The Foreign Residents in the TRNC (TFR)

Norwegian National Day 2016

By Ralph Kratzer

For the member of the Committee of the Association The Foreign Residents in the TRNC (TFR), Tommy Rognmo, it has become a permanent fixture to invite numerous guests to a party in the garden of his house in Karaoglanoglu on the occasion of the Norwegian National Day (or Constitution Day) on 17th May each year.

So as the Secretary of TFR I had again the honour to receive an invitation this year.

Already at the welcome cocktail another guest from Finland made the funny remark: “You know, when 100 Norwegians come together, you must expect 100 speeches and 100 songs…”

It was not quite so bad in the end, but it’s true, Norwegians like to orate and to sing, but especially on the occasion of the Norwegian National Day. That is understandable, because despite Norway being a small country in terms of population (slightly more than 5 million!), the Norwegians are very proud of their country and also of their monarchy.

The numerous guests from different countries enjoyed the beautiful weather, Tommy’s cosy garden and his excellent hospitality.

When the host opened the buffet, he announced “Bockwurst and potato salad” as a typical Norwegian dish. I was amused and thought to myself: “Well, so far as I know, the Bockwurst was first mentioned in Bavaria in the beginning of 19th century!”. There was of course not only sausages, but also other dainties like delicious chicken and one of my favourite food, smoked salmon. Not to mention, a wide range of desserts.

The guests of honour of the day included, among others, the Norwegian Consul in Cyprus, Mr. Antoniades, and a high-ranking labour union official from Norway, who held an interesting speech on the festive occasion.

My sincere thanks to the host Tommy Rognmo and his tireless helpers for this great party and “long live Norway!”

By the way, “Bockwurst” is not the only thing Norwegians and Germans share. During the speeches I heard one or the other expression in the Norwegian language that were nearly or even absolutely identical to the German word….

Note: Please click the bold underlined links to get more background information.

To view more pictures of the event – please click here!