Always at a Norwegian holiday gathering there will be lefse!
Let’s Eat!
Let’s Eat! Food is part of most celebrations, especially birthday parties. May boasts one huge birthday party which is celebrated by many people in western North Dakota, especially the northwestern area. That’s a region populated heavily with Norwegian immigrants at the turn of the twentieth century.
Syttende Mai, Norwegian Independence Day
Celebrate Norwegian Constitution Day, 17 May
Norway
May 17. Syttende Mai.
May 17 (17 May, in Norway) commemorates the signing of the Norwegian Constitution in 1814. It’s celebration holds the same importance in Norway as the Fourth of July in the US, or St. Patrick’s Day in Ireland. Norwegian Independence Day is traditionally filled with parades, traditional dress, and food. Lots and lots of food!
Find out about Syttende Mai celebrations in the Beautiful Badlands here:
Williston: Bjarne Lodge, Sons of Norway Syttende Mai Celebration
Crosby: Vidda Lodge, Sons of Norway, Syttende Mai Norwegian Stroll
Watford City: Enighed Lodge, Sons of Norway
Tioga: Vennlig Lodge, Sons of Norway
Hannah Hylden in front of her homestead tar paper shack, Arnegard, McKenzie County, North Dakota.
Sod house on Andrea Springan’s claim by Williston, North Dakota. NDSU Institute for Regional Studies
Ingeborg Isaacson hauling water in McKenzie County, North Dakota NDSU Institute for Regional Studies
So Many Norwegians!
Norwegian immigrants settled heavily in areas around Williston, Crosby, Watford City, Stanley, Tioga, and more in northwestern North Dakota. In fact, those areas (along with many in the Red River Valley in eastern North Dakota) boast some of the highest percentages of Norwegian speaking people and people of Norwegian descent in both North and South Dakota. The Pioneer Museum of McKenzie County in Watford City, North Dakota offers a glimpse into the early ancestry of those immigrants, The Vikings.
Norwegian Sandwiches, Open Face of course!
Smorbrod, Norwegian Open Face Sandwiches Find them here: https://smorbrod.com/home/menu/
Find out about classic Norwegian Sandwiches here:
Matpakke: Understanding Matpakke—Norway’s National Packed-Lunch Obsession
Smorbrod: Classic Norwegian Sandwiches
Classic Norwegian Open Face Sandwiches: How To Make Them
Norwegian Dakotan Cuisine
Norwegian holidays celebrated by North Dakotans always include food! Traditional Scandinavian culinary treats will be part of the festivities when the Pioneer Museum celebrates Syttende Mai at the Long X Trading Post Visitor Center in Watford City. Rosettes, Almond Cake, Cucumber Sandwiches, Lefse and more, anyone?
A Taste of History Cookbook, Watford City Centennial Celebration
Women’s Missionary Fellowship Cookbook 1991, Lutheran Brethren Fellowship Church, Williston, ND
Recipes
Check out these assorted recipes, traditional or inspired, found at many Norwegian celebrations!
Rosettes, Women’s Missionary Fellowship Cookbook 1991, Lutheran Brethren Fellowship Church, Williston, North Dakota
Mandelkaker (Almond Cookies), A Taste of History Cookbook, Watford City Centennial Celebration
Hardanger Lefse, Women’s Missionary Fellowship Cookbook 1991, Lutheran Brethren Fellowship Church, Williston, North Dakota
There’s so much To Do in the Beautiful Badlands! Find out here: Don’t Stay Home, Go Have Fun!
Did you hear about the bison who woke us up? Check this out: We Woke Up In A Buffalo Herd!
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Watford City. A GREAT place to play, dine, and stay!
