4. juli i Norge Posted by kari on Jul 9, 2009
My friend, Espen, enthusiastically waving the American flag. 4th of July in Norway. On July 4th, 1534, Christian III was elected King of Denmark and Norway. However, there is an annual July 4th celebration in Oslo, Norway for a different reason-American Independence Day. In fact, there is a Lincoln Monument in Vigelandsparken (refer to an earlier post I wrote…
Water Posted by kari on Jul 6, 2009
Vann. It covers the majority of the earth’s surface and is essential for all life forms. Norway is home to many bodies of water, including streams, rivers, ponds, lakes, fjords, seas, oceans, harbours, etc. As I mentioned in the last post about nude beaches in Norway, even if public nudity were not accepted as much as it is…
Nudism in Norway Posted by kari on Jul 2, 2009
This is not a nude beach, but was one of the only pictures I have of a beach in Norway. What motivated me to write a post about nudism in Norway? I was flipping through my pictures from my time living in Oslo and I came across a few pictures I took at a beach near…
Sami music Posted by kari on Jun 30, 2009
Traditional Sami music revolves around singing rather than instruments. In fact, you probably will not find any purely instrumental pieces in true Sami music. It is the voice that is the most important. Although the joik (yoik) originally referred to several types of traditional Sami singing, today it refers to all types Sami singing. The sound of…
Sami Posted by kari on Jun 27, 2009
This is a picture of a Sami couple in traditional costume in Oslo on Syttende Mai in 2006. Upon first glance, this word looks like it could be Japanese, but it is not. The Sami people are the indigenous people that inhabit parts of northern Norway, Sweden, Finland, and Russia. They are among the largest…
Midnattsol Posted by kari on Jun 24, 2009
Norway-land of the midnight sun. Midnattsol is one of those words that is really two words smushed together that is pretty easy to figure out if you know what sol means from another romance language and if you can figure that midnatt means midnight… I have only experienced the midnattsol in one place-Norway. Anywhere north…
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…