A comical name for a holiday for non-Scandinavians, Kristi Himmelfartsdag is the Christian Holiday known to English speakers as “Ascension Day.”  Always falling 40 days after Påske (Easter), this year the høytidsdag (religious holiday) falls much later than normal because Påske was so late this year.

Today, June 2 is Kristi Himmelfartsdag and the Norwegians are heading to their hytter (cabins).  While this day usually marks the beginning of the hytte sesong (cabin season), this may be the 2nd or 3rd trip for some folks because of the unseasonably warm weather earlier this spring.  Today is an official helligdag (holiday), so for Norway this means that nearly every business is closed.  Traffic driving out of the cities is expected to be very busy as everyone is trying to scramble out to enjoy the weather, which has been forecasted to be absolutely beautiful (at least south of Trondheim).

So who is Kristi Himmelfart?  According to Norwegian legend, Kristi was a sæterjente (cowgirl) and thought by some to be a huldra (a seductive forest creature).  She apparently made some poor decisions and fell in with the wrong group, but was saved by her faith.

According to the Christian tradition, Kristi was a Saint (which means she was a virgin and a martyr).  She was a sæterjente who resided and worked on Himmelgård (Himmel Farm).  It is believed that she was trampled by kuer (cows) after she revealed her magnificent cow call.

There are many versions of the story and Kristi is not a very well known Saint, but artists, poets, and musicians alike have been influenced by her.  One of Gustav Vigelands sculptures is thought to be a recreation of Kristi.  The famous poet Rolf Jacobsen wrote about her and the music group A-Ha sang about her.

I wish I could dig up more information on Kristi Himmelfart because her story seems very inriguing.  Perhaps I need to make a trip up to the St. Olaf Library or the Norwegian department to see what more I can uncover about this woman.

In the meantime, I will be jealous of all of the Norwegians who are heading to their hytter for the long weekend!