National webpages

Norway is a constitutional monarchy. This means that the King is formally the head of state but that his duties are mainly representative and ceremonial. The legislative and executive powers lie with the country’s elected bodies. When the Constitution states that: “the executive power is vested in the King”, this now means that it is vested in the Government.

You will find the webpage to the royal house of Norway here.

Norge.no is the gateway to digital public services.

You will find the webpage here.

What is typically norwegian? What are our traditions, history, celebration of holidays, the outdoors, the indoors, food, and so on?

You will find a lot about it here in this link to visitnorway.com.

Julien S. Bourrelle has a whitty and tounge-in-cheek blog with observations of Norway and Norwegians.

You will find it here in this link.

May 17th - constitution day

The constitution of Norway was signed at Eidsvoll on May 17th 1814. It is the second oldest written constitution still in use. Norway's constitution day is quite a party. Children's parades, marching bands, traditional costumes, and ice cream. Lots of ice cream. Everyone is more than welcome to join the celebration, so bring a Norwegian flag and join the fun!

Halden has a great celebration in the city center early in the day and also at several schools later in the day. Halden is also very proudly mentioned in one of the verses of the national anthem of Norway. In fact, Halden is the only city that is mentioned in the anthem.
People dress in their finest clothes for May 17th. You will see people wearing dresses and suits, and many will wear the national costume, called bunad. The Norwegian bunad is a traditional folk costume worn by men and women.

Wearing a bunad is a way to showcase your heritage and cultural identity, and it is a beloved tradition that has been passed down through generations. There are many local variations from different parts of the country, and there is a lot of tradition and handicraft behind it. People are generally very happy to tell you where their bunad is from. 

You will find a lot more about our constitution day here in this link to visitnorway.com

National and local news channels

National broadcaster of Norway, nrk.no

Newsinenglish.no

Local newspaper, Halden Arbeiderblad

Transport

Railway and bus, vy.no

National travel planner, entur.no

Local bus