All About Russefeiring & Russedugnad: The Traditional Norwegian Event

What is Russefeiring and Russedugnad?

Russefeiring is a traditional event that is celebrated in Norway. For additional reading about the so called dugnad russ & russedugnad, please check out https://norgesbriketten.no/dugnad-russ/. Russefeiring happens during May where students who are graduating gather together and commemorate their completed 13 years of education. Russefeiring starts on April 20th and ends May 17th.

This holiday originated in 1905 where Norweigan seniors received a red Russ cap to symbolize their entry into college. Along with the cap are the wide range of tassels that shows the different rewards and recognition of the student's accomplishments. This practice continued during the 1940s into modern times.

What do The Students Wear during Russefeiring? 

Students wear a wide variety of attire that shows their recognition of achievements and accomplishments they did during their years at school. Seniors receive either of the five colors in the mail: blue, red, black, white, or green overalls. These overalls recognize the student's path of education along with various programs and schools. These colors show going into different courses in college.

The different colors and their meanings:

1. Red: The student is going to take higher education courses
2. Blue: The student is going into business courses 
3. White: The student is going into medical or social studies courses
4. Black: The student is going into engineering 
5. Green: The student is going into agricultural fields 

Challenges and knots 

Seniors also wear Russ caps which match with their overalls. Throughout the celebration, objects will be attached to their caps based on what they did in school. Each object requires a student to do different things. Some of these things include:

• A Single Knot: The student must not sleep for 24 hours 
• For a Bow: The student must not sleep for 72 hours 
• Beer Bottle Cap: Drink a case of beer in 24 hours 
• A Piece of a Burger Wrapper: Eat a whole burger with just 2 bites

These are just some of the objects that can be attached to a student's cap. If the student is going to do it, they will need to have a witness with them.

What do Students do During Russefeiring?

Seniors celebrating Russefeiring do these things during this event: they get into groups and buy a large vehicle such as a bus or van. From there, they plan how they want to decorate the vehicle. They come up with a creative name, slogan, and picture. They also get to choose a song and sound systems. 99,99% of the groups will probably have to raise money through volunteering & smart fundraising ideas, often in collaboration with professional dugnadsarbeid companies (visit Norgesbriketten's website here). Perhaps you are curious about how much fundraising is done. Two words will answer this question: a whole lot. Some groups raise as much as USD 120,000 - almost unreal if you think about it.

 

The students' party beginning from April 20th to May 17th. They can drink alcohol as they are old enough. A parade takes place, honoring students for their hard work and dedication to the school. Russefeiring introduces "Russ cards": a mock business card that the student will show to anyone if the person asks to see them. The cards contain the picture, information about the student (spoof information), and a joke. These cards are popular among students as some will collect or barter them.

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Image Collection of Russ

Here is a small image collection of russ. It looks amazing to be honest. It kind of makes me wish I was a Norwegian back in my younger days😉

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Quotes & Sayings from "russekort"

Woho! This is my first post on this blog.

The russ actually have their own personal cards called "russekort". It's almost like a business card; it has their profile picture and contact information, and the cards are passed around to friends and children.

Often, these cards will also have a funny quote or saying on them.

Here are 6 examples of sayings that might be written on such cards.

"Russetid: Enough sleep, have fun or good grades. You can only select two..."

"A pint of beer shortens your life by a minute, a glass of wine shortens it by two minutes, and a workday shortens it by 7-8 hours!"

"Let's have a beer together. You can open it and I can drink it."

"Life after graduation can be tough, but I've heard it gets easier after the first 60 years."

"When it's cold and the party is going on outdoors with ladies present: Be the guy with the warm blanket."

"How do you know that a man is thinking about the future? He buys two 6-packs of beer instead of one."