The Norwegians take Christmas and New Years very seriously. There are many traditions associated with Christmas. In Oslo there is a lot of Christmas spirit particularly downtown. On the first Sunday in December a large event is planned for the lighting of the Christmas tree. There are children's choirs, speeches, and singing. It is a very good start to the Christmas season. As well as the tree lighting there is a little carnival type street there for the month of December, there is lots of vendors selling candy apples and candied almonds as well as jewelry, and clothing. There is also a skating rink set up right in the middle of the street. It is an experience to go there in and of itself.
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| Downtown Oslo's pretty lights |
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| Carnival street |
The actual event of Christmas lasts, what feels like weeks. ALL the shops are closed for two days. Good luck finding something you forgot! Christmas starts on Christmas Eve. It begin at lunch time with a rice porridge that has a peeled almond in one bowl, whoever finds the almond, usually gets a marsipan pig (don't ask why it's a pig I don't know and neither do any of the Norwegians I have asked). Then it's usually relax time until about 5 0'clock when a lot of people go to church, if you're not going to church you're probably watching the live broadcast of the well known boy choir. After church you eat Christmas dinner which is some traditional Norwegian meat most people have either stick meat (direct translation no idea what it's English name is) which is meat that has been boiled on top of sticks, or ribs. After dinner it's time to open presents. After presents have been opened and oohed and awed over, there is a wonderful dessert table with a lot of cookies and candy. The cookies have been homemade by the children of the house and the diligent hands that have made them usually have usually spent a couple days spent on making them.
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| A "Ring cake" is usually found at one of these tables |
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| Christmas porridge |
Christmas day is usually a chill day and is often used to go to the movies or play in the snow. The 26th of December is also considered a holiday so the stores don't open back up until the 27th.
New Years eve is an experience one has to experience for yourself all throughout the evening there are fireworks going off that people have bought to set off themselves. Then at midnight most of the houses around you set off fireworks. There are fireworks all around you 360 degrees, it is quite an experience and very different from the way I am used to celebrating New Years Eve.
Norwegians really do know how to party!
This is Miriam signing off!
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