Norway’s soccer team fans have taken the internet by storm with legendary “Viking Row” celebrations.
Following Norway’s thrilling 3-2 victory over Senegal on Monday 22 June, which marked the team’s first World Cup knockout stage since 1998, players and supporters united in a fascinating display of solidarity.
To celebrate their team’s victory, the fans sat in formation and mimicked the rowing of a Viking longship while a drummer set the rhythm and the crowd roared with each synchronized move.
The ritual arose because of the viral pre-match photoshoot by British photographer David Yarrow called “The Vikings are Coming”, where the Norwegian team appeared wearing Viking clothing. The captain, Martin Odegaard, and the top goalscorer for the team, Erling Haaland, were very much in favor of it.
Fans took to Times Square to celebrate with thousands marching to King Harald V’s palace with loud chants of “We will wake the king!”
The Norwegian coach, Ståle Solbakken, called the celebration “a gimmick”, but cultural specialists say there is more to it. As in the case of Iceland’s Thunderclap and New Zealand’s Haka, Viking Row involves the spectators in the ritual, blurring the lines between the players and the fans. It even reached the Norwegian parliament.
