King of Norway

Norway is a constitutional monarchy nowadays. 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. The King undertakes the formal opening of the Storting (the Norwegian parliament) every autumn. He plays an important role in connection with changes of government and presides over the Council of State at the Royal Palace. The King and Queen make state visits to other countries and are hosts to foreign Heads of State who visit Norway. Newly appointed ambassadors to Norway from other countries must present their credentials to the King during a formal audience at the Royal Palace. The King is Commander-in-Chief of the country’s armed forces, and holds the rank of general in the Army and Air Force, and admiral in the Navy. He is also the formal head of the Church of Norway. I will tell more about the political system of Norway, but now let me introduce someone to you: He is His Majesty King Harald V.

His Majesty King Harald V of Norway was born on 21 February 1937 at his parents’ home, the country estate of Skaugum, near Oslo. The only son of Crown Prince Olav and Crown Princess Märtha. Prince Harald was the first prince born in Norway in 567 years.At the time, the Norwegian Constitution of 1814 stipulated that only male heirs could inherit the Throne. Thus, the birth of Prince Harald guaranteed the line of succession.

The first three years of Prince Harald’s life were spent in the peaceful surroundings of Skaugum. However, this came to an abrupt end on 9 April 1940, when German troops invaded Norway. To avoid being taken into custody by the occupying forces, the Royal Family, the Government and most members of the Norwegian Storting escaped from Oslo by train. When they reached Elverum, Crown Prince Olav and his family parted company. Crown Princess Märtha and the three children, Princess Ragnhild, Princess Astrid and Prince Harald, fled to safety across the border to Sweden. After several months in Sweden, the Crown Princess and her children travelled to the USA by sea. While King Haakon and Crown Prince Olav stayed in London, the Crown Princess lived with the children in the outskirts of Washington, DC, until 1945, when peace was declared. Crown Prince Olav returned to Norway on 13 May 1945, where he was joined by King Haakon and the other members of the Royal Family on 7 June. The homecoming of the Royal Family was celebrated by thousands of cheering spectators who lined the streets to welcome them back after five years of occupation.

Prince Harald completed his upper secondary education at Oslo Cathedral School, receiving his school-leaving certificate in 1955. He was matriculated at the University of Oslo in the autumn of that same year. Prince Harald entered the Norwegian Cavalry Officers’ Training School and went on to finish his military education at the Military Academy in 1959. Upon completion of his compulsory military service, the Crown Prince went to Oxford for further study. He attended Balliol College from 1960 to 1962, studying social science, history and economics. King Haakon VII died on 21 September 1957, and Prince Harald became Crown Prince, attending the Council of State for the first time. The following year he acted as Regent in the King’s absence. The Crown Prince worked closely alongside his father, King Olav V.


In March 1968 it was announced that King Olav had given his permission for the Crown Prince to marry Miss Sonja Haraldsen from Vinderen in Oslo. The couple had known each other for nine years before their marriage was approved.The decision to be taken by the King was not only a family matter, but also an affair of state that could have implications for the future of the monarchy. After consultations with the Presidium of the Storting, the parliamentary leaders and the Government, the King gave his consent for the Crown Prince to marry a commoner. The wedding was held in Oslo Cathedral on 29 August 1968. The Crown Princess assumed her share of the official duties.King Harald and Queen Sonja have travelled extensively in Norway and abroad, both together and separately. They have two children, Princess Märtha Louise, born on 22 September 1971, and Crown Prince Haakon, born on 20 July 1973.

When King Olav fell ill in the spring of 1990, the King’s functions as Head of State were filled by the Crown Prince Regent. In accordance with the Constitution, Crown Prince Harald acceded to the Throne when King Olav passed away on 17 January 1991.Four days later, King Harald swore an oath to uphold the Constitution in the Storting. The ceremony was also attended by Queen Sonja, marking the first time in 69 years that a Norwegian queen had been present in the main chamber of the Storting.

In accordance with their own wishes, the King and Queen were consecrated in Nidaros Cathedral in Trondheim on 23 June 1991. The consecration of Norwegian kings dates back more than 1,000 years in Norway, and was previously carried out during the coronation of a new monarch. In 1908 the Storting repealed the article in the Constitution relating to coronation. King Olav, who was keenly interested in maintaining traditions, expressed a desire to take part in a consecration ceremony in Nidaros Cathedral, and thus to receive God’s blessing for the performance of his royal duties. King Harald and Queen Sonja wished to continue this tradition and chose to hold a consecration ceremony in the same cathedral. Bishop Finn Wagle presided over the ceremony.

Gåte til norsk folk-rock

I'm so ashamed because I wrote it would be a daily blog and the last post was written three days ago. But anyway, I'm here now and the new post about Norway, too. Hurraaaa!!

If you are curious about why my name is Bendik, you can get your answer. I didn't randomly choose this nick name, no I didn't. I heard the song, called Bendik and Arolilja, so it comes from here. I don't want to talk about the story of this song because you can find a wonderful essay about Bendik's and Arolilja on this blog:

http://traiectum.blogspot.com/2007/05/bendik-og-rolilja.html

I'd rather write about the band which made this track.It 's called Gåte and it is a Norwegian folk-rock band from Trøndelag. Some of their songs are original, but lots of them come from traditional Norwegian folk songs and others are based on the poems of Astrid Krogh Halse. The music consists of guitars, violins, synthesizers / keyboards, drums, and the distinctive voice of Gunnhild Sundli who was the leadvocalist of the band. Gunnhild joined Gåte in 1999 and it became very popular not only in Norway, but in other Nordic countries and even in Germany, too. That's why everybody was extremely surprised when they announced in September 2005 that they would take a break to make other projects. Gunnhild Sundli works as an actress now, she debuted in the cabaret Cafe Isogaisa. They released three albums (Jygri, Iselilja, Liva), three EPS (Gåte EP, Gåte EP (2002), Statt up) and one single (See eighteenth).

Lutefisk - love it or leave it

Lutefisk is a traditional food in the Nordic countries except Denmark. With Nordic emigration to the United States has custom of eating lutefisk also spread there. Well, there are two types of people: who likes lutefisk and who thinks it is one of the most disgusting food all over the world. Why? let's see it!

Lutefisk is dried codfish which is soaked in lye. Just for you see clearly: lye is a strong smelling solution made from birch ashes and water. Now you are wondering why Norwegian people eat this kind of food. Well, according to a folk tale its origin goes back until the Viking period when they were pillaging Ireland. St. Patrick sent men to pour lye on the stored dried fish on the Viking Long ships with the hope of poisoning the Vikings and thereby ridding Ireland of these feared intruders. However our Vikings declared "this stuff" a delicacy and it has been a Norwegian delicacy ever since that day.
Then, here come a lutefisk recipe if you want to try it;)



Feeds 10 people

Time needed: about 2 weeks



Ingredients:

1 kg dried fish

100 g Caustic soda

30 liters of water



Saw the fish in suitably sized pieces or leave it whole. Put in water. Leave in water in a cool place for 5-6 days if cut in pieces, 8 days if the fish is whole. Change the water every day.

For the luting use a plastic or stainless steel or enamelled tub (the enamel must be unchipped). Wooden vessels, china or stoneware may also be used.

Place the fish in the tub with the skin side up. Dissolve Caustic soda in the water, pour over the fish until covered complete by lye water. Leave the fish in a cold place for 3-4 days. Under this treatment fish swells more than its original size, while protein content is reduced by about 50% - which gives the fish its distinctive consistency. When this treatment is finished the fish is full of Caustic soda, has a pH value of 11-12 and is toxic.

That's why rinse the fish and leave in cold water 4-6 days. Change water every day. If the fish stays in water for too long after the luting, it may be soft and difficult to boil. Boiling does not need any water, it is sufficient to put it in a pan, put on the lid and let it cook at low heat for 10 minutes. Or you can also do it in the oven, pack the fish in aluminum foil and cook it by 280 degrees for 20 minutes.
Lutefisk served with potatoes, stewed green peas and bacon. Clarified butter can be used instead of bacon.

Good appetite!

FÆN

I think it's time to learn one of the most important Norwegian words and come to know Norwegian humour ;)

Max Manus

On 19 December was the premier of a new Norwegian film, Max Manus which was the most watched Norwegian film in 2008 and the most expensive one made in Norway. The premier was attended even by King Harald V, too and this film sparked a huge public debate about the role of the Norwegian resistance movement during the German occupation. The story follows Manus through the outbreak of World War II in Norway until peacetime in 1945.







But who was Max Manus ?

Max Manus was a Norwegian resistance fighter during World War II. Max Manus was born to a Norwegian father and a Danish mother in the Norwegian city of Bergen. As a result of his father preferred a life of hunting and fishing rather than a normal family, they were divorced and he took with him Max and daughter Pia to Oslo. Few years later they moved to Cuba and his father changed his surname from Magnussen to Manus. After a time in Cuba as a seaman, he was on a longer trip in the Andes before he went back to Norway.
He came back at about the same time as the Winter War broke out, and he joined as a volunteer. After fighting as a volunteer for Finland in the Soviet-Finnish Winter War he returned to Norway on the day of the German invasion of Norway. In Norway he participated in the war actions in Pietermaritzburg, and he started working with illegal newspapers, (Vi vil oss et land), the resistance movement. He was surprised by the German Gestapo in his apartment in Vidars street in Oslo and he tried to escape, jumping out the window. However Gestapo arrested him and he was brought to Ullevål hospital.
With good friends' help, not least from the hospital's side, he managed to escape to Sweden. From here he went to England via Russia, Africa and Canada, his journey took seven months.He escaped to England for training and went back as a saboteur for the Norwegian Independent Company 1, better known as Linge Kompaniet. In March 1943, he was released in parachute over Norway together with Gregers Gram for conducting "operations Mardonius." He was a member of the later known as the Oslo gang, that the British were regarded as Europe's best sabotage group during the Second World War. Together with, among others, Gunnar Sønsteby and Gregers Gram he also took part in operations "Derby" and "Bundle" whose task was shipping sabotage and the production of illegal propaganda. Manus became a specialist in sabotage, by using limp mines. He sank ships that were important to the German Kriegsmarine like Monte Rosa and Donau.
Max Manus ended the war as a first Lieutenant and became bodyguard for the King and the Crown prince. In autumn 1945, he and Sophus Clausen went to the United States to acquire agency to office machines. Together they started the company Clausen and Manus. In the years after the war Manus employees here also quislings, the most famous was Walter Fyrst. In 1952 the company was split into two different companies; Sophus Clausen AS and Max Manus AS which still exists today.
During the war Max met Manus Ida Nikoline "Click" Lie Lind Brække. Click was the daughter of the Bergen County Governor and the sister of the Conservative Party later chairman, Bank Sjur Lind Brække. During the war she worked at the British consulate in Stockholm and was the organizer of the many Linge-agents who used Stockholm as support station. Max and Tikken married in 1947 and they spent their whole life together. Max Manus died in 1996, at the age of 81.

Every start is hard

Now I can experience it's a big truth. A new year started, so I feel I must do something new but it isn't as easy as I thought. Despite of this, here is the first product of my 2009, this blog. It's about Norway and its culture and I hope more and more people will love this wonderful country.
Well, let's start it...