Archive for 'Traditions'
Norway in 2010 Vancouver Winter Olympics Posted by kari on Feb 21, 2010
For those of you who have been watching as much of the Olympics as I have, you may have noticed that Norway has gradually made her way up the ranks to 3rd in the overall medal count, behind Germany and the United States. Norway has 12 medals, while Germany has 16, and the United States…
1994 Winter Olympics in Lillehammer Posted by kari on Feb 17, 2010
1994 Winter Olympics in Lillehammer. Da jeg besøkte Norge en gang, (when I visited Norway one time), reiste jeg med tog (I traveled by train) til Lillehammer. I was shocked that this small town hosted the Olympics! In 2009, the population census counted just over 26,000 people. The Olympics must have generated enough tourist revenue for decades! Lillehammer’s…
Valentinsdag Posted by kari on Feb 7, 2010
Although Vanlentinsdag is not widely recognized in Norway as an important Hallmark holiday as it is here in the United States, there is certainly nothing wrong with planning a fun day with your lover or exchanging gaver, norsk eller ikke (Norwegian or not). I have always thought that Valentinsdag was a pretty ridiculous helligdag (holiday)…
norske skikker Posted by kari on Feb 3, 2010
Norwegian customs. You may wonder if nordmenn have specific skikker with regards to å møte og hilse folk (meeting and greeting people), å gi gaver (to give gifts), og å spise (and to eat). Når man treffer noen (When one meets someone), it is customary å stå (stand), håndhilse (shake hands) og presentere seg selv (present one’s…
julekalenderen Posted by kari on Dec 21, 2009
The Christmas calendar/advent calendar. Many cultures that celebrate Christmas have some sort of advent calendar. Today julekalendere can be made from materials such as felt, fabric, paper, small boxes, or chipboard. Advent means “coming” and julekalenderen is used to count down the days until jul. Technically advent starts on the fjerde (4th) søndag før jul…
Obama and Nobel Posted by kari on Dec 9, 2009
What is the current connection between President Obama and Norway? The President of the United States is set to arrive in Norway tomorrow morning. He will receive the Nobel Peace Prize for his “extraordinary efforts to strengthen international diplomacy and cooperation between peoples.” Nominations for the prize had to be made in early February of…
norske navn Posted by kari on Oct 27, 2009
Norwegian names (notice there is no “er” ending on the indefinite plural “names” because navn is a one-syllable “et” noun). It’s always for me to learn about names and their origins or what name something equates to in my own language. Names are kind of funny things, right? It seems people can always come up…