Societal Degradation: The No.1 challenge for modern societies.
Posted on 05/13/2005 6:22:12 AM PDT by CarrotAndStick
OSLO: Having sex with 17 people in as many days, downing a case of beer in 24 hours and making out with a student of the same sex are just a few of the escapades many Norwegian high school students get up to each May in a well-established pre-graduation tradition.
Every year, some 30,000 teens about to graduate from high school take part in massive celebrations that go on unabated from May 1 until they culminate in a huge blow-out on Norway's national holiday on May 17.
"These festivities have the same feel of liberation as a carnival in a Mediterranean country: you take a break from everyday existence, you put on a mask and you do everything that is off-limits the rest of the year," anthropologist and author of a thesis on the subject Allan Sande said.
Recognised by the red or blue uniforms that indicate what high school they attend, the "russ", as these near-graduates are called, attempt to carry out a number of feats to earn small "trophies" tied to the tassel and the brim of their caps.
Staying awake for 72 consecutive hours earns you a black ribbon tied to the tassel, taking a dip in an icy fjord before May 1 earns you an ice cream stick, having sex in a tree earns you a twig, while abstaining from sex for the entire 17-day period earns you a safety-pin.
"It is true that some of the challenges are 'border line' but we have toned down a number of the rules this year due to health reasons," Oslo's russ president Anette Sophie Fuglesang said.
"Earlier, one had to drink a case of beer in six hours instead of the 24 today" to earn the right to a beer cap, she pointed out in a cracking, whiskey voice.
"And all references to sex are now accompanied with a recommendation to use a condom," she added.
The word 'russ' comes from the Latin 'Cornua Depositurus', or removing the horn, which refers to an ancient tradition in which a censor removed a horn that had been attached to a student's forehead to indicate that he had passed his entrance exam to university.
Considering the huge amounts of alcohol consumed by the high school students who have just reached the legal drinking age of 18, it is also ironic that "russ" phonetically resembles "rus", the Norwegian word for "intoxication".
For many russ, the celebrations throughout the month of May serve as an initiation rite marking their first foray into sexual relations and heavy drinking.
This sometimes has a tragic outcome.
Over recent years, a number of youths have died of meningitis, which spreads rapidly among the russ indulging in intimate relations and beer-sharing.
There are also numerous car accidents as the students drive from party to party, and a number of girls are raped each year by other students or by men who gravitate to the huge gatherings of young and intoxicated russ.
While the festivities often get out of hand, the money some students spend on the celebrations, and especially on transportation to and from the parties, can be even more shocking.
The russ get together in small groups and invest in red or blue-painted vans or busses that they equip with huge loudspeakers and loud, melodious horns to keep the party rocking and neighbors awake all night.
This year, 28 high school students from the upscale Baerum suburbs near Oslo spent a whopping 800,000 kroner (127,000 dollars, 99,000 euros) on buying and outfitting their "russebuss".
While the wild parties and crazy pranks are hotly debated in Norway each year, many feel that the most disturbing element of the celebrations is that they take place as the students are writing their final exams.
Societal Degradation: The No.1 challenge for modern societies.
At least they're not getting into longboats to rape and pillage Anglo-Saxons.
Why the "India" keyword? :)
Easy to keep track of.
"And all references to sex are now accompanied with a recommendation to use a condom," she added
ahh...well that makes it ok
Today is Friday, the 13th.
This is the only sentence in the article that does not ring true. The reports we get from family in Oslo and out in the country suggest that teen drinking, drugs and sex are widespread from 14, nearly universal from 16.
I was a russ a few years ago. I had a great time, but I guess I did not go totally overboard.
The worst thing I did was to give my religion teacher a great smooch in front of the class. I am not sure who was most embarrased :-)
Cheers.
Proud to be Norwegian -- NOT.
Not all russ are revelers. A recent development are the Jesus russ, who use the sinful season to try and save their friends.
Well pride is generally a feeling filled with pitfalls, so that is probably a good thing.
Have a great weekend.
Cheers.
This calls for a description and/or picture of the person in question(and that's not you).
I know, I am being a pervert.
Where was the report of this party BEFORE May 1st?? Drat - missed out again!!
< Begins marking calender for next year . . . >
What happens in Norway stays in Norway!
How's that for societal degradation?
I think I leave it up to your imagination. lol.
Russian?
Bad.
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