A 'Russ' is a participant in the traditional Norwegian high school graduation ceremony known as russefeiring (russ celebration). The Russ are easily recognized by their distinctive overalls, which tradition dictates that they wear from 1st to 17th May without interruption (except when sleeping), and without washing them. The color of the overalls should match the graduate's line of study: red for general (this is the most common color), blue for courses in business, white for medical and social studies, black for engineering, and green for agricultural fields. The two latter colors are rarely seen due to the lower student numbers in such courses. Overalls are unisex, and usually available in one version, a full overall with sleeves.
The Russ also have cars, vans, or buses, painted the same color as their overalls, and often have large sound systems, some worth as much as $160,000 for the sound system alone. These buses act as a rolling party roaming the streets at night. During this month there are some major events, like organized parties where famous international artists perform, and over 10,000 russ attend.
On the morning of the National Day, the attire is completed by the ceremonial addition of the russ cap, matching the color of the overalls. The ceremony involves the christening of the graduate, in which the graduate is awarded a name by his or her fellow graduates which characterizes an aspect of the graduate's normal behaviour. This name is written on the brim before the cap is handed over. Caps can be loaded with tiny figurines (called 'knots') dangling from strings. Each knot represents a prank played during the month.
A local 'Russeboard' sets the rules for pranks each year. These pranks range from the most inoffensive to the most stupid and immoral: spending a night in a tree, eating a Big Mac in two bites, spending a school day crawling on hands and knees, running naked through the city centre in daylight, biting the leg of a police officer and then barking like a dog.
Other common russ attributes are the whip and the whistle used for banging things and making noise during the May, 17th parade. Over the years the russefeiring has become big business, and consequently a number of companies provide plenty of optional attributes for russ to purchase, such as t-shirts, sweaters, baseball caps, and so on. Students can spend up to £1,500 during Russ.
