Archive for 'Culture'
Christmas in Norway Posted by Bjørn A. Bojesen on Dec 24, 2021
Hurra, det er jul! (Hooray, it’s Christmas!) For billions of people, that means glede (joy) and spending time with familien (the family). But what is special about the høytid (feast, literally ’high time’) in Norway? Jul [yool] is a very old tradition in Norge – in fact, even the Vikings had a party this time…
Norway says never again Posted by Bjørn A. Bojesen on Jul 22, 2021
Ten years ago Norwegians experienced one of the saddest days i manns minne (in living memory, literally ”in man’s memory”). I don’t want to repeat the tragedy here – that’s the job of aviser (newspapers). Suffice to say that 77 innocent human beings lost their lives to the terrorist Anders Breivik on Utøya (an øy…
A Sip of Norwegian Comedy Posted by Bjørn A. Bojesen on Jun 30, 2021
Gi ungdommen en flaske brennevin før idretten tar dem! (Give the young people a bottle of brandy before they’re possessed by sports!) This quote by Per Inge Torkelsen is very well-known in Norway. A famous comedian and klovn (clown) from the city of Stavanger, Torkelsen passed away eight days ago. Having grown up in the…
Summer Nights in Norway Posted by Bjørn A. Bojesen on May 31, 2021
Gratulerer med vel overstått! (Congratulations with a ”well passed” [birthday]!) This belated greeting – a handy Norwegian lifeline for forgetful people – will have to do for all you fans of Norway in 2021. Due to technicalities, I was unable to wish you gratulerer med dagen (happy constitution day) on May 17th. Beklager tradisjonsbruddet! (Sorry…
Two Ways of Giving Posted by Bjørn A. Bojesen on Dec 17, 2020
Jula er ei tid for gaver og kos. (Christmas is a time for gifts and cosiness!) Have you bought all your presents yet? While many of us are still pondering to whom to give what, let’s look at the Norwegian grammar of giving. The Norwegian verb å gi [aw yee] is historically related to the…
Up the Mountain Posted by Bjørn A. Bojesen on Oct 30, 2020
What’s the most Norwegian thing there is? Above trolls, Vikings and brunost (Norwegian brown cheese), I’d put hiking in the Norwegian fjell [fyell] (mountains). Vil du bli med på fjelltur? (Do you want to go on a mountain trip with me/us?) Fjellturer are a sosial aktivitet which makes your heart go faster! Even if you…
17 Things to Love about Norway Posted by Bjørn A. Bojesen on May 17, 2020
Gratulerer med dagen! (Happy May 17th!) Today Norwegians all over the world are celebrating their grunnlov (constitution – from 1814). This year, of course, is very different. Most of the fun 17. mai-tog (May 17th parades) have been cancelled. 🙁 Instead, children and adults have to celebrate hjemme [YEMMeh] (at home). Let’s join the celebrations…