What does Sons of Norway membership mean to you? Viking magazine wants to know!

Here’s what my membership means to me: As parents of two grade-schoolers, my husband and I feel that sharing our Norwegian heritage with our children is important. Being members of Sons of Norway helps us tap into a wealth of cultural experiences and resources. Our lodge sponsors Syttende Mai festivities, a community midsummer celebration and a festive Nordic Breakfast in December, all of which my kids look forward to each year.

Last year they received Sons of Norway scholarships to attend Norwegian language camp. My kids are growing up as part of a larger Norwegian-American community, with an appreciation for their heritage, which, I believe, makes them more apt to appreciate other cultures as well.















What does your Sons of Norway membership mean to you? Share your thoughts by emailing us at: vikingeditor@mspcustomcontent.com. Selected responses may be featured in an upcoming issue of Viking!

Norwegian Football

Today we have a post from Colin, Sons of Norway's Cultural Advisor, on Norway's run for the WC (pun intended as either interpretation may be applicable) and some info on Norwegian football.

Last week we blogged about Norway’s national soccer team and their bid to qualify for next year’s World Cup in South Africa. Sadly, with a draw against Macedonia and a loss to the Netherlands, Norway’s chances of making it into the tournament are looking dim.

No one seriously expected Norway to beat the Dutch team – which is consistently ranked as one of the best teams in the world – but the scoreless tie to tiny Macedonia was a major disappointment. You can read analysis of the Macedonia match here and the Dutch game here. The Norwegians will have to win against the tough Scottish team in August and the feisty Icelandic squad in September to keep their World Cup dreams alive.

For some sunnier news then, we’ll turn to Norwegian professional soccer.

Norway’s top-level soccer league, formally called Eliteserien but also known as Tippeligaen, consists of 16 teams from around the country. Over the course of the season, which lasts from spring to autumn, the teams each play each other twice, once at home and once away. As with most soccer leagues, league standing is determined by a point system, where a win is worth three points, a draw is worth one, and a loss is worth zero. At the end of the season, the team with the most points is the winner – which is to say that there isn’t really a post-season or playoff tournament to decide the league champion.

Another major difference between North American professional sports and Norwegian professional soccer is the system of promotion and relegation, common to soccer leagues around the world. At the end of the season, the bottom two teams in the league are kicked out and sent down – relegated - to the next-lowest division, while the top two teams in the lower division are moved up – promoted – to the top league. There are several divisions included in the system, which means that in theory, over the course of years a wealthy team can be relegated to a semi-pro division, while a local amateur team can turn itself into a professional powerhouse. In practice, a small handful of teams have tended to dominate the top league, but it does happen frequently that teams from small towns do well at the top level. A case in point would be Molde FK, hailing from the small city in Møre og Romsdal, which began its current spell in the top league only two years ago and is currently ranked #2, beating out far wealthier teams from Oslo and Bergen.

Here’s a list of the current top-level teams and where they come from:

Tromsø IL: Tromsø
Bodø/Glimt: Bodø
Molde FK: Molde
Aalesunds FK: Ålesund
SK Brann: Bergen
Viking FK: Stavanger
IK Start: Kristiansand
Strømsgodset IF: Drammen
Stabæk Fotball: Bekkestua (Bærum)
Lillestrøm SK: Lillestrøm
Vålerenga: Oslo
Lyn: Oslo
Fredrikstad FK: Fredrikstad
Sandefjord: Sandefjord
Odd Grenland: Skien

Scandinavian Hjemkomst Festival: It's almost that time of year again!

It's almost that time of year again when Nordic folk from around the Midwest will be come together and celebrate their shared heritage at the 32nd Annual Scandinavian Hjemkomst Festival, being held from June 26-28 at the Hjemkomst Center in Moorhead.

It's always been a fun event for me, partly because the the variety that the festival is known for. Not only do vendors and entertainers change from year-to-year, so does the national focus. This year, for example, Hjemkomst is bringing some great programs highlighting Finnish culture and traditions.

I know, I know, you're probably asking yourself why the Sons of NORWAY blog is participating in an event that's focusing on Finnland, right? The answer is simple: our mission, beyong preserving Norwegian heritage and culture, is to celebrate our relationship with other Nordic countries. We all have a shared heritage and a shared pride in where we/our ancestors came from and Hjemkomst is a great event that focuses on that fact.

This year will be no different in that Hjemkomst is bringing in a lot of great traditional and modern programming and music. Think about the rocks of Scandinavia’s geology, steamy sauna rocks, stories told by grandparents in the heirloom rocking chair and electrified traditional Nordic instruments that rock! Deeply rooted Nordic arts and traditions along with the modern Scandinavian cultures will be showcased.

A variety of Scandinavian music genres from Denmark, Finland, Iceland, Norway, Sweden and Saamiland will provide something for everyone at the Festival. One can hear the ancient sounds of the drum and Saami Yoik, to the traditional and electrified Finnish Kantele; as well as fiddles, accordions, and songs by one voice to a full chorus.

It's going to be a really exciting event and Sons of Norway is proud to be a Festival Sponsor of this year's festival. We're all over the place at this year's event--Kringen lodge will have a booth on level 1, the Heritage Stage/Sons of Norway stage are on level 2 and Sons of Norway International will have a booth on level 3. Be sure to stop at one of our locations and say hello!

Lodges in the News

It looks like this year's Syttende Mai celebrations were especially successful. There were parades, lodge events and special meals enjoyed by communities throughout the North American and Norway. Congratulations to everyone who hosted a Syttende Mai event this year!

As a little recap I've found some news stories about Sons of Norway lodges and their Syttende Mai celebrations that are great examples for other lodges who are thinking of hosting their own in the future.

Here's one about Nordkap lodge in Detroit, MI.

This one comes from Løven lodge in Eau Claire, WI.

And here is a photo album of images from the Petersburg, AK lodge's celebration.

Syttende Mai in Brooklyn!

Today we have the promised post from our own Nichole who was on hand for the Syttende Mai celebration in New York this past weekend. Enjoy!

Ah, it seemed a cool day when setting out for Bay Ridge, Brooklyn, but once taking in the sights there, I forgot all about the weather! For just over two hours in the afternoon, hundreds of Norwegians (and those with Norwegian leanings), took to the streets to celebrate Norwegian Independence with a fantastic parade.

Cheers of “Hurra, hurra for Syttende Mai!” broke out spontaneously on the street with some frequency, with smiling bystanders joining in the fun and festivities. Tons of Norwegian flags lined the streets, waving at the marchers and parade participants. Even street vendors seemed to get in the spirit.

These are a few of my favorite photos from Sunday’s celebrations.

The modern and the traditional:


Representing District 3 with, um, zeal, Roy Berntsen:


And, who knew the Scots were so supportive of Norwegian Independence? This is one of the two(!) bagpipe ensembles marching for Syttende Mai.


It was great to see so many of our international officers and District 3 officers and lodge members. Check back on the blog later this week and next for some video of this great event, as well some lovely photos of the Sons of Norway youth contribution to Syttende Mai Brooklyn!

Hurrah for Syttend Mai!

Today millions in Norway, the U.S. and Canada are celebrating Norway's 195th Constitution Day, also called Syttende Mai (17th of May). The celebration marks the signing of Norway's constitution in Eidsvoll, which declared Norway to be an independent nation.

Celebrations are happening today in most major U.S. cities and if you want to see what's going on in your neck of the woods, check out the Events Calendar at sonsofnorway.com.

Norway Wins Eurovision!

I just heard the news--Alexander Rybak, representing the country of Norway, has won the annual Eurovision contest! If you'd like to see some video of the winner, click here.

Hearty congratulations to Alexander and Norway on this great accomplishment!

Sons of Norway Summer Camps

Spring is here! The snow is (mostly) gone up here in Minneapolis and thoughts are beginning to turn towards making summer plans. For hundreds, maybe even thousands, of our members that means registering for one of a dozen different language and heritage summer camps that are sponsored by different Sons of Norway districts.

The camps are awesome. Each one is held in a beautiful location in the U.S., Canada or Norway and the scenery always adds to the campers' experience. Also, while each camp is a little different in ages of campers and size they all offer a strong emphasis on Norwegian Heritage and Culture. To learn more about them, visit the Sons of Norway website, or read more about them in Viking magazine.

For the Kids

One of the first things I did after my son was born was to sign him up as a Heritage Member in Sons of Norway. You're probably asking yourself why I'd do that at such a young age, right? Well, the truth is little Sig comes from quite a melange of heritage.

Not only does he have direct Norwegian, German and Australian heritage, but he's part Welsh, Swedish, French and Slav. Yes, his family tree reads like UN resolution (and just as confusing). This can prove problematic because, as a child develops, their heritage often is a central part of how they identify themselves and with such a spectrum to deal with that identity can be hard to refine. I know what it's like because I faced some of the same issues. In fact, I think a lot of kids today don't give much thought to where they came from and maybe that's what's wrong with the world today.


So, anyhow, I want my child to know where he comes from. I want it to be important to him and I want to encourage him to embrace his heritage (especially the Norwegian, German and Australian). That's why I signed him up as a Heritage Member. Also, because he's a heritage member he'll now receive the quarterly youth publication, Viking for Kids, and my wife and I can get Norwegian music and videos for children from the Sons of Norway Media Lending Library. Pretty awesome, huh? In fact, this weekend he and I are going to be hanging out a lot "uten mor" so I'm gonna grab some videos to watch. Probably some Bjørnen Yogi for Sig and Elling for me.

Good times.

If you have a child in your household who you think would benefit from a Heritage Membership, I strongly encourage you to call the Sons of Norway HQ at (800) 945-8851 and sign them up. Remember-its never too early to start helping them embrace their heritage.