Norwegian National Day

Travellers flying to Oslo may wish to time their journey to coincide with Norwegian National Day on May 17th 2007.

The event, as its name suggests, unites the whole of Norway in celebration, with hundreds of thousands of revellers partying in the streets.

According to the tourist information service Whatsonwhen, the festivities resemble "the most complete lapse of reason on a national level anywhere in the world", as brass bands, parades of school children and flag wavers shake off the shackles of everyday life to spend their time making merry.

The official UK site for Norway notes that the event is the country's single largest day of celebrations, commemorating its liberation in 1814 after 400 years under the rule of neighbouring Denmark.

Subsequently, the day garnered additional historical gravity as occupying Nazi forces forbade any celebrations - which led to revelling with renewed vigour following the Allied Forces' victory in 1945.

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