Parties and celebrations all year round!

People have the need to celebrate the different phases in life. All countries have their own traditions. Each month there is a celebration somewhere in the world. Let’s take a closer look at some of the things that happen in April, May and June.

📷  Painted eggs are central to the Christian Easter celebrations
What happens in january, february and march?
Hva skjer i juli, august og september?
Hva skjer i oktober, november og desember?
Kurv med mange fargerike påskeegg.
Kurv med mange fargerike påskeegg.
April med hvit tekst på sort bakgrunn.
April med hvit tekst på sort bakgrunn.

Easter

Easter is one of the most important holidays for Christians and Jews all over the world. In Norway, Easter starts on Palm Sunday.

📷  A Jewish family celebrating Pesach

A Jewish holiday

Easter was originally a Jewish holiday. It was in memory of when Moses freed the people of Israel. We can read about this in the Bible. The people of Israel had been slaves in Egypt for a long time, and they wanted their land back. After escaping Egypt, the Jews started different rituals to remember this. This is still celebrated and its Jewish name is Pesach.

The most important holiday of Christianity

The Christian church around the world celebrates Easter in memory of the suffering, death and rebirth of Jesus. Easter morning (Easter Sunday) is the highlight of the church’s Easter celebration.

Spring festival, Easter bunnies and crime books

Easter goes a long way back. In earlier days it was a celebration of the start of new life, when winter turns into spring. Easter eggs, Easter bunnies and daffodils were a part of the celebration and still are today. Today, Easter crime, puzzles and holidays are part of our celebration.

Forrige avsnitt

1 / 4

Neste avsnitt
Read more about easter
Jødisk familie med to voksne og to barn feirer påske rundt et festdekket bord.
Jødisk familie med to voksne og to barn feirer påske rundt et festdekket bord.

Kumbh Mela

Kumbh Mela is a Hindu festival held every twelve years. It is one of the biggest festivals in the world. It lasts for 55 days. Hindus wash themselves in the holy rivers Ganges and Yamuna. They believe that it will cleanse their soul and forgive sins. Some people take some water home to drink or to wash in.

The battles between gods and demons

The myths say that Kumbh Mela started with a battle between the gods and the demons. They fought over the nectar of eternal life. Drops from the nectar fell on the ground in Allahabad in India, where the festival is held.

Forrige avsnitt

1 / 2

Neste avsnitt
The month May written in white on a black background
The month May written in white on a black background

Vappu

On the 1st of May, Finland has a large spring festival. The celebrations start the day before. University students make the most noise. It is a bit like the Norwegian ‘Russ celebrations’. They also celebrate ‘Workers Day’ at the same time. People go out and eat or have a picnic in the park with friends and family.

Doughnuts and sima

#1 Many people enjoy fresh Vappu-donuts that they buy from local cafés.

#2 Many people also drink sima. It is an alcohol-free drink made from water, yeast, lemon and raisins.

So a surefire winner during Vappu is to invite people over for donuts and Sima.

Colourful overalls

The students have lots of arrangements and traditions. Vappu magazines are sold on the streets. The sellers wear colourful overalls and black and white student caps.

Forrige avsnitt

1 / 3

Neste avsnitt
Smultringer med sukker, rosa serpentiner og to glass med brunaktig sima.
Smultringer med sukker, rosa serpentiner og to glass med brunaktig sima.

Cinco de Mayo

Cinco de Mayo is a holiday in Mexico. It is celebrated to remember the victory over the French in 1862. The holiday is celebrated in the city of Puebla, where the battle took place. Many believe that this day is Mexico’s Independence Day, but that is Grito de Dolores which is celebrated on the 16th of September. 

📷  A boy hits the pinata, which is a typical party game in Mexico

Mexico defeated France

Mexico owed France a lot of money in loans. Therefore France tried to invade Mexico in 1861. The Mexican army won in the end, and the French were thrown out.

A big celebration in the US

Cinco de Mayo is celebrated more in the United States than in Mexico. Mexicans and other Latin Americans who live in the United States meet and tie friendship bracelets. They also eat Mexican food and arrange parades and concerts.

Forrige avsnitt

1 / 3

Neste avsnitt

17 May

On the 17th of May, Norwegians celebrate their national day. It is in memory of when Norway got its constitution in 1814. It is a big celebration in Norway, but also in other countries where Norwegians live. People dress up, walk in parades and have fun in schools. People eat a lot of hot dogs and ice cream. The  ‘Russ’ (graduates) celebrate that they have finished secondary school.

Read more about 1814
17. mai tog, 2016
17. mai tog, 2016
The month June written in white on a black background
The month June written in white on a black background

Juneteenth

The word Juneteenth is made up of the words June and nineteenth. It is celebrated on June 19th because African-American slaves in Texas were set free in 1865. It is a national holiday, which means that all states celebrate.

Freed slaves in Texas

From 1861 to 1865, there was a civil war in the United States. It was about ending slavery. The Southern states wanted to keep slavery, but the Northern states wanted to end it. Because of this, eleven states in the south wanted to leave the American Union and rule on their own. The Northern states won, and slavery ended. Slaves in Texas became free after the end of the war.

Abraham Lincoln

Abraham Lincoln, an American president, was against slavery. He made a statement in 1863 that was meant to forbid slavery. This was only for the Southern states that wanted to break out of the Union.

National holiday

The freedom of the slaves in Texas was marked on June 19th. This started after the Northern states won over the Southern states in the American Civil War of 1861. President Joe Biden made this a national holiday in 2021. Juneteenth is celebrated by all Americans. Juneteenth has also become a celebration of African-American culture with parades, concerts and parties.

Forrige avsnitt

1 / 4

Neste avsnitt
Read more about slavery
Fargerikt postkort om Juneteenth der en afrikansk kvinne står i fargerike klær som flagrer i vinden.
Fargerikt postkort om Juneteenth der en afrikansk kvinne står i fargerike klær som flagrer i vinden.

Saint John’s Eve

Saint John’s Eve is celebrated on June 23rd in Norway. It is the longest day of the year before the sun turns. On this night, people light campfires and pick wild summer flowers. Many people take their boats out and celebrate with friends and family. In Sweden and Finland it is called ‘Midsummer’s Eve’, and the celebrations are bigger than they are in Norway. In Sweden and Finland, the day of celebration will always fall on the nearest Friday between 20 and 26 June.

The party night of witches

On this night, stories say that it is the witches’ party night. They fly on their brooms to the mountain Blocksberg. By burning a witch on the fire, people are supposed to get rid of scary and evil beasts.

Flowers under the pillow

Magical things can happen on this night. It is said that if you lay seven different flowers under your pillow, you will dream about who you will marry.

John the Baptist

On June 24th, Christians remember the birth of John the Baptist. He was Jesus’ second cousin, and he introduced baptism. A lot of people went to church on Sankthans Eve. This is why the day has been called «jonsok.» which means a wakeful night for John.

Forrige avsnitt

1 / 4

Neste avsnitt

The White Nights Festival

The White Nights Festival is celebrated in St Petersburg in Russia. It is named after a weather phenomenon that you can see some time between 21 April and 21 August. It is like the midnight sun, so it is never completely dark. This happens because St Petersburg is close to the Arctic Circle.

Spectacular fireworks

The festival starts on June 12th and finishes on July 2nd. There are a lot of activities, but the most famous is the fireworks. It also marks the end of the school year.

📷  Fireworks over Peter and Paul Cathedral in St. Petersburg.

Music festival and carnival

Stars of the White Nights is a music festival which happens during the festival. There are ballet and opera performances and carnivals in several places. The most famous one is the historical carnival where actors dress up in costumes from the time when Peter the Great and Catherine the Great ruled the country.

Forrige avsnitt

1 / 3

Neste avsnitt
Fyrverkeri over Peter- og Pauluskatedralen i St. Petersburg.
Fyrverkeri over Peter- og Pauluskatedralen i St. Petersburg.

Sources:

  • Dybdahl, Audun: sankthans i Store norske leksikon på snl.no. Hentet 14. desember 2022 fra
    https://snl.no/sankthans

Media rights:

    1. Getty Images
    2. Skolerom
    3. Getty Images
    4. Getty Images
    5. Skolerom
    6. Getty Images
    7. Getty Images
    8. Getty Images
    9. Skolerom
    10. Getty Images
    11. Getty Images
    12. Getty Images