How Christmas is celebrated and celebrated in Norway. Christmas traditions in Norway
Rating: 7,7/10 (3167 votes)   Street in Oslo At first glance, it might seem that Christmas in Norway is celebrated in the same way as in other Christian countries. This is certainly not the case. The frame may be the same everywhere, but the details are different for everyone, and Norway is no exception. Christmas in Norway is a very important and favorite holiday. Pleasant pre-holiday chores begin in November. The rhythm is set by shops and media. 4 weeks before Christmas begins what the Norwegians call Advent. This is the time for planning gifts, shopping for the festive table, decorating the home, preparing festive dresses for the celebration of Christmas. The apartment must be thoroughly cleaned. Nor does it do without corporate events. Here it is considered an important event in strengthening the collective spirit of the company. As a rule, everyone communicates during corporate events on a short note, informally, they do not hesitate to say what they think and are not afraid to offend their boss, because it is not accepted to take revenge for corporate events here.  Christmas gnome Instead of Santa Claus, a Christmas gnome is in Norway. He lives in the courtyards, together with pets. On Christmas day, it is customary to appease him with porridge, and this is done not only by superstitious villagers, but also by ordinary city dwellers. If the gnome is full, then you can expect gifts from him. By the way, he looks very similar to his popular brother: his characteristic attributes are a white beard and a red hat. Children receive gifts under the Christmas tree, or from the hands of the gnome himself, in which one of the family members dresses up, usually the father. Gifts are generally the most important Christmas attribute in Norway. Colossal money is spent on them. At times, the media even urge Norwegians to spend less. Children are given toys or new clothes. Of course, they are waiting with bated breath for a gift in hard packaging, because toys are preferable for them. Gifts are given to all relatives and friends. In addition to them, Christmas cards are also sent, they even cover a larger circle of addressees. It usually contains good wishes and an accompanying photo of children or a loved one. Sometimes photos of pets are sent. Noisy street festivities at Christmas are not typical for Norway. Here it is a quiet, family holiday. Many attend church on this day. The whole family gets together, chat, dance around the (more and more artificial) Christmas tree, sing Christmas carols and, of course, have dinner. The table is the centerpiece of the whole celebration.  Lutefisk The festive table is set richly, which only you will not find on it. As the main dishes, Norwegians cook pickled herring, pork roll, fried pork ribs, sausages, but especially here they love lutefisk or lamb ribs. Both dishes are prepared according to special recipes and cannot be tasted elsewhere. Serve with mashed potatoes or swede. For dessert, they give rice cream with walnuts hidden inside. The lucky one who gets it will be lucky in the new year. And, of course, 7 types of cookies should be on the table. Ideally, all of them should be baked by the hostess herself, but recently Norwegians have increasingly limited themselves to fewer types of cookies, and buy some of them in stores. We also recommend reading Bamboo in Japan Topic: How Christmas is celebrated and celebrated in Norway. Christmas traditions in Norway. |
