Hello Viking friends all around the world. And to Norwegian friends, gratulerer med dagen. Today, May 17th, is Norway's Constitution Day. It's a day of great significance to Norwegians, as today marks the anniversary of the date in 1814, when Norway signed its constitution and gained independence following 400 years of Danish rule.
In 1814, as the constitution was signed, students spontaneously gathered in Oslo and held a party, and so began the tradition of Norway Day festivities. However, these celebrations were short-lived, and following the Swedish-Norwegian War of 1814, Norway entered into a personal union with Sweden. And Charles XIII, the King of Sweden, banned the marking of Norway's Constitution Day by royal decree.
From 1537 to 1814, Norway was the lesser partner in a dynastic union with Denmark. This period of time saw Norway's cultural and political influence erode as artists and intellectuals continually emigrated to Copenhagen, the seat of power to the south. Danish became the shared language between the two nations, and the majority of political decisions invariably favored the crown over its more far-flung constituents.
Things changed, however, toward the end of the Napoleonic Wars, during which Denmark was forced to cede Norway to the King of Sweden, paving the way for Norway's independence. Following the signing of the nation's democratic constitution on May 17th, 1814, Norway gained control of its domestic affairs, while foreign affairs were controlled by Sweden under a shared monarch, King Oscar the second.
With independence from Denmark came a new interest in a uniquely Norwegian identity among the nation's artists, composers, writers, and scholars, who in turn idealized rural and folk life, where such an identity could be found. This movement to collect and celebrate what it meant to be Norwegian came to be known as Norwegian National Romanticism.
Norsk Folkemusikk. Fairy tales, folk songs, dances, and traditional dress all attained elevated status in the collective imagination. So too did the unique grandeur of the land. In particular, Norway's majestic mountains and fjords. In total, the movement inspired creative breakthroughs in art, music, literature, architecture, and even linguistics.
Norwegian National Romanticism lasted for about half a century and contributed to Norway's independence movement, which ultimately led to the peaceful dissolution of the union with Sweden in 1905. Diverging political views between the people of Norway and the crown of Sweden led the Norwegian Parliament to declare full independence on June 7th, and King Oscar became the last king of unified Norway and Sweden.
Subsequently, the Norwegian government identified Prince Carl of Denmark as a candidate for the Norwegian throne, largely because he descended from Norwegian kings. He agreed to accept only if he was chosen by popular vote and called for a referendum where he achieved a 79% vote of confidence. As homage to his new country, he took the old Norse name of Haakon. And upon swearing in as King Haakon VII, he became the first independent king of Norway in 518 years and one of the world's few elected monarchs.
For most Norwegians, it's a day to celebrate and to eat. Many begin the day with a breakfast, big breakfast, usually consisting of assorted herring dishes shared with friends, family, and neighbors and often accompanied by a glass of beer or aquavit, our national tipple. Norwegian-style hot dogs, which we call pølse og lompe, and ice cream are favorite foods among the children as well as some of us adults. As well as traditional cakes such as bløtkake, which is the fluffy, creamy cake that we also usually eat on our birthdays. And most Norwegians will watch the parade wearing a national dress, which we call the traditional bunad, exhibits of which we have on board our ocean ships like the one behind me here on the Viking Mars.
One of Norway's cultural icons is the bunad, costumes that first flourished during the 19th century national romanticism movement when Norwegians in search of a national identity after centuries of Danish rule thoroughly embraced all things uniquely Norwegian. Art, literature, and the distinctive character of folk attire worn by rural people. Today, there are over 200 regional bunads. There are different bunads for each part of the country. Even each region has their own bunad.
There is an unwritten law that either you have to come from the place where the bunad come from or your parents or at least your grandparents have some sort of relationship with the area. Bunads vary greatly from place to place. One factor is the use of local materials, but another major influence came from beyond Norway. Back a couple of hundred years, we had the traveling merchants coming to the remote valleys here in Norway from France, from Belgium, from Germany. One guy went up one valley with his suitcase, another guy up another valley with his suitcase. So, we can actually link the various types of bunads here in Norway today to various places down in Europe.
While bunads are made for both men and women, the female bunad is more ornate. The intricate designs are specific to the region where the bunad is created with each detail telling its own story. So, the bunad speaks volumes if you know how to read it. Each type of silver belong to a specific type of bunad. And when you have a closer look, you can see on the bunad whether the lady is a married person or not yet married. That task was much easier in centuries past when the hat or scout made the woman's status clear.
The bunad grew a Norwegian cultural icon thanks to three key women. Hulda Garborg, along with Klara Semb, praised the bunad as they strove to preserve local cultures. But it was the third woman, Norway's Queen Maud, who changed everything in 1906. When she received a Hardanger bunad from the women of Odda and began wearing it to official international events. The rest, as they say, is history. The bunad became known as the nasjonaldrakt and Norwegians soon began wearing their bunads to all types of special events.
In recent decades, the bunad has grown even more popular and it's now seen regularly at important occasions. Viking godmother Thrud the Drevland wore her Bergen bunad when she named the Viking Star. And ever since the bunad has become a bit of a favorite among our godmothers. I also proudly wore mine as godmother of the beautiful Viking Star.
For most events, the bunad is a choice. But there's one day it's a must. On May 17th, Norway's Constitution Day, the bunad is a symbol of patriotism. You are celebrating your country's freedom. There is the bunad, there is the shirt ironed, there is all the silver laying there and I feel proud. So proud.
Norwegians treasure their freedom and the 17th of May is an annual outpouring of joy and appreciation unlike anywhere else. A celebration with the iconic bunad at its heart. The highlight of wearing a bunad, that is our national day, the 17th of May. You will see thousands and thousands of bunads. We wear it with great pride, proud of our country and the values we have here in Norway.
Norway is a land rich in culture and traditions. I hope you'll go out and explore her many treasures. As you saw, May 17th has also become a special day for Viking as we've chosen Norway Day to mark our own milestones. Beginning with the naming of the Viking Star in Bergen in 2015. Our ocean ship naming ceremonies have all celebrated our Norwegian heritage in different ways. Last year, May 17th marked a very special occasion as the Viking Venus was named at sea off the south coast of England by godmother Anne Diamond. This was the first of our welcome back journeys and paved the way for the gradual return to travel across our fleet. We're of course now in full deployment, which is great.
This year, Norway Day is a cause for celebration at Viking once again as our newest ocean ship, the Viking Mars, where I am right now, will be officially named by our dear friend Fiona, the 8th Countess of Carnarvon. We had planned a rather festive naming ceremony to welcome our newest ship to the fleet, but in respect of current world events, we'll be holding a smaller ceremony today and welcoming the Viking Mars in perhaps a more meaningful way with a series of charitable donations to organizations close to our hearts. So, I hope you'll join me today wherever you are in the world in raising a glass of aquavit perhaps to Norway Day and to our brand new Viking Mars. We hope and look forward to welcoming you the first guests on board and giving you even more opportunities to explore the world in comfort with Viking.
Happy Constitution Day, Norway. As I'm off to get dressed in my own bunad. I'm delaying wearing my bunad as it's very warm outside here in Malta and the bunads, most of them are made of heavy wool. So, I'm off to put mine on now. Bye.
