funerals.  I know that this is a depressing topic, but I have spent the last week mourning the death of a very close friend and thus got to thinking it is a topic worth learning about in terms of language and traditions for people learning a new language. 

Begravelser in Scandinavian history were similar to many cultures throughout history in that they buried their dead with objects and sometimes sacrifices to prepare them for afterlife.  Nordmenn often cremated their dead in ship burials (which supposedly reached a temperature of 1400 degrees celsius, much hotter than crematories burn bodies today).  Especially in hard times (famine, disease, war), people would fear death and the repercussions of improper burial and preparation of the deceased for afterlife.  It was extremely important to bury the dead with objects and other sacrifices that made sense according to their social status so the deceased would remain in the same social class in the afterlife.  I find it quite interesting to learn about how people throughout history viewed death and responded to it.

Begravelser in Norway are very similar to begravelser in the United States, as I understand.  I have only attended one begravelse in Norway (for an elderly relative), but through talking with another relative I got the impression that they are fairly similar to begravelser here in the United States.  Of course the type of begravelse for the deceased depends largely on religious beliefs of the deceased and close family members.  Therefore the arrival of immigrants to Norway has meant an increase in cultural differences regarding funerals.  However, the vast majority of begravelser take place in en kristen kirke (a Christian church), followed by the actual burial (same word-begravelse) in a graveyard (en kirkegård), where the deceased (en avdøde) is buried (begravet) with a gravestone (gravstein).  Typically a pastor or priest (minister or prest) speaks at the begravelse and the congregation (forsamling or menighet) sings (synger).  There is also usually a soloist (solist) who sings and someone (perhaps the minister or priest) who shares Scripture (gudsord-literally “Gods word).  Following the service (gudstjeneste) there is often coffee (kaffe) or a meal (måltid) served to close friends and family. 

The following are more words and phrases involving death and what kinds of things we think about and say during a time of mourning:

en død or et dødsfall is a death

en dødsulykke is a fatal accident (which is what happened in the case of my best friend)

døende means dying

døsleie means deathbed (å ligge på dødsleiet is to lie at death’s door)

dødelig means fatal or deadly

dødsstraff means death penalty (refer to previous post for information on this)

et minne is a memory

en historie is a story

å gråte is to cry

sjokk is shock (sjokkerende is shocking)

sørg is sorrow (å sørge is to grieve or mourn)

sympati is sympathy (å sympatisere means to sympathize)

dårlig nyheter means bad news

med vennlig hilsen means yours sincerely

trist means sad

å brenne or å kremere means to cremate

Again, my apoligies for such a depressing topic, but good stuff to know.