not good enough. (…) For like the university representatives in their example, a school was given an award gowns, children carrying their school ban- because they were well organized with ners, teenagers in disguise, some of them their banner, class by class, and with riding in allegorical vehicles, members of flags, and they were singing, they actu- sport clubs displaying their skills; they all ally knew how to sing the national pass in front of the three Committee mem- songs. It doesn’t mean you need to be bers, saluting and trying to look and act the best singer, but again, you need to their best in front of them, acknowledging show some enthusiasm. their role as adjudicators. Awards are later presented to the participating groups However, not all the events included in the which, according to their standards, make celebrations’ official programme have this the day most festive. There are three formal and ritualized air around it. The stu- awards: the most elegant group, the funni- dents in their final year at Hop elementary est one, and - introduced only this year - school prepared a play for May 17th. Lars the award for best display on the theme on and Aina’s grandson was part of the per- the anniversary of Norwegian independ- forming group as a member of the band ence. The evaluation criteria clearly reflect that accompanied the show.7 It was entitled what elements the Committee considers to “1905”, thus commemorating the Centen- be the most important features of individ- ary, the 100th anniversary of Norway’s ual practices attached to the festivities: the independence from Sweden. The play was commemorative dimension, for instance, is performed at , the royal resi- expected to be present, as well as pride in dence in Bergen, and was attended by the one’s country and the nation’s way of life. Mayor of Bergen. The story focused on There are also expectations regarding the Bergen-born Christian Michelsen and his ways in which these attitudes should be achievements as the prime minister who led given a bodily expression. After the celebra- the country towards the dissolution of the tions, one adjudicator, in his thirties, union with Sweden. The play included explained to me: numerous references to the nation’s past, with costumes and scenography adapted to I was very disappointed this year. The the period that the students attempted to thing is that we are losing the connec- revive on stage. However, there was parody tion with history, so people don’t feel throughout: Michelsen was shown as a anything by walking in the parade. womaniser – not a single female character There are exceptions; some really take it resisted his charms. Also, he was presented seriously in a way. I don’t mean to say as a hypochondriac, suffering from an that they have to walk like in a military incurable nostalgic feeling for Bergen while parade, but they do need to show some being in Oslo. So, Michelsen was not kind of emotion. You dress up in a cos- shown as a glorified, idealized hero, but as a tume, you sing, you dance, you show at person of flesh and blood with many least some affection. And many of them human faults; his actions, on the other acted like this was their Sunday stroll, hand, were presented as courageous and ‘we’re walking here and we can talk to advantageous to Norway. This has clearly

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shown that comedy, which is a prominent love to sing and they like the social dimen- dimension of May 17th in Bergen, can also sion of the choir. Their meetings are not serve as Nora’s realm of memory (1996), as restricted to choir practice every yet another context in which a specific atti- Wednesday night – there are numerous tude towards a common past is expressed. social events they organize together. Each The programme presented from the main rehearsal is followed by a small refresh- stage at Festplassen is also attentively pre- ment, and the choir organizes trips and pared and performed by the Committee parties several times a year; from time to members: speeches, concerts, the giving of time they combine their holiday with awards. Still, after the parade is over, around singing as they take their families with 1 pm., things start to slow down for some them to choral festivals abroad; many of Committee members. This is when they get the choir members are house friends who to spend some time with their own families. are invited over for private family anniver- This is exactly when the celebrations start saries, birthdays, etc. (www.studentersang. gaining momentum for the Sverkeli family. no/index.php?side=English). May 17th is an Every year, Aina and Lars watch the parades occasion at which the choir members pres- from their customary position by the town ent their skills and enthusiasm to their fel- theatre. Two rivers of people running in low citizens. The Town Hall was packed opposite directions form a marvellous view with people, some of them chorister family from there and gives them a feeling of being members, but many audience members feel at the centre of events, Aina explains. They that the day should be celebrated through didn’t expect to see and greet anyone special music. Listening to the “good old” songs by in the parades, since their grandchildren Norwegian poets and composers, mostly have been preparing for their local parade in from the Romantic period, add to the cele- the suburb of Nesttun. But for them, bratory and earnest mood. The audience watching the parades is an imperative on stood as enchanted, with heads raised May 17th: “On no other occasion can you towards the choir. That included me, who see that many people in the streets of didn’t understand the words, but could feel Bergen. All those people moving happily that through the softness and sublime qual- and waving at you, and you wave back at ity of the music the attachment to one’s them, although you don’t know them… country and its way of life was being that gives a special tone to the celebrations. expressed. That is why we never miss the parades in After the concert the Sverkelis didn’t the town centre, although we like spending linger in the city centre. They didn’t listen the rest of the day locally, in our own part of to the speeches delivered from the stage at town.” Festplassen in the afternoon: they already There was another reason why Sverkelis knew to whom they should be thankful would never miss coming downtown on for the freedom and for the day, they said May 17th: the concert in the Town Hall. laughing. It was time to move into yet For 37 years now Lars has been a dedicated another space in which, through their member of the Bergen Academic Male activities and social interactions, May Voice Choir, which has some 70 singers 17th comes to life for them. As Aina put from a variety of professions and back- it: grounds, with two things in common: they

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We like spending part of the day in the representatives delivered their greetings and centre of town … but what gives us that speeches. Tables with coffee and pastry had special feeling takes place locally where been erected in the corners of the school we live. The local events give us an ground, and additional benches had been opportunity to see and talk to every- put out for people to sit and relax in the body who lives in our neighbourhood, company of their families and friends. Still, who we don’t ordinarily meet that often. this did not diminish primary function of Because of Constitution Day everything the place: it was used as a proper play- is crowded and cheerful in the immedi- ground, since for many the time there was ate local area. (…) We enjoy spending spent running around with children from the day with our families, of course. one play activity to another. That was also 17th of May is a day for children. the case with the Sverkelis. Hopping around in her colourful “bunad”, accompa- The Sverkelis continued their day by gen- nied by Aina’s cheering and attention, the erally following the children’s route. They granddaughter tried them all: from the watched another parade, the one scheduled lucky dip to ball shooting, bowling, run- for the Midtun area at 4 p.m. The children ning through tyres and taking part in the and their parents were walking together, sack race. As a reward for taking part in waving national flags, crying “hooray” and these contests she received small gifts, singing. Since this was a local event, the which she selected with care, a procedure proportions were much smaller than at the which conveyed to her that there was some- one downtown. However, the Sverkelis, thing very special about this visit to her watching from a street corner, were much usual playground. more involved on this occasion than they The time came when the Sverkelis had been while watching the main parade: would make their celebration sphere a they recognised familiar faces all the time, tighter and more private one. Aina’s sister greeting their acquaintances, discussing had invited them over for the May 17th what children were in the same class as lunch, a meal organized for a group of 15 their three grandchildren. What gave addi- extended family members. On her sister’s tional meaning to the parade was the fact balcony Aina and Lars and their hosts that it was headed by their son, carrying the enjoyed a welcome drink of aquavit and the banner with the sign “Kringlebotn skole”, views of the green hills of Midtun, all sprin- and their six-year-old granddaughter, hold- kled with the red, white and blue colours of ing the banner’s tassel. This was the first the national flag in neighbouring gardens. time that day that Aina and Lars saw their The red, white and blue were highly promi- grandchildren all dressed up for the occa- nent all over the dining room: ribbons layed sion and they enjoyed the sight of them on the tablecloth, candles, fresh flowers in and the results of all the detailed prepara- vases, napkins, everything bore the national tions they had been involved in. They fol- colours. And the guests’ high expectations lowed the parade and joined their son’s of the festive table were fulfilled; the food family at the school playground. The space was delicious and the choice of meal just was turned into a local celebratory centre. right – traditional specialties befitting the At the school’s entrance a stage had been celebration: sour cream porridge, cured erected from which community and school ham, pretzels and many other delicacies.

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Finally, it was time to go home, to take the celebrations, even if it was hard to down the Norwegian flag and take off the notice at first. One of my female inform- “bunad”. The Sverkelis did not attend the ants in her forties explained to me when official closing ceremony in the city centre, telling me about her private experience of the torch parade from Fortress the celebrations in 2005, that this incorpo- to the Festplassen Square, and the fireworks ration of the national dimension is some- at 11 pm. To them, the day felt quite com- thing the participants don’t pay much plete and both were very pleased. They had attention to: “When it comes to the cele- enjoyed all the things they considered brations, the national aspect can somehow important to celebrate May 17th: “bunad” be read between the lines everywhere, even costumes, parades, spring greenery, nation- if it is never expressed.” Barbro Blehr rea- al songs, special meals for the occasion. sons along the same lines when analysing They celebrated Norway’s birthday, they the ways in which the participants of the said, and all of these elements could be May 17th celebrations grasp the national defined as the usual May 17th décor. But dimension: for Aina and Lars the celebrations also had a very private face, and nothing could spoil To sum up, national dimensions are, if the joy of being at home and among friends not always articulated, then at least and loved ones on May 17th, not even hav- close at hand when people are encour- ing an outsider, a curious scholar, over for aged to reflect upon the meanings of the lunch. celebrations. Thus, we might well con- clude that a successful mediation of the national is taking place on Constitution Which past is remembered on Day. When people engage, once a year, Constitution Day? in the activities in the previous section, Nowadays there is an opinion, especially they confirm in a most agreeable way among the younger generations, that May that the Norwegian community exists, 17th is not about pointing to the nation’s and that they are themselves part of it greatness and it’s past. They see the celebra- (Blehr 1999:37). tions as an innovative and unrepeatable phenomenon open to a variety of meanings Reminiscences of the past were very and including practices so diverse that they numerous and multilayered at the May cannot be squeezed into a single frame- 17th celebrations: some were very personal, work. Also, local and regional identities as memories of specific family history or of expressed through the celebrations are fre- individual experiences of previous celebra- quently described as dominant in compari- tions; some were in relation to official nar- son to the sense of national belonging. ratives of national history, through which Since each participant creates his or her the cohesion of the Norwegian community individual May 17th, this view clearly agree is accomplished. Within this set of social with their ways of making the day happen. memories not only motifs related to 1814, However, for many of the people I talked the year of the drafting of the new consti- to, representing a number of different gen- tution at Eidsvold, were noticeable at the erations, remembrance and a national celebrations. Numerous narratives and diemension also play a significant role in motifs, such as the stage shaped like the

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Viking ship “Olav Kyrre” evoking the after May 17th, asking them to give an account Viking era, were present. Victims and of their experiences, impressions and attitudes towards the celebration. All live in Bergen; six of heroes of the Second World War were also them are female; they belong to different gener- evoked. Prominent scientists, artists, politi- ations, ranging from secondary school pupils and cians and activists from different historical students via people in their thirties and forties employed in the private and public sectors, to periods who contributed significantly to senior citizens. I had no opportunity to talk to the Norwegian community were constant- someone who refrain from celebrating, although ly drawn to people’s attention. This year’s I am sure that this attitude would shed addition- al light on the May 17th celebrations. special Centenary award was won by a 5. I took part at the following events: I walked with group impersonating cyclists from the turn the Committee members for the morning parade of the century. On the other hand, there across the city centre; I had breakfast at Hotel Norge with the Sverkelis; I watched the main were hardly any themes evoking the period and the flag parades from the Blue Stone toget- during which Norway was subject to her with the jury members; I attended the choir Danish and Swedish rule. So, what kind of concert at the Town Hall in the company of Aina Sverkeli; I spent the afternoon at Kringlebotn common Norwegian past is evoked school playground in Midtun with the Sverkelis; through the festivities? Judging from the I joined the May 17th lunch prepared at the historical episodes highlighted and consid- house of Aina’s sister; I participated in the torch parade and in the closing ceremony at ered to be notorious, we may conclude that Festplassen, studying the activities of the the past remembered at the contemporary Committee members. 6. Still, some variants of traditional costumes are Constitution Day celebrations have neither defined as more “national”, or more widely reco- fixed temporal determinants nor a chrono- gnized. Such is the case, for instance, with the logical line. It is the glorious past that soci- bunad from the Hardanger region, which is con- sidered one of the most representative eties remember in their realms of memory. Norwegian symbols within the diasporic com- munity of central Texas, USA (Pierson 2006:247). 7. I watched the play at Hop school before May Notes 17th celebration, in the company of Aina and 1. I conducted my fieldwork in May, June and Lars. I interviewed the stage director and some of September of 2005. My previous knowledge of the actors about the production and its objecti- Norwegian society and their Constitution Day ves. celebrations was limited: I had learnt about them through the general historical and ethnological literature available to me in Croatian libraries, through the media and the Internet, particularly References through the web page of the May 17th Committee and through my contact with fellow Bahtin, Mihail 1978. Stvaralaštvo Fransoa ethnologists from Bergen and Kristiansand. Rablea i narodna kultura srednjega veka i 2. Since I have no command of the Norwegian lan- guage, parts of this book were translated to me renesanse. Beograd, Nolit. by Kirsti Mathiesen Hjemdahl. Blehr, Barbro 1999. “On Ritual Effective- 3. Aina and Lars Sverkeli have given their consent ness. The Case of Constitution Day”. to the use of their real names in the article. 4. My fieldwork focused on Committee members Ethnologica Scandinavica, vol. 29, p. 28- and the Sverkeli family. Using phenomenologi- 43. cally inspired methodology, I studied their move- Connerton, Paul 2003 (1989). How ments on the eve of, during and after the cele- bration. I also conducted interviews with them Societies Remember. Cambridge, Cam - on several occasions (the first carried out with bridge University Press. two Committee members and the Sverkelis dur- Eco, Umberto 1984. “The frames of comic ing my short stay in Bergen in 2004, seven months before the celebrations). I also conduct- ‘freedom’”. Pp. 1-9 in Thomas Albert ed short interviews with nine other informants Sebeok (ed.): Carnival! Berlin-New

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York-Amsterdam, Mouton Publishers. Sletten, Torstein 1985. Atter er dagen Frykman, Jonas, and Nils Gilje 2003. Opprunden. 17. mai-feiringens historie i “Being There. An Introduction”. Pp. 7- Bergen. Bergen, 17. mai-komitéen i 51 in Jonas Frykman and Nils Gilje Bergen. (eds.): Being There. New Perspectives on Phenomenology and the Analysis of Culture. Lund, Nordic Academic Press, Sources Lund. Gillis, John 1994. “Memory and Identity. Ćanić Divić, Snježana 26.06.2004. “Mesić: The History of a Relationship”. Pp. 3- Vojsku svesti na racionalnu mjeru”. 24 in John Gillis (ed.): Commemo- Vjesnik, s. 4. rations. The Politics of National Identity. Knežević, Ivana 26.06.2004. “Nakon pet New Jersey, Princeton UP. godina vijenci na Oltaru domovine”. Halbwachs, Maurice 1992. On Collective Vjesnik, s. 4. Memory. Chicago and London, Meidell, Thorsten, Heinz-Georg University of Chicago Press. Windingstad, Bergen Tourist Board Jackson, Michael 1983. “Knowledge of the 2004. Guide to Bergen & the Fjords. Body”. Man, vol. 18, pp. 327-345. Bergen, Pictura Normann AS. Nora, Pierre 1996. Realms of Memory. The http://www.17-mai.no [Downloaded on Construction of the French Past, vol. 1. 19 September 2007] Conflicts and Divisions. New York, http://studentersang.no/index.php?side=en Columbia University Press. glish [Downloaded on 25 October Pierson, Laura L. 2006. “Communicating 2007] Ethnicity: a Phenomenological Analysis of Constructed Identity”. [Online] University of Nebraska, Lincoln. URL: http://digitalcommons.unl.edu/cgi/viewco ntent.cgi?article=1000&context=journa lismdiss [Downloaded on 26 March 2008]

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