100-Year-Old Remembers Norway’s 1945 Liberation Day

Why this is here: Tordis and her family circumvented wartime travel restrictions by purchasing train tickets in segments of only five miles at a time.

Tordis Helga Lilian Hagfors Mollatt, age 100, recalls Norway’s first 17 May celebration after the war in 1945. Known as “Titteliten,” she describes a feeling of wild joy at the end of the conflict and a longing for five years of peace to match the five years of war. She remembers riding on the back of a tram through town with friends, freely enjoying the day without paying fares.

During the war, celebrations required careful planning to avoid travel restrictions. Tordis’s family bought multiple short-distance train tickets to reach a cabin, fearing detection by German forces. Even then, they worried about flying a flag while traveling by boat to join friends.

Tordis cherishes memories of both childhood 17 May celebrations and the unique joy of the first post-war celebration—a freedom to play and enjoy life. She acknowledges the loss of loved ones but continues to hold onto these positive experiences. The specific details of wartime fear linger even within happy recollections.