Around 80 people attended the May 17th celebrations at the Norwegian residence in Jakarta. The majority of the guests were Norwegians who live in Indonesia, but also their families and friends of Norway.
The Norwegian Constitution Day was celebrated at the Ambassador`s residence on Sunday 16th of May. Traditional 17th of May food, like pølse (sausage) and salmon directly from Norway, together with a marching band playing Norwegian songs, resulted in the right “May 17” atmosphere.
The Ambassador, Eivind S. Homme, welcomed the guest and gave the speech of the day. He also presented greetings sent from HM King Harald to all Norwegians living in Indonesia and East Timor.
As every 17th of May celebration this one also included a procession (tog), but because of a heavy tropical rainstorm we decided to walk a few rounds inside the house. The procession was led by a local, hard working marching band.
The 17 May celebration was arranged by the Nordic Club and Embassy with financial support from Statoil and Jotun.
The Norwegian National Day is a celebration of the signing of the country’s constitution, which was signed on May 17, 1814. Norway has the world’s second oldest constitution still in use.
Norwegians, people of Norwegian heritage and friends of Norway celebrate May 17th not only in Norway, but all over the world with great enthusiasm and children’s parade.
