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 [...]

A Norwegian Christmas is filled with many celebrations and traditions, old and new. As the snow falls, the white landscape is the first sign of Christmas and Norwegians start to prepare for their long season of juletid. November As the snow comes, Norway enters the Christmas season early with a series of Christmas parties. Work, [...]

Pepperkaker (gingerbread) makes an excellent decoration for the house at Christmas time. We make lots of different types of pepperkaker – some for hanging on the Christmas tree, some for hanging in the windows, some to give away when we go carolling and others sit on the table for grazing. One of my favourite activities [...]

Please visit our updated post Norwegian Christmas Heart Baskets with three different easy-to-make baskets complete with instructions and pictures. Before Christmas our friends get together and have a decoration party. We pool together all our crafty-stuff, paper, toilet rolls, egg cartons, pictures, pine cones, and lots of glue and glitter. We play Christmas music as [...]