Norwegians finally consider mausoleums

Population growth and a looming shortage of cemetery space have left Norwegians finally considering a funeral and burial option that’s widespread in many other parts of the world: Mausoleums to house the urns containing ashes of the deceased. They’ve been common in Europe, Asia and the US for years, but Norwegian traditions and even the [...]

Easter exodus underway

Norwegian cities started to empty out on Friday, as residents headed into the Easter week and its unusually long string of official days off. Spring skiing in the mountains is the traditional way of spending the Easter holidays, and the royal family is among those moving up to higher elevations. Next Thursday, Friday and Monday [...]

Traditions warm chilly holidays

Norwegians were set to celebrate their coldest Christmas holidays in years over the weekend, ironic given all the concerns about global warming of late. It’s as if the Norwegian julenisse (the local equivalent of Santa Claus) wants to help his believers cling to hope and holiday traditions, which take on ritualistic proportions at this time of [...]

No turkey, but reason for thanks

COMMENTARY Thursday was Thanksgiving, a major holiday in the US that leaves lots of expatriate Americans homesick and longing for turkey and guilt-free conversation in English. In Norway, the fourth Thursday in November is no holiday, but as this expat has discovered over the years, other things can fill the void. I took the day [...]

Bergen tries to forgive holiday vandal

A 20-year-old Bergen man has admitted to being the vandal who destroyed a vast collection of gingerbread houses assembled by thousands of children last weekend. Now his fellow Bergenese are debating what kind of punishment he should receive, while officials suggest they’re ready to forgive and forget. The young vandal claims he was simply drunk. [...]

Bergen rebuilds its 'Gingerbread City'

Hundreds of new gingerbread houses are already streaming into a pavilion in downtown Bergen, where citizens aim to build an even bigger Pepperkakeby (Gingerbread City) than the one razed by vandals during the weekend. Police arrested two suspects, aged 21 and 26, Monday evening but released them during the night.Police were reluctant to reveal much [...]

Reward offered for gingerbread vandals

A former mayor of Bergen is among those offering NOK 100,000 for the arrest and conviction of those responsible for demolishing what was supposed to be the world’s largest Pepperkakeby (Gingerbread City). Thousands of children had spent all day building it in downtown Bergen on Saturday, only to see it smashed by vandals during the [...]

Tougher times hurt 'julebord' season

The traditional Norwegian julebord , a lavish pre-Christmas party often hosted by companies for their employees, seems to be dying out this year. Layoffs and tight budgets are putting a damper on holiday cheer, with several companies cancelling their parties altogether. ICA, the large grocery store chain, announced late last week that it was cancelling [...]

Rain delays arrival of fresh lamb

There’s been an unusual shortage of fresh lamb in Norwegian grocery stories lately. Meat producers blame a wet and muddy summer. Meanwhile, better weather was in store for the weekend. As soon as the temperature starts falling in September, most Norwegians start yearning for what’s popularly known as the country’s national dish, fårikål : Lamb [...]

Sun shines brightly on patriotic 17th of May celebrations

Norway’s Constitution Day celebrations on the 17th of May basked under brilliant sunshine and perfect temperatures around most of the country on Sunday. The mood was especially festive after Norway won the Eurovision Song Contest the night before, and the winning song could still be heard on the streets along with the national anthem. The [...]