Norwegian Tip/Fact of Last Month – The Russ

This is then the Norwegian tip/fact of last month (April), since I did not manage to write one in that month. I thought I should leave out the hoax for now and just simply say that it counts for last month. The hoax can wait to the next time I mess up. Are we ready then? Ok.

I thought I would write about “The Russ”, or “Russen” as it is called on Norwegian, as it is a common subject now-a-days. Even though maybe this should have been the Tip/Fact of May, I’ll write it under April anyway. Russ is a scandinavian phenomenon where instead of acting adult when finishing High School like most other countries, you act like a child. You dress up with clothes of spesific colors (the colors representing what you study, where red is the most common one) and you go around and annoy people. You can’t really go one year without getting squirted with water by the russ.

Before you get russ, theres a week called “the jalla-week” where everybody who’s a russ has to dress up with clothes spesified. This goes from Monday to Thursday and it can be anything from “Dress with clothes worn by the oposite sex” or “Dress up like a pimp” etc. Friday then you are officially a russ and you can go with you’re ordinary russ clothes. The russ has small paper cards named simply “Russcards”, or “Russekort” on Norwegian, which you can but any picture you want and text and hand them out to people. Children love to collect these.

The russ also have their own vans, really crappy vans bought very cheap, hardly working, but everybody has one. Not everybody, but groups and friends share vans and split the money used on it. Some prefer to have a generator in their van so that they can have sound systems. They paint them with regular paint and style them up by drawing, writing and painting on them. Most of them have company logos drawn or glued to them, meaning that many companies pay out to help the russ buy their vans in return to get their logo on the car. Some few go to the extreme and buy a buss (usualy people with more money). The vans are run thought the EU control, though.

There are also caps that are used by the russ. You can see one or two in the image above. These caps have a long “tail” attached to the top of it were you can attach or make knots in. You can only make knots if you have accomplished something on the “knots list” which is a list that is updated every year with stuff the russ has to do to earn points and knots. Some things are local and other national. Stuff like this can be “kiss a freshman”, “stay in your underwear in class”, “drink a whole 6-pack of bear” or “run naked over the bridge”. Some russ are actually crazy enough to do most of it, even though some things are truely impossible to do. The russ also have their own newspaper named “Russeavisen” with news, jokes and gibberish by the russ, for the russ. The russ is also known to drink much and party hard. There are even some russ-only parties arranged around the country in this time. What most regret I think after partying is that they all have exam afterwards, after the russ-time is over. The Russ time ends at 17th May which is the Constituion Day in Norway. This day the russ have their own walk where they show of their cars/vans and squirt people with water. Some of them usualy have some funny sketches.

I will become a russ next year (a red one). Even though I don’t really agree with much of that the russ stand for and do, I think it will be a little amusing and entertaining to be a russ next year. None the less a new experience. Many people hate the russ, usualy older people that think that they’re annoying and loud. Well that’s it for now. I am aware of the very bad English in this article, but atleast I wrote it (I’m tired x]) so hope you enjoyed it! Here is the Wikipedia article on the russ.