Editor’s Choice Essay Contest

Hva vi kan lære fra en norsk tenåring og russefeiring?

Photo: Lise Åserud / NTB
Oslo drivers honk their horns in congratulations to red-clad students celebrating their graduation.

Emily Hagen
Luther College

Congratulations to Emily Hagen of Luther College. Decorah, Iowa,  as twinner of the 2024 Editor’s Choice Essay Contest.

Editor-in-chief Lori Ann Reinhall believes strongly in education and fostering cultural understanding, along with the importance of developing good writing skills. She is also a strong supporter of Nordic studies, which has enriched her own life so much.

That is what motivated our editor to sponsor our first Editor’s Choice Essay Contest in cooperation with the Nordic studies program at Luther College in Decorah, Iowa.

We are pleased to announce the winner, Emily Hagen, and present her Norwegian essay here with an English translation by our own Synneva Bratland. Emily will receive at $500 cash award from Lori Ann to further her studies.

“Ungdommens frihet og ansvar,” er den kraftige artikkelen som Eva leser høyt tilvenninnene sine for syttende mai i Skam sesong 2. Hun sier “I dag feirer vi vår grunnlov, den sier at alle skal ha like rettigheter og at mennesker er født frie og skal forbli frie—frie til å velge å sitte fire timer på sosiale medier.” (Skam sesong 2 25:15.) Eva fortsetter å forklare at deres forfedre kjempet for frihet og like rettigheter for alle. Dette lar dem feire russ og landet deres.

“Nå er det snart vi som skal overta dette landet, det er opp til oss hvilke verdier som skal råde i framtiden,”(Skam sesong 2 27:56). Den yngre generasjonen vil videreføre verdiene som går opp for dem i dag. Samfunnet de bygger, ansvaret de lærer, og så mye mer fra russ, gjør dem klar for suksess. De legger opp Norge til å gjenta suksessen i årene som kommer.

Skam er et norsk TV-program som viser et virkelig glimt av ungdomslivet i Norge. Jeg skal bruke dette populære showet til å understreke ideene i artikkelen min.

Russefeiring (russ) er en unik tradisjon for videregående elever og dette er overgangsritualet til voksenlivet. Festen varer fra 20. april til 17. mai. Elevene dekorerer dyre busser som viser stort ansvar. De bruker røde kjeledresser hele måneden. Dette skaper et fellesskap blant dem.

Russ er en stor “fyllefest” men studentene deltar også på kulturarrangementer som Syttende mai. Russ er nødvendig for å skape et fellesskap og feire seg selv. Norge har muligheten til å gi disse elevene friheten og privilegiet til å feire samfunnet sitt før de går videre til det større fellesskapet som voksne.

Russeknuter er en annen del av festen. Russeknuter er utfordringer de gjør for å få en “knute” på hatten deres. Et eksempel er Ukraina-knuter—en blå og gul sløyfe. “Den handler om å ta sosialt ansvar for ungdom som er nyankomne flyktninger, gi de gode opplevelser og det å være en venn. Vi ønsker å vise at “ungdom backer ungdom.” Gjennom skillene dannes det samhold blant den yngre generasjonen som kan forbedre Norge.

Det er også morsomme utfordringer for å få knuter, som: overnatt i et tre (tjene en pinne), drikk ei flaske vin på 20 minutter, og andre. Det er omsorgs knuter: send en rose til en person du er glad i og beundrer (tjener en roseblad), bestill takeaway mat hjem til en du er glad i (en plastgaffel), og flere. Det finnes morsomme vitser, men det er også muligheter for elevene til å vokse som mennesker.

Norge gjør en god jobb med samhold i fellesskap. Russ gjør dette ved å ha røde kjeledresser som mange bruker for å vise fellesskapet. Tenåringene kan være forskjellige på mange måter, men de er en hel gruppe som går inn i voksenlivet sammen. Russ er en fri og ungdommelig tid. Norge har muligheten til å la disse tenåringene oppdage hvem de er slik at de kan bruke styrkene sine i fremtiden. Studentene er knyttet sammen gjennom denne opplevelsen. Ikke alle land kan ha disse mulighetene for yngre generasjoner, og det gjør Norge sterkere. Russ er ikke bare en feiring blant venner, men en sjanse til å skape et fellesskap. De vokser som mennesker mens de har det gøy. Jeg forstår fra utsiden at det kan se ut som en stor fest, men det viser oss at Norge former ungdommen deres til å være sterke og klare for fremtiden. Ungdom blir sterkere sammen. Samt nødvendig for å vise hvor viktig ungdommen er for Norges fremtidige vekst.

What can you learn from a Norwegian teenager and graduation celebration?

“Youth’s freedom and responsibility,” is the name of the powerful article that Eva reads aloud to her friends for the 17th of May in Skam, season 2.

She says, “Today we are celebrating our constitution. It says that everyone should have equal rights and that people are born free and shall remain free—free to choose to spend four hours on social media.” (Skam, season 2 25:15).

Eva continues to explain that their forebears fought for freedom and equal rights for all. This lets them celebrate russ and their country.

“Soon we will be the ones who lead this country; it’s up to us what values will prevail in the future,” (Skam, season 2: 27:56).

The younger generation wants to pass on the values that are important to them today. As russ graduates, they are set up for success through the community they build, the responsibility they learn, and so much more—and they set Norway up to repeat its success in the years to come.

Skam is a Norwegian TV program that shows a real glimpse of youth life in Norway. I will use this popular show to emphasize the ideas in my article.

The celebration of russ is a unique tradition for high school students and a rite of passage to adulthood. The party lasts from April 20 to May 17. Students decorate expensive buses, showing great responsibility, and they wear red overalls all month.

All of this creates a community among them. Russ is a big “drunken party,” but the students also participate in cultural events such as the 17th of May. Russ is necessary to create a community and celebrate oneself. Norway has the opportunity to give these students the freedom and privilege to celebrate their community before becoming a part of the larger community as adults.

“Russ knots” are another part of the celebration. Russ knots are challenges they take on to get a “knot” on their hat. An example is Ukraine knots—a blue and yellow loop.

It is about taking social responsibility for young people who are newly arrived refugees, to give them good experiences and to be a friend. We want to show that “youth support youth.”

Through these differences, a sense of unity is established among the younger generation that can improve Norway. There are also fun challenges to get knots, such as: spend the night in a tree (earn a stick), drink a bottle of wine in 20 minutes, and others.

There are even knots of caring: you can send a rose to a person you love and admire (earn a rose petal), send takeout to the home of someone you love (a plastic fork), and more. There are plenty of funny jokes, but there are also opportunities for students to grow as people.

Norway does a good job with community cohesion. Russ graduates do this with the overalls that many wear to show off their community. Teenagers may be different in many ways, but they are a whole group entering adulthood together. Russ is a time for them to be young and free.

Norway has the opportunity to let these teenagers discover who they are so that they can use their strengths in the future. The students are connected through this experience. Not all countries can offer these opportunities for younger generations, and that makes Norway stronger. It lets young people not just enjoy a celebration among friends, but it also  gives them a chance to create a community. They grow as individuals while having fun.

I understand from the outside that it may look like a big party, but it shows us that Norway is shaping their youth to be strong and ready for the future. Youth are stronger together. And it is crucial to show how important the youth are to Norway’s future growth.

Translated by Synneva Bratland

This article originally appeared in the August 2024 issue of  The Norwegian American.