Drinking Laws and History

Some of the laws Norway has for drinking are amusing. One such law is that people are permitted to buy a whole crate of beer but not one single bottle. Sometimes, a native is refused a drink at a bar while his friend from a neighboring town can drink as much as he wants. This is due to a tradition of fighting the evils of alcoholism that Asbjorn Kloster, a prohibition pioneer, brought about a century ago.

There are many strong traditions in Norway when it comes to drinking. Olav Tryggvason, a hero from Viking times, would get people drunk so he could burn their houses down without a fight if they refused to become Christians. The Vikings would often travel great distances just to get wine.

Distilling was first introduced by Archhishop Olav Engelbrektsson in Trodheim in 1530. Distilling apparatus soon became as common in households as pots and pans.

In the 16th century, it became forbidden to serve hard liquor on Sundays and holidays, which is still in effect today. Hard liquor was still made, first from grain, then from potatoes in the 18th century. Around this time, distilling also became illegal, but this law was repealed in 1816. Home distilling was ceased in 1848 when a law on the manufacture and processing of hard liquor was put into effect, but industrial distilling was still legal. Distilleries fell from 10,000 in 1848 to 40 in 1868. By 1851, consumption of hard liquor dropped from 32 pints per citizen to 12. Prohibition in Norway was put into effect from 1916 to 1927.

http://www.allscandinavia.com

Food For Visitors

Oftentimes, when a person is invited to a Norwegian home for a meal, it is for a kaffe, not dinner, as a kaffe is suitable for any time of the day. Norwegians are very generous and hospitable, and there’s always a lot to choose from, and one is often encouraged to take more. If it happens to be someone’s birthday, the kakebord (cake table) is covered with baked goods, such as sweet rolls, bread, cakes, and fruit.

In the country-side, these traditions are even stronger. Even if one just drops in unexpected, the woman of the household will go out of her way to put together a large variety of foods. If the season is right, there may be fruit pies, and a common treat is strawberries with milk and sugar.
During the winter, rømmegrøt (porridge made of sour cream) and fenalår (smoked mutton thigh) are common treats, often served with flatbrød (light, flaky bread).

Sweeter snacks include lefse (flat bread spread with a sugar and butter mixture) and svele, a thick pancake version of lefse.

http://www.cyberclip.com

Christmas and Santa Claus

In ancient times, Norway celebrated Christmas in mid-winter in a festival of lights marking the transition of the dark winter to spring and summer. It was a time to celebrate the harvest, fertility, birth, and death. In the 900s, King Haakon I decided the holiday be moved to December 25 in honor of Jesus Christ.

In the past, barn doors were marked with a cross to keep evil spirits away. The cross was also used as a decoration on bread, a pattern in the butter, or on the ceiling above the table. The meal consisted of the finest food the family could offer, and everyone ate together- the family, the servants, and their guests. The food was left out overnight in case spirits happened to visit.

Advent is the preparation for Christ’s Nativity and marks the beginning of the church year. It takes place during the four Sundays before Christmas Day. This is a time for fasting.

Santa Claus in Norway is called Julenisse. He wears the traditional red stocking cap and long white beard. He also wears knee breeches, hand-knitted stocking, a Norwegian sweater, and a handmade sweater. He wears a fur coat over everything. He is usually jolly and happy, but he can be stern. According to old superstition, he was the original settler of the land. He kept the farm in good condition as long as he got his Christmas porridge or Christmas beer and lefse on Christmas Eve. Many farms would make up a bed and set a place at the head of the table for him. He comes to the house with a sack of presents on Christmas Eve, and a bowl of porridge is left in the barn for him and is always gone in the morning.

http://www.californiamall.com

Wedding Traditions

Norwegian grooms typically wears a hand-made suit made of wool called a bundas. This suit consists of a white silk shirt, a vest and topcoat, short pants, and stockings that go up to the calf. There are many colorful designs covering the bundas, each design unique to the place the groom was born or where his relatives are from. It is believed that the bundas makes the groom look like a Norwegian prince. Also wearing a bundas is the groomsmen and best man. The bundas come in many colors to make for a colorful event.

The bride wears a white or silver gown with a silver or silver and gold crown. Bangles in the shape of spoons dangle from the crown and makes a tinkling noise when the bride moves her head. It is believed that this sound wards off evil spirits, and during the reception the bride dances and the tinkling of her crown will scare off any evil spirits that try to inhabit her. Additionally, the bridesmaids wear dresses similar to the bride’s, further confusing the evil spirits.

Similar to US weddings, the bride and groom exchange rings and kiss to make their unity official. They believe that the round ring represents never-ending love and the kiss represents the exchange of a portion of each other’s souls.
Music is a very important part of a Norwegian wedding. The traditional song is "Come to the Wedding," and accordion music is played as the bride and groom exit the church.

After the wedding is a large reception. There are a lot of speeches in which the family and friends of the couple wish them luck and happiness. At the reception, one of two cakes are typical- the blokaker cake, which is a layer cake, or a brudlaupskling wedding cake, which is a flour cake covered with a mixture of cheese, cream, and syrup.

Finally, after the wedding, two small fir trees are planted on either side of the door of the couple’s home as a symbol of children to come.

http://www.worldweddingtraditions.com

School Life

School life is very different in Norway than here in the US. First off, they go to kindergarten before age 6 and have no classes, they just play all day, then they go to elementary school for grades 1-7, then to a junior high school from 8-10 grade. After that they go to high school for grades 11-13.

High school is very different for them than us. When they go to high school, they must think about what they want to do for the rest of their lives. High school for them is kind of like college for us. There are separate high schools for people who want to be a cook, a secretary, a teacher, etc. There is an entirely different high school for careers that require more education, like that of a doctor or a lawyer. This is also where people who are undecided in what they want to do, where they can take more in depth generals.

All classes are divided into sections: A, B, and C, and depending on the number of people, sometimes D and E. This is just a random classification to keep class sizes down.
In Norway, there are no school colors or sports. They don’t have yearbooks like we do, they are just books with pictures of each class, no extra things or candids like what we have in the US.

The teachers don’t really show an interest in the students. In the US, we often form something of a bond with some teachers, talking to them about random things and teasing each other. In Norway, the teachers don’t do this. They don’t even do anything if people use their phones during class. Students often text throughout class in plain view of the teacher, and some even take or make phone calls when they’re supposed to be working on work.

One last thing that’s different is lunch. In Norway, they don’t actually serve the students lunch. They can buy things from the cafeteria, so most students bring their own lunch or bought food from the mall near the school.

~My source is my Norwegian friend Becca

Religion

In the United States, religion is a big thing. We are a really religious country, in general. Of course, there are a lot of people who aren’t religious or don’t believe in God, but a majority of the country is involved in some kind of religion. No matter where you go, you can usually find a church within five miles, and oftentimes you can find numerous churches.

Norway, however, is more of an atheist country. They do have people that practice religion, of course. Some religions practiced are Catholicism, Christianity, and others like we have here in the US, along with Islam, practiced by Muslim immigrants, and there are other religions there that don’t translate in the English language. Also, in Norway, they don’t say anything like the Pledge of Allegiance. In fact, when my friend Becca was here as a foreign exchange student, she at first felt like the Pledge was a sort of cult thing! So in Norway, the majority of the country is atheist, and very few people actually do believe.

~My source is my Norwegian friend, Rebecca

Dating

The culture I am interested in researching is the Norwegian culture. I have a friend from Norway, and I’ve asked her questions about how it’s different from American ways, and I am fascinated by some things. Since she went to school here for a year, she has experienced both Norwegian and American ways of life.

Just recently, I was talking to her about how relationships are different in Norway than in the United States. She was telling me about this guy she really liked. One night they spent a lot of time talking and they kissed. I asked her if she was dating him, and she told me, "Kind of, but not really." I didn’t understand what she meant so she elaborated.

Apparently, in Norway, when you find a person you like, you usually don’t start dating right away. You casually date several people until you figure out which one you like most. Sure, we do that in America, but most people don’t like that way of doing it and commit to a relationship when they like someone. According to my friend, that’s very rare in Norway. She said it’s kind of like a test that they have to pass in order to become exclusive with the person they like. Once they begin dating officially, that’s when they commit themselves to each other.

I just found it interesting how much laid back Norwegians are when it comes to dating. It’s just a small fact, but I wanted to share it.

~My source is my Norwegian friend, Rebecca