Whidbey Island will be well represented in Ballard’s Syttende Mai (May 17) Norwegian parade and celebration. Four Nordic organizations from Whidbey Island — Whidbey Island Nordic Lodge, Sons of Norway; Ester Moe Lodge, Daughters of Norway; Young Skandia Dancers, Skagit Valley Mannskor — will be marching in this second-largest Norwegian parade in the United States.

The groups will be accompanied by an original float extolling the contributions of the Nordic community to the entire island. The first land claim holder on Whidbey Island was Norwegian Martin Taftezon who claimed much of the land that is now known as Oak Harbor.

Syttende Mai is a celebration of the creation of Norway’s Constitution which was written in 1814, inspired by the U.S. Constitution. Not until 1905, however, was Norway able to declare itself truly independent and May 17 was chosen as the day to celebrate Norway’s birth as a nation.

As with the Fourth of July in the U.S., Syttende Mai is a day of flags, parades, parties, feasts and youth. It’s a colorful, energetic, nationalistic celebration.

Norwegian groups from all over Puget Sound will gather at 3 p.m., Saturday, May 17, in Ballard to honor and celebrate the 4.5 million people living in Norway and its very close ties to those nearly 4.5 million people of Nowegian affiliation living in the United States.

Call Sid Iverson, 678-2907; iversid@whidbey.net.