H.E.
Lars A. Wensell, Ambassador of Norway to Thailand, and Erik Stai, President of
the 17th of May committee 2000 were not getting married. They had the honor of
cutting the special 17th of May cake.Hurra for Norway Day 2000
by Jan Olav Aamlid
H.E.
Lars A. Wensell, Ambassador of Norway to Thailand, and Erik Stai, President of
the 17th of May committee 2000 were not getting married. They had the honor of
cutting the special 17th of May cake.
In Oslo, Norway this year more than 40,000 children participated in the 17th of May parade. Children dressed in national costumes or their best clothes, waved flags and followed the marching bands through the streets of Oslo. They all merged together in the main street, Karl Johan, leading up to the Royal Castle where the Royal Family spent hours greeting the children in the parade. Afterwards, all 40,000 children and their parents were invited to the square in front of City Hall for cake. Then they went back to their respective schools for games, hot dogs, ice cream and other goodies.
Vibeke
Lyssand Leirvag, Managing Director of Felica, gave the Speech of the Day and a
toast for the 17th of May.
All over Norway May 17th, Norway’s National Day (Constitution Day) is celebrated. But its not just celebrated in Norway, however. Norwegians all over the world celebrate the day, and the Norwegians in Pattaya were no exception. At Ola La Restaurant in Soi 7 a special family dinner was served. Bengt from Nordic Garden in Soi Asia had just returned from Norway with fresh salmon to serve on this special day. Erik from the Scandinavian Bar & Restaurant on Beach Road between Soi 13 and Soi Yamoto spent a week in Norway prior to the 17th of May selecting the best of Norwegian food for his 17th of May buffet. He brought Norwegian flags, special 17th of May candles and serviettes to get people in the right 17th of May spirit. Close to 70 people had the pleasure of celebrating Norwegian Constitution Day and the buffet with lots of Hurra, Hurra and Hurra again at Erik’s place.
Jan
Olav Aamlid of Ruen Kasap Thong of Pattaya, had to "decorate" lots of
buyers with the 17th of May medal 2000. Mio Aamlid to the left.
H.E. Lars A. Wensell, Ambassador of Norway to Thailand, and Mrs. Kirsten Wensell invited members of the Norwegian community for a traditional 17th of May celebration in the garden of their residence on Soi Sukhumvit 38. There were speeches for the day to remind the ones present of the importance of the Constitution. A telegram had been sent to H.M. King Harald of Norway and his family on behalf of all Norwegians in Thailand, and H.M. King Harald replied with His best wishes.
At the residence there was even a parade led by a Thai marching band. The band has been playing at the Norwegian National Day for years, knows all the Norwegian songs and marches perfectly. After several rounds at high speed in the garden, there was time for hot dogs, ice cream and cake. After this there were games for all kids, both big and small, finishing off with a tug-of-war between the Norwegians who have been in Thailand for some years and the newcomers. The veterans won by experience.
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| Kirsten Wensell and Mio Aamlid congratulating each other on Norwegian Constitution Day. | Tove Bjerkan and Nina Naglastad leading the procession prior to the first dance. After two years of rehearsing Tove seemed satisfied with the result. |
After a few hours of rest in the afternoon, the celebration continued at the Tiara Restaurant with a traditional Norwegian 17th of May dinner complete with fresh Norwegian Salmon as the main dish. The speech of the day was given by Vibeke Lyssand Leirvag, who took us through the history of celebrating the 17th of May. Because Norway was united with Sweden from 1814 it was illegal to celebrate the day until 1827. In 1870 the first parade for children were organized on initiative from the well known author Bjornstjerne Bjornson, and from that time on the 17th of May has been celebrated every year, with exception of 1940 until 1944 when Norway was occupied.
Cinderella,
Elisabeth Leirvag, at the ball.
Since 1881, special 17th of May medals have regularly been struck. This year, 2000, there was no plan to issue one. But some Norwegians in Thailand thought that the tradition should be continued, and for the first time a 17th of May medal was struck for the Norwegian community in Thailand. One side of the medal shows H.M. King Harald and H.M. Queen Sonja of Norway. The other side shows H.M. King Chulalongkorn of Thailand in 1907 having his name engraved on a stone in Nordkapp, the most northern point of Norway. From the time the medal went on sale, there was a line to buy it; maybe because of its beauty or maybe because of the limited numbers the medal was struck. But a very good reason for buying the medal was that the proceeds would be spent to buy school uniforms for needy children in Thailand.
From
left: H.E. Lars A. Wensell, Ambassador of Norway to Thailand, Pol. Gen. Chavalit
Yodmani, President Thai-Norwegian Chamber of Commerce and Erik Stai, President
of the 17th of May Committee 2000.
The Nestor of the Norwegian society in Thailand, Mr. Tove Bjerkan (78), who now resides in Na Jomtien, organized the 1st dance, as he had done at the military academy in his younger days. Tove is a perfectionist, which showed in the two previous 17th of May dress rehearsals. This year it was a great success, and the dancing finished in the small hours.
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