SEX, DRUGS AND PARTY BUSES
It’s four weeks before everyone's final exams and the high school graduates are partying wildly. You’ll see them running around the streets of Norway, half drunk and half crazy, before they continue the night’s journey in their expensive party buses. They are all wearing red or blue trousers. But this is not just one night of letting off steam before the stress of exams – this goes on for three weeks.
Welcome to russ - a uniquely Norwegian way of saying goodbye to school.
It all started in 1905, when students started wearing red hats as a symbol of graduating from school. From here on out the so called “russ celebration” grew bigger every year and in 1979 the government decided to move the exam dates till after 17th of May (Norway’s constitution day) to hopefully put a damper on the russ celebration. This became counterproductive as the celebration continued to grow and took further focus away from the exams.
High school education historically had a high status in society, as most people could not afford more than about seven years of education. The Norwegians inherited the russ tradition from Denmark, but at the time it was a much smaller celebration with people just wearing hats to symbolise the milestone. In Norway the celebration has grown bigger every year, but in Denmark it has stayed almost the same.
For a long time, it was enough for the russ to only wear red hats and have a small party. But in 2016 it has grown in to a large industry with big party buses and vans, special clothing, songs and theme parties. The whole concept is that the people on a russ bus buy a new bus or one that has been used as a russ bus before, choose a theme and name for themselves and customise their bus accordingly. The interior and exterior have to match, so the outside of the bus is either being tagged or wrapped in customised foil. The inside of the bus has to be designed, built and of course look impressive. The russ celebrations are today heavily influenced by commercial equipment manufacturers and clothing importers, who earn a lot of money of this tradition.
Bodil Ekerhovd, now 77, remembers fondly her experience as a russ and acknowledges how different it is today.
When Ekerhovd graduated in Bergen in 1958, there were only a few schools in Bergen, so they were only about 200 russ celebrating together. Being one of the few who had the opportunity to go to school, the graduation and russ celebration meant more than anything to her.
Even though it took place 58 years ago, she has a clear memory of the celebration, and one incident in particular. Ekerhovd and her fellow graduates from Bergen had gathered for a breakfast picnic in the town square when the most dramatic thing she experienced as a russ happened.
“We were all sitting there, having a good time and then suddenly the police came. They of course had to come and check that we were not behaving badly. The officers noticed that two boys, from my school, had a couple of beer bottles with them. These boys were then arrested and brought down to the police station. Everyone became really upset, so people started protesting and riots broke loose. The next day there were loads of articles and pictures in the newspapers about this incident and most people thought the police had been acting unreasonably.”
Ever since Ekerhovd was a little girl she knew that she wanted to become a russ, because that meant she would be a student. “I did not know what I wanted to do with my life, but that I knew. I have no idea why, but through all my childhood I said I wanted to become a russ. And that was a good goal to have at that time, because that meant you had to get an education, which was not a given.”
Being the daughter of a teacher, Ekerhovd worked hard to earn that red hat she had dreamed of since she was a little girl. It was a big moment for her when it finally happened. “The russ celebration was extremely important to us, in the sense that not a lot of people had the opportunity to go to school and get an education. We felt very blessed and privileged, so graduating from school was something worth celebrating.”
For her russ celebration, Ekerhovds’s mother had sewn her a new red and white dress: “The girls only wore dresses at that time, so my mother had sewn a red “russ dress” for me. It was a two piece, bright red with white plaids on it and a matching red belt. Everyone wore red and white outfits. It was a lot of fun!” The beautiful red dress was worn for many occasions and parties after that.
When asked what she thinks of the russ celebration today, Ekerhovd starts rolling her eyes and says: “It’s absolutely outrageous! The only thing we paid for when I was russ was our hats, and I think we had just as much fun as you guys did. We attended many russ events, walked in the parade and it was our mission to wake up the teachers on the 17th of May. And that was a big deal! Nothing wild happened, we behaved very nicely. There was not much alcohol involved, as you might understand from what I told you previously. We did not even know what narcotics were at the time, so we were kind of protected from all of that. Today, I just have to trust that my grandchildren make good choices and take care of themselves during those three weeks of craziness.”
So how has russ changed over the past 50 years? Critics say it has got out of control... Mutating into a time-consuming, money stealing popularity contest.
THE EARLY DAYS
Newspaper clippings from the dramatic russ breakfast in 1958.
THE BUILD UP TO RUSS
Many students start planning and working to earn money for their russ celebration years before the actual celebration. Groups of friends group together to be on buses or vans together, others choose to not spend as much time and money on it. The only requirement of being russ is being a high school graduate that year.
For Tormod Saue, 18, being russ is the most important thing in his life right now. He has dedicated four years of work and planning to have the most memorable russ celebration. For him it was not enough to work and plan a russ bus, he is also the “russ president” in the county of Hordaland.
“Me and my friends from high school are on a bus together and we started planning and working in 10th grade. We started really early and having a bus is kind of like running a small business. I have done a lot of work, everything from economy, getting the bus approved, interior and exterior, theme songs – there is so much work that goes into this."
Screenshot of Tormod Saue during a debate at TV2.
Saue’s whole presence screams the stereotypical “russ lover”. When he talks about his bus and all of the time and money put into it, there is no doubt that for him it’s all worth it. He is definitely the right man for the job, the russ needs someone who lives and breathes this celebration.
“Some people have the philosophy that the more you put into something, the more memorable it will be. So if you use £100,000 at a russ festival, you will think that it’s a memory you will have forever and can tell people about for years to come. And you are only going to be russ once in your life and that is why people choose to celebrate it in different ways. How much people want to invest, both when it comes to time and money, varies each year and differs from where you are from in the country.”
“It is going to be crazy fun and we will make a profit when we sell the bus, so we will all get money back afterwards. I know we put more time and effort into it than we will get back, but three weeks with a rolling party bus will be amazing and so worth it.”
“I am mostly looking forward to just cruising around in the bus, hanging out with good friends all day and having massive fun together. We’ll have people (girls) of all age groups on board riding with us, everything from 94 to 99 models.” He says, laughing. He’s referring to school girls, not cars.
SHOOM 2016
THE DOWNSIDES
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With a massive party that lasts for three weeks straight and thousands of hyper 18 and 19 year olds, there will not only be fun and games. Russ is often associated with public disturbance, drunkenness, sex and drugs. The Shoom girls say the russ are being blamed for “everything” that goes wrong during the three-week long celebration. But not without reason. During last year’s celebration four rapes were reported within one week, a group of russ was accused of kidnapping penguin eggs from a wildlife park, several russ in the same school were arrested for drug dealing and possession, and the list goes on.
Cecilie Øvstedal, 47, works as a counsellor at a high school (Laksevåg vgs) in Bergen. She is also a mother of two, her son was russ a couple of years ago, and her daughter is going to be russ this year. Øvstedal is clear on one thing, that we would all be better off if there were no russ celebration at all. She has seen first-hand how much focus it takes away from school and how it contributes to a social and economic divide.
“I think it’s a culture and legacy that has to be ended, because it had gone way too far!”
Already from the first day of high school new students are excited about the russ celebration and groups form quickly. Øvstedal can see that the russ celebration is very important to them, but is worried that they miss out on forming new friendships and lack focus in school.
“When a russ bus is created within the first year of high school many of the students end up only hanging out with other people on their bus. This can be challenging for the social environment at school, when many are part of certain “gangs” or cliques,” she says with a worried look in her eyes.
Øvstedal continues to say that society demands that students take part in the celebrations.
“I understand that the county and schools have to cooperate with the russ when it’s nothing we can change. But we do make way for a lot of partying and much spending amongst the students. As a counsellor I notice a lot of the bus culture, who’s in and who’s out, who gets to be a part of the buses and there’s much focus on clothes and material things. There is a social aspect of this whole russ celebration that is far from ok.”
Øvstedal explains that the students who are on russ buses are extremely visible to everyone around, because they wear hoodies with their bus logo on them and often walk together in groups. She thinks that a lot of the hype has to do with all of the talk beforehand. “The thought of owning a bus sounds exciting and everyone around can see how much fun they’re having. But when I talk to students after the russ celebrations are over almost all of them mention that they had the most fun during the one big party they had with all of the students at their own school.”
Plenty of russ conversations have happened in Øvstedal’s home with her children “The whole bus thing was up for discussion, but was ruled out pretty quickly. They also had a discussion about having a car, but I think they thought it was too much stress, because they ended up with a holiday instead.”
“You hope that you have taught your children to take good and responsible choices before they turn 19 and I do understand that she wants to take part in it. If she wants to be russ I can’t say that she is not allowed, but I think I would have been worried if she started planning it in her first year.”
The biggest challenges for her is making sure that the students are able to keep focussed before their exams. For Øvstedal and the school, the absence many students experience from partying in the middle of the week is worrying. She definitely notices those who don’t show up and that is the people who can’t handle the party. “We live in a globalised world, whilst the rest of the students in Europe are studying for their exams, the Norwegian ones are out partying every night. And us adults stand on the side lines cheering them on.”
She also mentions that she has experienced parents and society taking pity on the students who are not a part of a russ bus. “Many do not understand that not everyone wants to be a part of it. Some mothers even bring their Chablis and cruise around in the buses. In the society we live in today you have to be quite thick-skinned as an 18-year-old to be able to say that you are not going to take part in the celebrations.”
“I understand that the students want to be russ when everyone else is, but I feel like a hypocrite, saying ‘do it but don’t do it’” Øvstedal says, with a lot of frustration in her voice.
The girls feel a lot of pressure to do well, because their bus has won so many prices in previous years. Shoom bought their bus from a group of girls that was russ in 2015 and now have to build on their good reputation.
Shoom has already sold their bus to a group of girls that will be russ in a couple of years, this is thanks to their bus’s reputation. The reputation of the bus means a lot to some people, and how many prizes it has won in previous years therefore has an impact on the value.
“It is prestigious to have a good timeline on your bus. But you buy a bus that is almost a wreckage and it costs a lot of money to get it in good condition. Considering that the bus is almost totally destroyed when you get it, you have to allocated large sums in the budget to repair it”, Live says.
When it comes to sponsors the girls have not had much luck, “A lot of people don’t want their logo on the bus because they don’t want to be associated with the russ. The few sponsors we do have don’t want their name on it”, the girls explain.
Cecilie Øvstedal, counsellor at Laksevåg high school.
The russ take part in huge parties arranged in the cities they are from, as well as having festivals where russ from all over Norway meet. These festivals are a huge focus for the students, especially for those who are on a bus. This is the time to show off their bus to the whole of Norway. Big international artists perform and there are crazy parties and shows all day long. Several awards are handed out at these festivals, so it’s important to stand out. The greatest award and recognition that many of the buses strive for is “Norway’s best russ bus” and “This year’s live bus”.
Shoom 2016 is one of these buses. The russ bus consists of 23 girls from four different schools in Bergen. In a couple of weeks they are going to unveil their buss and show everyone what they have been working on for three years. The group of girls identify themselves as Shoom, but this is only a cover name until they reveal the real theme and name of the bus.
I met up with them at one of their meetings, but was not allowed to take part in the conversation until they were done talking about all the top secret bus things, whatever that might be. There is no doubt that these russ buses are serious businesses, with contracts among the members and big budgets. But for most of them it all started with a group of friends wanting to have a fun russ celebration together.
“The time and process leading up to the russ celebration has been a lot of fun, we’ve been working together, established strong relationships and a close-knit community. I think that is just as exciting as the russ celebration in it self, definitely as much worth” says Live Eikemo Braathen, Shoom’s bus leader.
The bus is being structured with different roles to make everything run smoothly, there’s a lot of things that has to be planned and executed. Shoom has one bus leader, people in charge of the bus economy, interior, exterior and songs. The girls say they are not one of the buses that are “betting big”, but they still use a lot of money because they want the bus to look cool and be recognised, and of course everyone wants to be best. In many ways being on a bus can be an educational process, “We have a big turnover with everything coming in and going out, kind of like a small enterprise.”
The girls work 200 hours each on different jobs that they get, as well as paying from their own pockets. How much money they spend each is classified information, mostly because they don’t want other buses to know how much they spend. They say they have a “low key” budget comparted to others who spend hundreds of thousands. “It’s starting to get extreme when you have a look at examples from for instance Oslo (Norway’s capital) where people have bus auditions and having to show their parents’ CVs and tax returns to be a part of the bus. Then it has gone way too far!”
One of the girls, Ida Wergeland, says that her parents reacted with shock when she told them they were going to start a russ bus three years before the celebration. “After a while they realised that the earlier we start the more money we’ll earn together, so less has to come from our own savings.”
The one thing the girls are most excited about is seeing the finished result for the first time and just drive around in the bus, “it will be EPIC” they say with dreamy eyes and high pitched voices. Shoom will soon reveal their bus’s real concept, which they were paid to change because someone had chosen the same thing.
With a bus full of girls there is bound to be drama, especially when alcohol is involved. “People say that the russ celebration shows you who your real friends are. You see their true colours and who you are left with after all of this. You’ll probably be extremely sick of some people”, says Bettina Oksnes, who’s in charge of the interior in the bus.
Amongst the buses there’s always hidden competition, with a lot of talking behind each others’ backs. Now the buses even compete for social media likes and followers, making that a symbol of their popularity. The importance of being popular and on top is familiar to all of the girls, with its 2145 followers on Facebook and 2319 followers on Instagram.
THE MONEY
Finance Norway conducted a questionnaire in 2015, where they asked russ from all over the country how much money they spent/were going to spend on their russ celebration.
Numbers showed that 1 in 4 russ will spend more than £1,000 on the russ celebrations. And 1 in 3 uses an average of £3,000 when they are a part of a russ bus.
For russ president Saue the amount of money spent does not seem to be an issue. According to him the pressure is not as big in Bergen as other places in the country and “everyone” can be a part of a bus. “The positive thing about the russ environment in Bergen is that we do a lot of jobs together as a bus to earn money and that makes it easier for everyone to take part in it, as you don’t have to spend as much of your own money.” He said.
Saue has the impression that people who live in places where the general income is lower than in the larger cities, don’t care much about the russ celebration, “Maybe because they can’t afford it. There is a class divide in today’s society, everything costs money and when some choose to spend extra the divide increases.”
RAPE
“I’m shit scared of being raped during the russ celebration” Bettina, one of the members at the Shoom bus, bursts out.
Live, Shooms bus leader, agrees, “it’s hard to know where to draw the line, let’s say you’re very drunk and wake up the next day to find out you had sex with a random guy in a bus. You might not remember and thing that it was rape, even though it might have been.”
Bettina continues to say that: “Everyone thinks that rape is something you hear about in the news, were someone is running after you with a knife and pulling your pants down.”
The police in Norway have launched an attitude campaign towards male russ, focusing on party-related rape and encouraging friends to take care of each other. Figures show that almost 48% percent of reported rape cases are related to partying.
It’s especially at the russ festivals that rape is big concern, with thousands of drunk people and extremely loud music. The security is therefor high and the woods around the festivals are being patrolled by guards.
According to The National Criminal Investigation Service (Kripos) most rape cases reported take place during the same time of year as the russ celebrations and girls aged 17-25 are most at risk. Numbers also show that in party related rapes 52% of the offenders are aged under 25.
SCHOOL AND EXAMS
Statistics Norway reported that in 2012, 57% of those who started high school education finished within standardised time. That is 13% lower than the average in OECD-countries.
If students fail a course they lose their first diploma and will only get a secondary one because they have to redo the course.
Student consellor, Cecilie Øvstedal, have this to say to the students who don’t take their school work and exams seriously: “Will you be so structured and disciplined that you are the one sitting at home reading on your own the autumn all of your friends start university or go out traveling the world? We pay £10,000 for each student using tax payer’s money, are you as a students even aware of what you are ruining?”
This is based on the fact that Øvstedal gets 2-4 inquires each week from students who finished high school 5 years ago, but never got their diploma. They are now contacting her, wondering what they can do to get their diploma because they can’t get any further.
INJURIES
Data from the Norwegian patient register (NPR) show that 19-year-olds have significantly more injuries during the “russ period” (20 April to 20 May) compared to the 16- and 21-year-olds. In the russ period, the 19-year-olds accounted for 41.4 % of the injuries, the 16-year-olds for 27.7 % and the 21-year-olds for 30.9 %. The 19-year-olds have more injuries in May compared to other months and there is a particular increase in the prevalence of head injuries.
In the early 2000s there was an average of 150 accidents with russ cars and buses before 17 May each year, with an increase to 174 accidents in 2004, shows injury figures from insurance company If.
In the last five years, the average dropped to 124 accidents and the figure was down to 106 last year (2015).
This can be related to the fact that The Norwegian Public Roads Administration now offers free technical controls of all russ buses and vans before the celebration start each year.
ALCOHOL AND DRUGS
The Shoom girls have a contract that they have all signed, with rules for behaviour and other practical things. They have zero tolerance for drugs and say that if someone on the bus does something the rest don’t like, they will let them know that the behaviour is not right. “We will support and help each other and make sure people won’t do something they will regret.”
Even though the girls have a zero tolerance for drugs on their bus, drugs seems to be the new normal. Shoom even has an ecstasy pill in their logo. Drugs underpin everything, with russ bus names such as Molly, Cannabus, Purple Drank, The Last Trip, to mention but a few.
“In many ways the russ legitimises and normalise drugs. The message is quite contradictory, we are against drugs but have a pill in our logo and drugs are mentioned in russ songs and themes every year.” Live says.
The girls all agree that it’s not something they want to try, but if you’re really drunk it can be hard to control yourself, because you get less critical and you can easily be drugged.
Russ do tokens from a list (for fun), to get knots in their hats. Some tokens are especially dangerous for girls because of the alcohol consumption.
Example of a dangerous token: drink a pint of 40% alcohol in just two hours.
Other tokens that incurage excessive alcohol intake and sex:
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Have sex in the woods with three people as witnesses.
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Drink a bottle of wine in 20 minutes.
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Drink 24 beers in 24 hours.
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Have sex with seven different people in seven days.
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Have sex with a statue.
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Drink a pint within 10 seconds.
WAS IT ALL WORTH IT?
Many people might wonder if these students feel a sense of regret when it’s all over. If the big party was everything they wished for or if it didn’t live up to their expectations?
Andrine Alver, 23, was russ in 2011 and went all out. She looks back at the time and money she spent without regrets, and would definitely do it all over again, but maybe in a different way.
Sandra Boxill, 21, chose to not be a part of a bus or a van and was therefor a “walking russ”. Her experience was just as fun as the others, only done in a less elaborative and showy way.
“The biggest reason for not being a part of a bus or van was definitely because of the money. I was also very busy with work and dancing, so I didn’t have much time outside of school to commit to something like that. I know I had just as much fun as the others during the russ celebration, so for me it was certainly better this way”, she said.
