 The Bemidji chapter of the Sons of Norway held its sanctity to my festivities at the Concordia language villages. For this week's in focus I joined in on the Constitution Day celebration to find out the history behind the tradition. It's the 17th of May, a day to honor when Norway signed the Constitution in 1814. The holiday is considered to be one of the biggest ones throughout the entire year. Norwegians all over the world and Norwegian Americans, it's probably the most important day other than Christmas. The members of the Bemidji chapter of the Sons of Norway are using today to educate others about the holiday along with other customs. They always start with a short but meaningful parade. Similar to our 4th of July, there are parades everywhere in Norway and usually the parades are children's parades. The parades are mostly for the children, in honor of when only young Norwegians were allowed to march around their towns. During World War II when the Germans occupied Norway, they forbid any celebration of soot in my hand. People decided that not even the Germans would shoot children. Even while under the threat of Nazi Germany, the Norwegians felt a strong sense of togetherness, wearing a paper clip on their collar to show support. And how they come together in the same fashion each year. I come every year and it's always fun to introduce new people. Have you ever celebrated with these people? Nope. While they enjoyed the meal, Bemidji native Beret Daibin and her band played some folk music in both Norwegian and English. You know I love celebrating my heritage and I think performing in Norwegian in front of people who are very passionate about the same is going to be really cool. Daibin studied abroad with the help of a Sons of Norway Foundation Scholarship. She brought along a bandmate that she met during her studies. Erlen Kloving says that today's cultural exchange is mutual. And then I came here to a small town like Bemidji and that's awesome to see how people really live in America. If you've enjoyed this segment of Lakeland News, please consider making a tax deductible contribution to Lakeland Public Television.