The Welsh Norwegian Society invites you to join them on the morning of Monday 17th May 2010 for their annual celebration of Norway’s Constitution Day.
The annual celebration of Norwegian Day is commemorated on Monday, when a number of society members dressed in colourful traditional Norwegian costume will parade from the Wales Millennium Centre to join the well attended flag-raising ceremony at the Norwegian Church Arts Centre.
Following the boom in Welsh coal mining, Cardiff became the world’s largest coal-exporting port by 1913. At this time Norwegian seafarers were a familiar sight in Cardiff, and many decided to settle here to run businesses associated with shipping, including Roald Dahl’s father.
Cardiff was one of the first places to have a Norwegian Church, and welcomed up to 70,000 Scandinavian seafarers each year. The Welsh Norwegian Society has members from Cardiff, Swansea, Norway and beyond. The Norwegian Church Arts Centre provides an important focus for the group. Meetings are held regularly to discuss a range of cultural activities, and the church has hosted this special day for many years.
The procession will leave the Wales Millennium Centre at 10.50am, walking towards the Norwegian Church. This year the crowd will be led by Vyvyan Brooks, a well loved musician who has toured with singers such as Shirley Bassey and Johnny Mathis.
The Norwegian Church will be open from 10am for those who do not wish to walk with the procession, but would still like to join in the celebrations. Outside the church the Norge nasjonalsang will be sung before the procession enters the church for our traditional memorial wreath ceremony. Also the cosy, waterfront coffee shop will be open until 4pm, for those wishing to sample tasty treats including traditional Norwegian waffles and Norwegian fisherman’s lunch.
Councillor Nigel Howells, Executive Member for Sport, Leisure and Culture, said: “Norway’s Constitution Day is an important date in the calendar for all Norwegians. It was considered one of the most radically democratic constitutions in the world at the time of signing in 1814 and is today the oldest constitution in Europe still in force. Cardiff and Hordaland, located on the southwest coast of Norway, have been twinned since 1996 and I feel proud that we are able to mark this day in a respectful way. We look forward to welcoming regular attendees and new visitors to the church.”
