Inside the debauched world of ‘Russ’, when Norwegian school leavers get drunk, naked and very rowdy
Russ is a national tradition involving outdoor sex, pimped-out party busses and insane quantities of booze
IF you thought British students were a drunken, rowdy mess, then you should see what they get up to over in Norway.
Russefeiring is the national tradition where Norwegian school leavers embark on a three-week bender, involving outdoor sex, pimped-out party busses and insane quantities of booze.
Students in the Scandinavian nation embark on the Russefeiring to mark the end of their time in high school, celebrating the end of classes with an "incomparable" blowout.
Known simply as "Russ", the celebration sees students tour the country in lavish party busses, which often cost thousands of pounds to rent out.
And over the three-week rite of passage, students are forced to compete a number of bizarre and risky challenges, ranging from sleeping in trees to breaking into your teacher’s house.
“There are pre-Russ parties all the way until May. It’s pretty epic.”
The Russ outfit - overalls with a hat - is sorted well in advance, as are the painted party busses, which are decorated with elaborate designs and vibrant colours.
Patricia adds: “Some kids save money, or get tons of money from their parents, and then they go ahead and buy themselves a bus — a whole bus.”
“And then they style the inside of it as awesome as possible, buy the biggest speakers they can and get someone to spray paint the outside. It’s not uncommon for a bus to be sold for $50,000.”
As the weeks of debauchery go on, students are set increasingly difficult challenges, which could include drinking 24 beers in 24 hours, kissing a police officer or having sex outdoors.
Russ veteran Patricia said: “You should try drinking a beer with two tampons in your mouth, it’s funny."
Completing the tasks earns you trophies - often just paperclips - which you tie to your hat.
Students also make ID cards, called Russecards, which you give out to people you meet so they have your name, number and social media profiles.
But there's a dark side to Russ too: in recent years, police have become increasingly concerned with violence and incidents of sexual assault over the three-week period.
The public disorder can be problem too, even when Russ challenges could include cleaning up all of the mess from last night.
Bizarrely, the festival takes place during term time, so students may have classes or even exams to attend between parties.
But whilst organisers are increasingly conscious of the problems associated with the boozy tradition, nothing is likely to stop the wild Norwegian students from letting their hair down.