Visiting Norway for the holidays goes something like this: Picture the fresh scent of peppermint, gingerbread, and festive foods in the air while walking through a Christmas market. Imagine a large tree at a friend's house, decorated just before December 25th with classic adornments while sipping on 'Christmas beer' or spiced red wine. And, finally, a table full of traditional dishes while everyone rejoices with family and friends.
To say it's a special time of the year would be an understatement - it's one of the most special times of the year in Norway, and worth experiencing at least once.
Festivities Begin In November
Those visiting Norway in mid-to-late November will notice that there's a tangible air of lightness and holiday bustle. Specifically, the capital city of Oslo is one of the first to don Christmas and holiday decorations, which is the first sign that the holiday season has begun. Simply just the experience of walking down a snow-covered street lined with holiday lights is worth the visit to Oslo, and Norway, in general. Visitors can expect decorated trees all around the city squares and parks, as well as ongoing Christmas concerts and markets that usually take up entire blocks.
The Advent
As December comes around, those celebrating Christmas begin the Advent. This happens four Sundays before Christmas Day and the tradition is to light candles each week in preparation. The special candelabra that's used has a place for four candles, and one more is lit each week - thus, the first candle is lit on the first Sunday, the first and second are lit on the second Sunday, and so on and so forth. Many of the traditions carried out during the holiday season are a combination of Norse and Christian traditions that have been blended together to create Norway's unique holiday routines.
'Little Christmas Eve' And Christmas Eve
While the Christmas shopping takes place in the month prior to what's known as 'Little Christmas Eve' or Lille Julaften in Norway, this is when all of the Christmas excitement begins. Gifts might be wrapped and decorations might adorn houses and street corners, but inside of everyone's homes, the Christmas tree is the last thing to be decorated. This is strictly a Christmas Eve tradition - or, in this case, a December 23rd tradition.
It's family-centered and usually involves an entire family coming together to clean and organize the house before trimming the tree. The ornaments that are brought out usually include heart-shaped baskets, fun Christmas chains, and ornaments showcasing the Norwegian flag. Additionally, anyone visiting one's home in Norway is likely to find a few gingerbread houses. While these are made initially for show, they are consumed right after Christmas - but not a moment before!
A Sweet Christmas Eve-Eve Treat
Another tradition is to serve risengrynsgrøt on Little Christmas Eve, which is a hot rice pudding. It's flavored with various holiday spices and the tradition is to hide a whole almond in the rice pudding; whoever finds the almond gets a prize! Usually, it's in the form of a marzipan pig, and it's great fun for both kids and adults to enjoy this sweet treat while hoping for an almond in their bowl.
Julaften, AKA Christmas Eve
The festivities ramp up in the day just before Christmas, and it's a time of fancy and flurry in Norway. This is when many families attend church services in the morning and await the Christmas bells that ring out at 5 PM, which signifies that it's time to be home with one's family and friends for Christmas Eve dinner. The time in between is usually spent doing any last-minute shopping or preparing for dinner that night. After 5 PM, it's rare that anyone will be out and about in Norway, as this is also when families and friends gather to open their Christmas gifts. Prior to that, family and friends also gather around the Christmas tree to dance and sing carols. As opposed to the traditions in North America, it's customary for Norwegians to exchange gifts on December 24th rather than December 25th.
The foods one can expect to see at a traditional Christmas dinner in Norway are:
- ribbe (bone-in pork ribs or pork belly)
- lutefisk (cod that has been cured in lye)
- pinnekjøtt (dry-cured lamb ribs)
- juleøl (a malty 'Christmas' beer)
- risengrynsgrøt (hot rice pudding)
- riskrem (cold rice pudding)
- gløgg (spiced red wine)
- pepperkake (similar to gingerbread)
The Days Leading Up To The New Year
The Christmas season doesn't end after December 24th, however. December 25th until December 30th is usually spent getting together with friends who weren't seen on December 24th, and consists of exchanging more gifts, attending holiday events, and generally just being social. This is also the time when people swap out gifts they didn't want or need for other things.