NORWAY'S BIZARRE TEENAGE RITE OF PASSAGE

In Oslo recently I saw several odd buses barrelling down the streets. There was a rickety black one with the phrase "The Beginning of the End" painted on its side; a pink bus with frosted windows and pulsing music; and a more demure blue bus peppered with corporate labels.

They all belonged to "the Russ"--partying members of Norway's graduating high-school class. Every year before final exams, these teens purchase and decorate old school buses or vans and then drive around the country celebrating the end of school. The Russ lasts for nearly a month and can cost each student up to £6,000. Many teenagers save up for the occasion and some finagle corporate sponsorships.

On Norwegian Constitution Day on May 17th, a national holiday (also called National Day), the Russ marched in a parade to mark the end of their festivities. Listless from weeks of revelry, they wore red overalls (the official Russ clothing, worn non-stop from May 1st, unwashed) and donned caps loaded with tiny figurines (called "knots") dangling from strings. Each knot represented a prank played or a dare met during the month. These included running naked through the city centre in daylight; biting the leg of a police officer then barking like a dog; and having sex with the "Russepresident" (the head of the Russ). A local "Russeboard" sets the rules for pranks each year. "It's only the imagination that sets a limit to these activities," explained Cecilie, a participating Osloenser.

Cecilie spent £1,500 during Russ. She noted that her parents' generation was much more modest. "No one bought cars, and they only had some clothing to indicate that they were Russ." Her father celebrated for two days, not several weeks. "We're a spoiled generation," she added. "I think the youth have few economic worries."

The extravagance of today's Russ does seem like a barometer of good economic times in Norway. The oil-supported economy is one of the strongest in the world, with a budget surplus of 11%, one of the world's largest sovereign wealth funds, and a GDP per person of $52,000.

As National Day drew to a close and Oslo's parks and streets emptied out, I wondered how difficult it would be for the students to now hunker down for exams. The order of their revelry is a bit bizarre. Perhaps the point is to have a few weeks of sanctioned carousing before returning to the heavy thud of the real world, in which long days of hard work can be seasoned by memories of wild parties and pink school buses. ("The Norwegian Way", a book of photographs by Jørn Tomter, captures the festivities beautifully.)

~ JULIA BELLUZ

Picture credit: Julia Belluz