Let’s face it – Halloween is a fairly new celebration in Norway and is still trying to establish itself in Norwegian culture. But Norwegians love to adopt holidays, especially if it’s for the kids or involves food. The celebration seems to have started with Americans in Norway wanting to keep up their traditions (but stay [...]

Even though ‘hello’ is probably the most used word in any language you will probably not need to use it much in Norway. This is because Norwegians have an asocial society. If you are standing at the check-out, sitting at the bus stop or passing the neighbour, you can be guaranteed a non-conversational experience. Norwegians [...]

One of Norway’s most traditional dishes is made from an ingredient that doesn’t grow anywhere near Norway: Rice! Rice porridge or “risgrøt” is normally a dessert in other countries, but in Norway it is the main dish on Saturday dinner tables. Risgrøt is enjoyed with a generous topping of cinnamon and sugar, with a spoonful [...]

The Harstad Kutlurhus is the largest arts complex in Northern Norway. It was opened in 1992 by King Harald V and is the home of the North Norwegian Arts Festival Festspillene i Nord-Norge. The Kulturhus is one of three in the area – Tromsø and Narvik have one too which makes for steep competition in [...]