Archive for 'Holidays'
julegavetips Posted by kari on Dec 13, 2009
Christmas gift tips. Alle sammen kan bruke disse, ikke sant? Everyone can use these, right? I know I could use some tips this year for julegaver. I often do my julegaveshopping dagen før jul (the day before Christmas), but this year, I want to have it done at least a week in advance, so I’m…
Thanksgiving Posted by kari on Nov 29, 2009
First of all, I apologize for the italic font-apparently my computer won’t let me change it at the moment. I drudged up an interesting article in the archives of Aftenposten online written by a Norwegian who was curious about the American Thanksgiving tradition. Siri, en sytten år gammel jente (a 17 year old girl), thought…
Halloween i Norge Posted by kari on Oct 31, 2009
Halloween in Norway. Do nordmenn celebrate Halloween? The answer is yes, but not to the extent that Americans do, and they do it slightly differently. It was not until very recently that the trend caught on in Norway to celebrate Halloween. Actually, there is an interesting chart in an article in Aftenposten online that shows…
Ferie Posted by kari on Aug 25, 2009
Norwegians are good at going på ferie (on vacation). Like most Europeans, Norwegians enjoy friluftsliv, outdoor life, such as å gå på tur, å gå på ski, å ta fly til Syden, o.s.v. (and so on). For eksempel, many Norwegians go up to hytter (cabins) in the mountains til påske (for Easter) and they spend a…
Sankthansaften Posted by kari on Jun 22, 2009
This is the stavkirke (stave church) in Røldal where people would make pilgramages to the crucifix for it’s healing powers. Norwegians, Swedes, Finns, other northern European countries and even some eastern and southern countries celebrate midsummer, also known in Norway (and Denmark) as Sankthansaften or Jonsok. Sankt Hans is another way of saying St. Johannes or St. John…
Gratulerer med dagen! Posted by kari on May 16, 2009
In Norwegian, “gratulerer med dagen” can either mean “happy birthday” or it can be said on a day like syttende mai to mean something like “congratulations on this day!” It’s almost a happy birthday to Norway-to celebrate the day that the country adopted it’s own constitution. So at midnight tonight, you should all show off your Norwegian and…
Syttende Mai Posted by kari on May 14, 2009
Syttende mai is the 17th (syttende) of May (mai-notice months are not capitalized, unless of course they come at the beginning of a sentence). Norwegians celebrate syttende mai because it is the anniversary of their Constitution day or Grunnlovsdagen. In 1814, a small group of Norwegian men, the Constituent Assembly, signed the constitution on May…