This year, the Norwegian 17th of May Festival in Seattle was celebrated for the 120th time and it was also the 120th anniversary of The Norwegian Male Chorus of Seattle and the Norwegian American Weekly.
The festival is sponsored by the Norwegian 17th of May Committee, an independent, non-profit organization founded to commemorate the Norwegian Constitution Day. It is a celebration of the day in 1814 when Norway’s constitution was signed in the town of Eidsvoll, Norway.
The festivities of the day started with the hoisting of the flag at the Pacific Lutheran University, one of the 6 “Norwegian Universities” in the U.S. The Ambassador held a short speech where he congratulated the university with a new Master’s degree in Conflict Analysis and Collaborative Problem Solving. “Our peace and reconciliation efforts are important to Norway, and through this Master’s program, PLU helps us focus on these crucial areas of international politics,” the ambassador said.
At the sold out lunch in Leif Erikson Hall, the ambassador held a speech where he emphasized the strong bonds between our two nations. The lunch also featured the men’s choir ”Hellvik Mannskor” from Norway.
After the lunch, the ambassador participated in the parade that started at Adams School in Ballard and continued south to Market Street and eastward to Bergen Place.
Later in the day, the festivities continued with a dinner/ reception in honor of the centennial anniversary of the University of Washington Department of Scandinavian Studies. Ambassador Strømmen presented the Department of Scandinavian Studies with a diploma which praised the department ”for continuing to preserve and cultivate Norwegian culture, not only in the state of Washington, but throughout the United States of America.”