Norwegian Holidays

Syttende Mai (Seventeenth of May)

In 1814, the Kingdom of Norway broke away from Denmark after 400 years of being under Danish control. On May 17 of this year, a constitution was established by the Kingdom of Norway at the Constituent Assembly at Eidsvold, and, although a Norway was part of a kingdom with Sweden until 1905, Norway has chosen the Seventeenth of May (Syttende Mai) as its day of liberation and celebration.

This day is celebrated in Norway with parades of dressed-up children and adults carrying flags and singing. Some predominantly Norwegian cities in America also choose to celebrate Syttende Mai, including Spring Grove and Hanska, Minnesota. Folk dancing and music, ethnic clothing, and arts and crafts are often apart of these American celebrations.

St. Hans Aften (St. John's Eve)

St. Hans Aften is celebrated in Norway every June on the longest day of the year. On this day, barbeques are held featuring games and lotteries. Bonfires are also a main part of the observance. These fires date back to pagan days, and some superstitions surrounding them state that the bonfires will protect people from evil spirits and witches.

Christmas (Jul)

In many Norwegian homes, the observance of Christmas begins on the evening of December 23. This day, called "Lille Julaften" or Little Christmas Eve, is when most families decorate their Christmas trees and homes. It is traditional to decorate these trees with handmade Christmas baskets. These baskets are made out of red and green paper that is weaved together and then filled with fruits, candy, and nuts.

The next day is Christmas Eve, and the children of Norway often get up early and wait for the special Christmas programs to start on their televisions. Some people also go to church around 3 or 4 o'clock, and others visit the graves of friends and family. Also on this day, some families leave a bowl of porridge in their barns for the nisse, or gnome, who lives in and protects the barn and animals.

A special Christmas meal is then served towards evening, and what is served at the meal varies depending up which part of Norway a family is from. Eastern Norwegians eat lye fish, or lutfisk, while western Norwegians enjoy steamed lamb ribs called Pinnekjøtt. After the meal, it is time to open gifts. Sometimes Julenisse (Santa Claus) even comes to the home to distribute the gifts himself.

On Christmas Day, family Christmas parties are often held and some people attend church services. The next day there are more parties, but these are mostly parties with friends.

Norwegian flag courtesy of Absolute Web Graphics Archive.

Image of Christmas basket courtesy of The Mathiesen Family Homepage Christmas Pages.