Tag Archives: Christmas
Christmas in Norway Posted by Bjørn A. Bojesen on Dec 24, 2021
Hurra, det er jul! (Hooray, it’s Christmas!) For billions of people, that means glede (joy) and spending time with familien (the family). But what is special about the høytid (feast, literally ’high time’) in Norway? Jul [yool] is a very old tradition in Norge – in fact, even the Vikings had a party this time…
Two Ways of Giving Posted by Bjørn A. Bojesen on Dec 17, 2020
Jula er ei tid for gaver og kos. (Christmas is a time for gifts and cosiness!) Have you bought all your presents yet? While many of us are still pondering to whom to give what, let’s look at the Norwegian grammar of giving. The Norwegian verb å gi [aw yee] is historically related to the…
Christmas Countdown Posted by Bjørn A. Bojesen on Nov 30, 2019
Julemåneden er nesten her. (The Xmas month [= December] is almost here.) Like many Norwegian shops, your blogger kan ikke vente med å pynte til jul (can’t wait decorating for Christmas). Here’s a typical November pre-launch of a julekalender (Xmas calender) with 24 sweets, one for each day until julaften. But don’t click the first…
Christmassy Christmas in Norway Posted by Bjørn A. Bojesen on Dec 24, 2018
Nå er det jul igjen, og nå er det jul igjen, og jula varer helt til påske! (Now it’s Xmas again, and now it’s Xmas again, and the Xmas lasts until Easter.) This verse from a popular julesang (Christmas song) shows just how much Norwegians love jula [yoola] – Easter doesn’t even come close! This…
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…
Sing along, it’s jul! Posted by Bjørn A. Bojesen on Dec 24, 2015
When learning languages, it’s a really good idea to SING! If the melody is really nice, the words will just etch themselves into your brain! 🙂 Forget about rules of grammar, forget about rules of pronunciation, just take it easy and sing along! Here are two norske julesanger (Norwegian Christmas songs or carols) for you…
Christmas Preparations in Norway Posted by Bjørn A. Bojesen on Dec 18, 2015
Førjulstida er travel! (The time before Christmas is busy!) In Norway, most people have lots of forberedelser (preparations) to make before jul (Christmas). All of a sudden, it’s 24. desember and julaften (Christmas Eve) is there! Har du kjøpt gavene dine alt? (Have you bought your presents already?) Traditionally, a Norwegian housewife had to bake…