Since the Viking age (at least) it was typical to have a layer of dirt on houses and buildings as the dirt insulated from the cold Winters and warm Summers.  Grass was grown on top so the dirt wouldn’t fall off and I guess to also beautify the building.  The Sami even mounded their houses [...]

Norwegian Constitution Day is celebrated by a series of parades. In these parades it is the people who are in focus as they march on Norway’s ‘birthday’. There are so many happenings, things to see and do, on this day. In this video you will see a slice of what a 17th [...]

Påskeris is the Easter equivalent to a Christmas tree – a traditional Norwegian decoration.  Made of birch twigs and set into a vase, påskeris is normally put up on Palm Sunday.  The birch twigs are a substitute for palms branches, in remembrance of Jesus entering Jerusalem on a donkey, however, most of the religious significance [...]

Easter in Norway is a time of renewing.  Spring is in the air and the sun has returned.  New life creeps into the landscape, homes are redecorated with Summer colours and Norwegians enjoy the outdoors with snow activities.  This time of year marks the end of the long Winter.

Symbols of Easter
Chickens and eggs are the [...]

In Norway it is the chicken that is the symbol of Easter and the Easter egg the traditional treat.   The eggs themselves, made of paper or cardboard, are a fairly new tradition and are specifically for wrapping Easter sweets.  They are brightly decorated and come in many different sizes – normal to huge.  Smågodt, [...]

There are probably no other Christmas foods in Norway that cause such a division as lutefisk. You either love it or hate it, praise it or ridicule it. But like it or not, it’s here to stay. Norwegians consume close to 3000 tons of lutefisk each year!
Lutefisk is made from stockfish (air-dried fish) that receives [...]

Juletid (Christmas time) is a celebration of traditions and family in Norway. With the fall of winter snow and the wonderful displays of Northern Lights, Norwegians sit round their fire places, dance around the Christmas tree, enjoy rich food and share julefryd (Christmas cheer) with family, friends and in their communities. At this special time [...]

‘Nisse’ is a Danish Viking word.  It replaced the Norwegian nyk during Danish rule from the 1500s.  To this day a direct translation of ‘nisse’ is still ‘goblin’, ‘gnome’ or ‘pixie’. (A post about the origin of ‘nisse’ and ‘yule’ will follow soon.)
Norwegians have a couple of different nisse traditions.  The considered original is the [...]

The lighting of the Christmas tree is a social tradition in every city in Norway on the first Sunday of Advent.  Today was extra special for us as we got to share in Lilu’s delight.  Half way through the celebration I found myself alone in the middle of the crowd and realised how strange everything [...]

In Norway, Advent is the time of year when Christians count the days to the birth of Christ celebration – Christmas.  Technically Advent starts on the fourth Sunday before 25th December and is remembered each Sunday until Christmas Day.  This season features the colour purple as purple symbolises anticipation and preparation.  Traditionally four purple candles [...]