In this publication, we will cover the following topic: holidays in Norway 2023. We list public and unofficial holidays, flag days in chronological order by month. All information about holidays is obtained from official sources .
There are three types of public holidays in the Kingdom of Norway:
Public holidays;
Flag days;
Unofficial holidays.
Public holidays are timed to coincide with major religious or historical dates. These days, most of the inhabitants of the Kingdom have a non-working day. The exceptions are May 1 and 17 (Labor Day and Constitution Day). Schools are closed on public holidays. They are governed by the Holidays and Festive Peace Act.
Flag Days are public holidays on which government agencies raise the official flag of Norway. In ordinary years, there are 15 such days. Every four years, one more is added to them – the day of parliamentary elections. The next parliamentary elections will be in 2025. On Flag Days, ordinary residents are encouraged to fly state flags.
Unofficial holidays are not regulated by law and are not non-working days. These days, Norwegians observe certain traditions, local authorities organize mass events.
Below are the holidays in Norway 2023 in chronological order. For convenience, public holidays that are non-working days are shown in bold .
January
January 1, 2023 – New Year’s Day (Flag Day), public holiday.
January 17, 2023 – Pig Day.
21 January 2023 – HRH Princess Ingrid Alexandra (b. 2004) (Flag Day).
February
February 6, 2023 – Day of the Sami people (flag day).
February 12, 2023 – Mother’s Day.
February 14, 2023 – Valentine’s Day.
February 21, 2023 – His Majesty King Harald V (b. 1937) (flag day).
March
March 6, 2023 – Fish day.
March 8, 2023 – International Women’s Day.
March 22, 2023 – World Water Day.
March 25, 2023 is Big Waffle Day.
April
April 2, 2023 – Palm Sunday.
April 6, 2023 – Maundy Thursday, public holiday.
April 7, 2023 – Good Friday, public holiday.
April 8, 2023 – Cake Day.
April 9, 2023 – Easter Sunday (Flag Day), public holiday.
April 10, 2023 – Easter Monday, public holiday.
May
May 1, 2023 – International Workers’ Day / Labor Day (Flag Day), public holiday, working day.
May 8, 2023 – Liberation Day 1945 (flag day).
May 13, 2023 – First BBQ day of the year.
May 17, 2023 – Constitution Day (Flag Day), public holiday, working day.
May 18, 2023 – Ascension, a public holiday.
May 28, 2023 – Trinity (flag day), public holiday.
May 29, 2023 – Trinity Monday, public holiday.
First day of BBQ
This day is considered the beginning of the barbecue season. Norwegians believe that from this date the weather is suitable for cooking meat and meat dishes in the open air. The first day of barbecue does not have any special history, it is one of the traditions that arose on its own.
June
June 1, 2023 is World Milk Day.
June 7, 2023 – The collapse of the Union in 1905 (flag day).
June 10, 2023 – Seafood Day.
June 23, 2023 is the summer solstice.
June 16, 2023 – School Bread Day.
July
July 4, 2023 – Her Majesty Queen Sonja (b. 1937) (flag day).
July 7, 2023 – Norwegian Flag Day.
20 July 2023 – HRH Crown Prince Haakon (born 1973) (Flag Day)
July 29, 2023 – Olsok (flag day).
What is Olsok holiday?
Olsok is a traditional holiday commemorating the martyrdom of Saint Olaf (King Olaf II Haraldsson), who died on this day in 1030. The most famous celebration takes place in Trondheim, where there is a procession from Nidaros Cathedral to the tomb of St. Olaf in the Church of St. Olaf.
Elsewhere, Alsoc includes religious services, concerts, fairs, and various local events such as sports competitions or boat races. Olsok is considered a reminder of the historical events that made Norway the country it is today. He also emphasizes the close connection of the Kingdom with Christianity.
August
19 August 2023 – Her Royal Highness Crown Princess Mette-Marit (b. 1973) (Flag Day).
September
September 4, 2023 is International Bacon Day.
September 26, 2023 – Norwegian Apple Day.
September 27, 2023 is World School Milk Day.
September 28, 2023 – Foricol Day.
What is Foricol?
Forikol is a traditional food that came to us from the Celtic regions of Northern Europe. The main ingredients of the dish are lamb, cabbage and black pepper. Often wheat flour is added to its composition. In other countries, forikol is called “Norwegian lamb”.
October
October 4, 2023 – Potato Day.
October 4, 2023 – Lutefisk season begins.
October 4, 2023 is Cinnamon Bun Day.
October 13, 2023 is World Egg Day.
October 16, 2023 is World Food Day.
October 16, 2023 is World Bread Day.
October 23, 2023 – Porridge Day.
October 27, 2023 – Cheese Day.
October 31, 2023 – Halloween.
What is Lutefisk?
Lutefisk is a traditional Scandinavian dish that has been known since Viking times. It is made by soaking dried whitefish or codfish in alkaline water for several days. Thus, the proteins are broken down, and the fish turns into a gelatinous mass. The lye is then removed and the fish is thoroughly washed before cooking or baking.
Lutefisk is often served during the Christmas holidays in the Scandinavian countries and can be quite labor intensive to prepare. The taste of lutefisk is mild, with an almost jelly-like texture. Traditionally it is served with boiled potatoes, butter, cream sauce, sometimes with pieces of bacon.
November
November 1, 2023 – All Saints’ Day.
November 11, 2023 – Saint Martin’s Day.
November 12, 2023 – Father’s Day.
November 23, 2023 – Thanksgiving Day.
December
December 13, 2023 – Saint Lucia’s Day.
December 25, 2023 – Christmas (Flag Day), public holiday.
December 26, 2023 – Second Day of Christmas / Boxing Day, public holiday.
December 31, 2023 – New Year’s Eve.
Saint Lucia
Saint Lucia was an early Christian martyr who lived in the third century. She is revered as the patroness of the blind, because (according to legend) she gouged out her own eyes to resist the advances of a pagan admirer. This act of devotion and self-sacrifice earned her great respect among Christians.
According to legend, after being blinded, Saint Lucia miraculously received even better eyesight than before, from God. Little is known about her life and death other than the fact that she was martyred during the persecution of the emperor Diocletian in 304 AD.
Number of working days in Norway 2023
In 2023 Norway has 252 working days and 2016 working hours. Below is the number of days and hours by month:
January 2023 – 22 working days, 176 working hours.
February 2023 – 20 working days, 160 working hours.
March 2023 – 23 working days, 184 working hours.
April 2023 – 17 working days, 136 working hours.
May 2023 – 20 working days, 160 working hours.
June 2023 – 22 working days, 176 working hours.
July 2023 – 21 working days, 168 working hours.
August 2023 – 23 working days, 184 working hours.
September 2023 – 21 working days, 168 working hours.
October 2023 – 22 working days, 176 working hours.
November 2023 – 22 working days, 176 working hours.
December 2023 – 19 working days, 152 working hours.
Holidays 2023 in Norway (calendar)
Holidays in Norway 2023. Designations: red – public holidays; yellow – flag day; red on a yellow background – flag day and public holiday.
In this publication, we have covered the following topic: holidays in Norway 2023. We have given the exact dates of public and unofficial holidays, flag days. We hope the post was helpful to you. Don’t forget to share the information with your friends! You can find more about holidays and school holidays in different countries at All-Holidays.Info.
