Syttende Mai Brunch Ideas: Celebrate Norwegian Constitution Day at Home

A practical guide to celebrating May 17 with friends, family, and a table full of lefse.

A few months back, my father-in-law, Marty, hosted a Norway night at his senior living community. They run a travel series there, one country at a time, and when his turn came up, he brought lefse, Uffda Chips, and a jar of Olsen’s herring from Norsland Lefse. He set it all out on a table and invited the room to dig in.

Some residents were familiar with the foods. Others had never tasted lefse in their lives. Everyone left with a sample, and more importantly, they got to know each other a little better.

I’m not Norwegian. I bought Norsland Lefse in 2024 because I was drawn to the sense of community and history it carries. Between the stories I hear from customers about what lefse means at their own tables, and what happened at Marty’s Norway night, something has stuck with me: a handful of the right things, on a table, in front of the right group of people — that’s all it takes to build a little community.

Syttende Mai, Norway’s Constitution Day on May 17, is one of the best excuses on the calendar to try your own version of it.

A Quick History of Syttende Mai

May 17 is Grunnlovsdagen, Constitution Day, and the story starts in 1814. After four centuries under Denmark, Norway was handed over to Sweden at the end of the Napoleonic Wars. Rather than accept the transfer quietly, 112 representatives met at a manor house in Eidsvoll and, on May 17, 1814, signed a constitution inspired by the American and French models.

Norway was still forced into a union with Sweden soon after, and full independence didn’t come until 1905. But the constitution held, and May 17 became the day that mattered.

In the 1870s, the poet Bjørnstjerne Bjørnson championed the idea that children — not soldiers — should lead the celebration. Today, the centerpiece of Syttende Mai is the barnetog, the children’s parade, where schoolchildren march through every town in Norway waving flags and singing.

No military march-past. Just kids in bunads, brass bands, and a lot of “Hipp hipp hurra!”

What struck me about all of this is how different it feels from most national holidays. The day leads with kids and food and people in somebody’s living room. That’s why it translates so well to the kind of small gathering Marty put on.

That same spirit traveled across the Atlantic with the immigrants who settled the Upper Midwest. Towns like Stoughton, Wisconsin, and Spring Grove, Minnesota, still run parades, folk dancing, and tables stacked with lefse on the third weekend of May. You don’t need Norwegian roots to take part. You just need a few good people and something worth eating together.

How Norwegians Actually Celebrate May 17

The day starts early, often with a long family breakfast or a mid-morning brunch. In Norway, this is called festfrokost, and it’s less about one specific dish and more about the ritual: good coffee, soft-boiled eggs, cured meats and cheeses, pickled herring for the bold, fresh bread, lefse with butter and sugar, and sweet treats like kringla to finish.

After the parade, people gather again for a larger meal, then ice cream and cake for the kids into the afternoon.

The part that stuck with me is that no one’s trying to cook a showstopper. The table is built from small, familiar, beloved things that people graze on for hours while they talk. It’s food designed to keep people in a room with each other.

Build Your Own Syttende Mai Brunch Table

If you want to pull off your own version of Marty’s Norway night, here’s how I’d plan it without turning it into a three-day cooking project.

Start with Lefse

I now always keep a couple packs of Norsland lefse in the fridge. It’s an easy item to serve when entertaining, and it works beautifully on a Norwegian brunch table.

Serve it two ways: classic butter and cinnamon-sugar rolls for the sweet tooth crowd, and savory roll-ups with smoked salmon, cream cheese, and fresh dill for the heartier eaters. Warm the lefse briefly on a skillet or in the microwave before serving.

Put Out Uffda Chips for Grazing

Fried crisp from Norsland’s real lefse, Uffda Chips come in Seasoned Salt and Cinnamon Sugar. Seasoned Salt is great with sharp cheese or a sour cream dip. Cinnamon Sugar is a natural fit with coffee.

I’d keep a bowl of each on the table so people can snack while they talk.

Let Kringla Close Things Out

A plate of soft, lightly sweet kringla with strong coffee is how a Syttende Mai gathering should wind down. The Norwegians call this kind of pause kaffepause: a coffee break that gives everyone a reason to stay a little longer.

One 6-pack is a good round for a small group. Grab two for anything bigger.

Keep the Decor Light

Small Norwegian flags on the table, red-white-and-blue napkins, and a playlist of Edvard Grieg or contemporary Norwegian artists can do more than any elaborate setup.

You’re not staging a scene. You’re opening a door for people to sit down.

Easy Gift and Hosting Options

Want the easiest option? The Norwegian Brunch Basket does it for you: three packages of Norsland lefse, Uffda Chips, kringla, Scandinavian Blend coffee, and a jar of Olsen creamy-style herring.

It’s also one of the easiest gifts I can think of for a Norwegian-descent parent or grandparent who can’t be at your table this year.

Plan Ahead for Syttende Mai 2026

Syttende Mai falls on Sunday, May 17, 2026. Lefse and the Norwegian Brunch Basket ship in 2 days, so ordering by Monday, May 11, should get them to you in time.

Uffda Chips, kringla, and the Scandinavian Coffee and Kringla Gift Box ship via USPS, so I’d order those earlier, ideally by Wednesday, May 6, just to be safe.

Take a look at the full Norwegian gift set lineup, including the Norwegian Brunch Basket, Scandinavian Coffee and Kringla Gift Box, and Traditional Norwegian Gift.

Then invite someone over. That’s all it took at Norway night.

Start there.

Hipp hipp hurra!

Header image: Syttende Mai parade in Ballard, Seattle, Washington. Photo by Joe Mabel, via Wikimedia Commons, licensed under CC BY-SA 4.0. Image has been cropped for the blog header.