Archive for 'Traditions'
Posted by Bjørn A. Bojesen on Dec 21, 2017
Visste du at juletreet i London er norsk? (Did you know that the Christmas tree in London is Norwegian?) Each year a høy julegran (tall Christmas spruce) gets a new home in the middle of the English capital. When its electrical lights are lit, and the whole tre (tree) is shining beautifully i den mørke…
Happy Anniversaries and Stuff Posted by Bjørn A. Bojesen on Oct 31, 2017
Life is full of anledninger (opportunities, occasions) to feire (celebrate) – and also sometimes to sørge (mourn). Here’s a small guide to help you choose some kind words for your Norwegian friends’ great life events. Let’s start with the sad part: When somebody has lost a loved one, a decent way of showing your respect…
Happy Sankthansaften! Posted by Bjørn A. Bojesen on Jun 23, 2017
Hvorfor må det alltid regne på sankthansaften? (Why does it always have to rain on Midsummer’s Eve?) That is the question many Norwegians ask themselves on June 23rd, and for lots of communities in Norge, this year is no exception. Still, most people trosser været (disobey the weather), don their regnklær (rainwear) and gather in…
Your name is what? Posted by Bjørn A. Bojesen on Apr 21, 2017
Hva heter du? (What’s your name?) Jeg heter… (My name is…) Talking about navn (name/s) is important when making new friends. Let’s look at Norwegian naming traditions! Ola & Kari Nordmann are like the Norwegian versions of Uncle Sam – a man and a woman representing the ”typical” nordmann (Norwegian). Like all nordmenn, they have a…
8 Norwegian Proverbs Posted by Bjørn A. Bojesen on Jan 27, 2017
Before the Internet, proverbs were like offline memes that anybody could throw into a conversation to make a point! 🙂 Even though our communication has changed, ordtak (proverbs, literally ”word-grips”) still exist in many communities, including Norway. I think proverbs are a great window into the original ”mood” or setting of any language, so even…
Happy New Year from the King Posted by Bjørn A. Bojesen on Dec 31, 2016
Unlike jula (Christmas), the Norwegian nyttårsfeiring (New Year Celebration) hasn’t got a lot of tradisjoner (traditioner). People get together, eat, drink (remember to say skål!) and watch fyrverkeri. (Fun fact: In Norway, after some recendt accidents, people aren’t allowed to use their own raketter – rockets – anymore, but many towns have their own official…
Norwegian Christmas TV Posted by Bjørn A. Bojesen on Dec 24, 2016
Norway is a country of many juletradisjoner (Christmas traditions). For decades, TV-titting [TEH VEH teetting] (”the watching of television”) has been an important part of jula (Christmas) for lots of norske familier (Norwegian families). Når hele familien samles (when the whole family is gathered) foran fjernsynet (in front of the television set), accompanied by some…