Buy and shoot up your own New Years Fireworks

posted on 29th December 2009 under Habits, Winter

Fireworks play a major role in many Norwegian New Years Eve celebrations and that goes for the rest of Scandinavia as well. It’s common to buy your own and fire them from our yards to ring in the New Year. One reason is that December is too cold to expect people to crowd into the city to wait for the local fireworks, so it is more convenient for each person to hold festivities in their own yard. Since I’ve experienced it my whole life, I would add; it’s much more fun too

We’ve been at our vacation home in Mariestad, Sweden since the second day of Christmas and today we had the yearly firework expedition. Here is a pic from the town square:

_{Mariestad town square today; wintery with lots of snow and -7C (19F)}

One of the kiosks has a huge stand for this special occasion – with all kinds of fireworks in every price range:

The kiosk owner has known us for years, and knows that I want his guidance for this year’s best offer. He has a TV video system to show and demonstrate the effects:

_{Left: TV to demonstrate – Mid right: The owner with the remote control.}

I normally buy a case which is set up to go off automatically in order once the wick is lit. I am most interested in how long the display will last as well how spectacular and colourful it is. I ended up with one called “Bandit” for 400 SEK (75$ or 50€). Btw: The most expensive was more than double that:

_{Left: Kiosk owner – Middle: A Bandit – Right: another bandit}

So now the only thing left is to make a solid launch place in the snow for the case and wait for this years last day at 11:59:59 PM! Before that we’ll have a seafood feast: shrimps, crabs, crayfish and lobster with champagne. Yes we know how to celebrate and welcome the New Year in Scandinavia – its part of the celebration of the return of the sun too you know!
The weather forecast: -10C (14F) and a bit cloudy; It’s going to be spectacular don’t you think I might even shoot a film of it, so stay tuned for an amateur firework’s adventure!
For a sweet look at shopping adventure, hop on over to DianeCA’s tasty post!

I invite you to share you’re New Year tradition in your comments!

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Happy White Christmas from Oslo Norway

posted on 24th December 2009 under Habits, Nature, Tradition, Winter

Dreaming of a White Christmas? In Norway it’s quite normal and lots of glorious white snow arrived last night just in time for Christmas in Oslo. When waking up this morning, the landscape was Christmas card perfect and I knew I had the inspiration for my annual Christmas post with greetings to all my friends in Blogsphere; My gift to you this year is a photo hunt in the neighbourhood with my Nikon compact cam – hope you’ll enjoy the trip:

<sub>Wooden house, gate and roundpole fence; typical Norwegian.

More wooden houses – some more Christmas decorated than the other.</sub>

Walking around, breathing the fresh air after new fallen snow the scenery got me into the Christmas or Yule spirit as we say it in Norway. I got the same good old, childish anticipation: The family gathering, the food and of course the gifts and it’s going to happen tonight – You see in Norway, it all happens on Christmas Eve! So still in the childish mood, but also a bit adult; I was going through the menu for dinner: We’ll have Lute Fisk (made from dried cod prepared with lye) which we bake in the oven before serving. See my post about how we make it and eat it by clicking here!

With that in mind, I shot some more White Christmas pics:

_{Snow Man; another wonderful and exciting memory from my childhood.}

The reason why we have Lutefisk at Christmas Eve, is that we go to my parents house for Yule Brunch or Smorgasbord tomorrow and get all the rest of Norwegian Christmas food: Pork Ribs, meat cakes (or balls), ham, smoked salmon, herrings, roll of lamb, pressed pork and much more. You find it all in my post: Norwegian Christmas Day Smorgasbord.

With that in mind, I shot some more pics:

I met this man who lives at the local retirement home. He was out for a short trip feeding the birds with breadcrumbs and we had a talk. He did this every day we have snow as the birds then have difficulties finding food. I thought it was very sweet of him and asked if I could take a pic – yes of course, he said

Talking about food for the birds at Yuletide: At the entrance way to our house, you’ll see:

_{“Julenek”; Wheat offerings to the birds.}

Julenek is another Old Norwegian Christmas tradition: It begins in late autumn at harvest time. This wheat was attached to poles, making perches for the birds. A large circle of snow is cleared away beneath each perch. This provides a place for the birds to dance, which allows them to work up their appetites between meals. Just before sunset on Christmas Eve, the head of the household checks on the wheat in the yard. If a lot of sparrows are seen dining, it is suppose to indicate a good year for growing crops.

So with this little trip including a bit of our Yule history and traditions, I hope I got you into Christmas mood too. From all of me to all of you;

Merry Christmas or God Jul, as we say it in Norway!

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Oslo Blog Gathering 2010 opens for booking

posted on 23rd December 2009 under OsloBG, Travel Norway

Oslo Blog Gathering gives three days of sightseeing to explore Norway’s history, culture and traditions. Now I’m happy to announce that it’s finally open for booking!

Bloggers from all around the world – including you! – are welcome to meet up and through a compact program get to experience a lot of the attractions presented on this blog over the last four years. Together with visitOslo and numerous locals & Expats I’ve provided for lots of options to visit museums & parks, hiking mountains & woods or mini cruise on Oslo Fjord as well as enjoying the pulsing life of a friendly and compact city. In the evening, you’ll be able to experience the long summer nights when the sun doesn’t set until after 9!

The Program:
18th: Participants arriving from all over the world
19th: 10AM – 1PM – Highlights of Oslo – A compact guided tour
19th: 5PM – Grand opening by The Mayor of Oslo
20th and 21st – Daytime: Free choice of Oslo attractions, some guided by locals
20th and 21st – Evening: Group outdoor activity to enjoying the long summer night
22nd: Participants returning home

Some highlights:
Oslo Pass – Experience Oslo at its best: Included in the Program fee, all participants get the easiest way to experience Oslo and surroundings! The Oslo Pass provides free travel on all public transport, free admission to museums and sights etc.

Grand opening by the Mayor of Oslo: The official opening will take place at Oslo City Hall hosted by Mayor Fabian Stang. The Mayor heads the City Council and is the highest ranking representative of the city. First there will be a 30 min. reception, hosted by the Mayor – refreshments will be served (max participants = 50!) and then a 45 min. guided tour in The City Hall.

Those who want more program details, click to see the Official Program site!

Those who want to book right away, click for the Booking site!

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Winter Solstice and Yuletide in Norway

posted on 21st December 2009 under Habits, Tradition, Winter

Winter Solstice in Norway, on top of the northern hemisphere (the capital; Oslo at 60°N), today’s return of the sun has a significant impact. At this time of year, we have winter and snow with a temperature around – 5C (23F) and the sun is up only 6 hours a day (equally 19 hours at summer solstice). Around 10AM some days ago, I took some pics at the harbour by the City Hall, trying to capture the beauty of the winter sun rise in Oslo:

<sub>Oslo Harbour and Akerhus fortress in the background.

Boats in hibernation at Aker Brygge (Eng.: wharf)</sub>

The time around Winter Solstice, a milestone in our calendar, has been celebrated thousands for thousands of years. Worldwide, interpretation of the event has varied from culture to culture, but most have held recognition of rebirth, involving holidays, festivals, gatherings, rituals or other celebrations.
Originally the name Giuli signified a 60 day tide beginning at the lunar midwinter of the late Scandinavian Norse and Germanic tribes. The arrival of Yuletide thus came to refer to the midwinter celebrations. By the late Viking Age, the Yule celebrations came to specify a great solsticial Midwinter festival that amalgamated the traditions of various celebrations across Europe, like Mitwinternacht, Modrasnach, Midvinterblot, and the Teutonic solstice celebration; Feast of the Dead.
In 960 King Håkon of Norway signed into law that Yule was to be celebrated on the night leading into December 25, to align it with the Christian celebrations. For some Norse sects, Yule logs were lit to honour Thor, the god of thunder. Feasting would continue until the log burned out, three or as many as twelve days.

Since I started this post about Sun Rise (occurred today in Oslo at 09:18), let me end with a picture a while after Sun Set (occurred today at 03:12). It’s from a Yule street at our local town a bit out of Oslo:

This picture (with my Nokia N82) was taken a bit after 5PM. As you can see; there is hope for a White Christmas (snow in the air, not stars!) and it got me into the Christmas or Yuletide spirit – quite a prosperous time of the year, don’t you think?

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Christmas myths like Santa or Yule Nisse from Norway

posted on 16th December 2009 under Culture, Habits, Tradition, Winter

Celebrating Christmas or Yuletide in Scandinavia goes thousands of years back. As the name implies, feasting is a major part of Yuletide traditions and who could blame them to find some lightening as the days became shorter and shorter; December 13 to 24 were days full of traditions that were instituted to insure the “resurrection” of the sun. In Finnish, it is “Joul” while as in Norway, Sweden and Denmark “Jul”. This gives a wide flavours of Christian and pagan histories, traditions and of course folklore. Today I’ll present you to the Yule Nisse or Tomte in Swedish. You may call him Santa Claus, but Nissen has a much longer history. I was at a Christmas market the other day and shoot some pics and hope you’ll get the idea:

History, myth and maybe a bit of facts, says that Yule Nisse is a combination of 4 historical personages:
An Evil Gnome/Ogre:
There is a very old Finnish legend of an evil gnome with god-like powers, named Jouluppukki – originally a really bad guy coming from the north, flying or riding on some beast (possibly a goat or a buck, joulupukki means Yule Buck). He would demand gifts from the people and if these gifts were not satisfactory, Joulupukki would wreak havoc upon the people. There is a similar tradition in Iceland where he was called Jolasveinar.

A Finnish Prince:
There is also a story about a Finnish prince named Lemminkaimen, allegedly the 12th son of Ukko and Akka (the famous grandparents of the Finish race), who was allegedly the sole survivor of the royal family when the so-called Christian Swedes invaded Finland. He was a benevolent prince-king who escaped the Swedes by going to Lapland in northern Finland. He wore red like the modern Santa Claus and rode a goat or buck and got the nickname: Joulupukki.

Thor or Odin:
A man-like god from the Norse mythology, with bright red hair flying through the air in his chariot being drawn by two goats. That would be Thor, a benevolent god who would bestow gifts to humans in return for porridge, especially around winter solstice. He may have worn red, as red is said to be “his” colour, and he is also known as the Yule Elf.
Odin was sometimes recorded, at the native Germanic holiday of Yule, as leading a great hunting party through the sky – riding an eight-legged horse named Sleipnir that could leap great distances, giving rise to comparisons to Santa Claus’s reindeer.

A Catholic Bishop:
There allegedly was a Catholic Bishop named Nicholas, who was stationed in Myra, in present-day Turkey, who was said to have been extremely benevolent to children. After his death he was beatified by the pope and he became the patron saint of children. December 6th is St. Nicholas Day in many countries, including Belgium, Netherlands, & Poland.

Since I grew up in a village or at the countryside (and remember about 50 years back ), I so much remember another little fellow: The Fjøsnisse or barn gnome:

The Nisse shares many aspects with other Scandinavian wrights such as the Swedish “vättar” (from the Old Norse “landvættir”) or the Norwegian “tusser”. These beings are social, whereas the Nisse is always solitary. Some synonyms of Nisse include “gårdbo” (farm or yard-dweller), “god bonde” (good farmer) or Fjøsnisse (barn gnome). In other European folklore, there are many beings similar to the Nisse, such as the Scots Brownie, English Hob, the German Heinzelmännchen or the Russian Domovoi.

I remember – even if I didn’t grow up on a farm – that we always set out porridge to The Nisse at Christmas Eve (see the porridge bowl at the second picture in front of the cat and the Nisse!). We never actually saw the Nisse, but we saw foot prints in the snow and of course the bowl was empty the day after While writing this, I get the Yule spirit and feel the anticipation for this feast season. This mixed feeling of fare and care for the Nisse and all other myths and traditions connected with the darkest time of the year makes me feel childish – even more, the older I get I think!

So how about you; any myth, traditions or special history connected with this Yuletide and Santa from your childhood?

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