Easter utensils…

Do you celebrate påske (”PAWskeh”, Easter) in your country? A lot of people around the world look forward to påsken (or påska) – even if they’re not Christian. They enjoy decorating their homes with påskekyllinger (Easter chickens) and eating delicious påskeegg (Easter eggs) of chocolate. These things are the same in Norway. But most other things about this høytid (festival, litterally ”high-time”) are different.

Having spent my påskeferie (Easter holiday) in Norway this year, I’ll tell you what makes Norwegian Easter so exotic:

• påska er større enn jula (Easter is bigger than Christmas). For surprisingly many Norwegians, Easter is a more important holiday than Christmas.
• påskefjellet (”the Easter mountain”). Up, up, up the slope! Norwegians love spending their Easter holiday skiing in the mountains. At this time of the year, there’s usually still a lot of snow in the highlands, while the sun is so hot that you don’t need a lot of clothes. But remember your solkrem (sun lotion) and solbriller (sun glasses), or you might get snøblind (snow blind).
• påskekrim (Easter crime stories). Many families spend their Easter in mountain hytter (huts) – in order to be as close to the snow as possible. A favourite pastime is the påskekrim. For some reason, Norwegians love to read books or watch tv-series about mord (murders) and detektiver (detectives) in Easter. There’s even a påskekrim cartoon on the milk carton!
• Kvikk Lunsj og appelsiner (Kvikk Lunsj and oranges). Remember to keep a sitteunderlag (sitting mat) and a few supplies in your ryggsekk (rucksack). When taking a break from your ski [shea], the archetypal snacks are Kvikk Lunsj (a kind of chocolate bar with a biscuit core) and oranges. A warm cup of kakao (hot chocolate) might also come handy. God påske! (Happy Easter!)

Påskefjellet