17th of May is Norway’s constitution day. As this is a great event in Norway – a national holiday with parades, flags, bands and festivities – Norwegian colonies abroad often seek to reproduce some of the atmosphere in their new countries. In Kuala Lumpur this year, the occasion was celebrated no less than two times. First on the day itself at the Norwegian ambassador’s residence, and then again three days later with a reception at Renaissance Hotel.
22/05/2008 :: On the 17th of May, the Norwegian community in Kuala Lumpur gathered at the Norwegian ambassador’s residence for a celebration of the traditional kind. Starting out with a flag raising ceremony accompanied by the national anthem, the day continued with a parade, speeches, songs, children’s games (including pony riding!), and of course lots of food . The event clearly illustrated that spending the 17th of May outside of Norway does not at all have to be an unpleasant experience. A big applause must therefore go to the organising committee who made sure the only thing missing was really the royal family. And even that loss was somewhat overshadowed by weather reports telling us that it was snowing in Oslo. 17th of May in Kuala Lumpur can actually be very nice!
After letting the food sink for a couple of days, it was time for the next event: a reception at Renaissance Hotel, on the 20th of May. Around 350 guests – from Norway, Malaysia, and a number of other countries – came to celebrate the Norwegian national day. Norway, of course, was the theme of the evening: Norwegian colours (red, white and blue), Norwegian music (played by a quartet from Malaysian Philharmonical Orchestra), Norwegian costumes (the “bunad”), Norwegian food (salmon and “kransekake” being two examples), and Norwegian drinks (the famous aquavit). The guest of honour of the evening was Deputy Minister of Education, Dr. We Ka Siong, who together with Norwegian ambassador Arild Braastad held the official toast.