Christmas traditions in Norway

As Halloween and Thanksgiving come to a close, Christians around the world prepare for Christmas. And the folks in Norway are no different. So if you’re lucky enough to spend Christmas the Norwegian way, here’s what you can look forward to!Christmas Events – As the snow begins to descend in Norway, Christmas celebrations begin. Most of Europe and Norwegian towns and cities have pre Christmas events starting from mid-November. Christmas fairs and markets, seasonal concerts, performances and festive get-togethers bring in the Christmas spirit.

Make sure you walk through the holiday markets in Oslo and take a trip to Bergen, which is famous for its Gingerbread Town. Roros, a quaint wooden town is a magical place to visit during the Christmas month. It is also said that Tromso is one of the best places in the world to celebrate Christmas, as one gets the opportunity to witness the Northern lights!

City Lights – Every year, at the end of November, many cities have a “Lighting of the city” ceremony. This is marked with a parade and a distinguished person in the city pulling on a big switch to light up the city streets at once.

Advent – The four Sundays leading to Christmas are known as the four Sundays of Advent (preparation). A Candlebra with four candles is placed on the Church altar and one is lit every Sunday. For example, one candle on the first Sunday, two on the second and so on. This is observed in most countries, including India.

Lighting of the Christmas Tree – In each city, a huge tree stands in the centre and is usually decorated on the first Sunday of Advent. Once the tree is decorated, people stand in a circle around it, holding hands and singing Christmas carols.St. Lucia Day – St. Lucia Day on 13^th December is considered as the first day of Christmas in Sweden, Denmark and Norway. This also happens to be the day of the winter solstice – the shortest day of the year. The day is marked especially in kindergarten and schools wherein a chosen girl, wearing a wreath of fairy lights on her head, leads a procession through the school, handing out treats.

Related stories

Jade D’Sa

Food & Travel blogger

• 
  Grab a beer in beer nation
• 
  10 things to eat in Portugal
• 
  The spirit of Nagaland

Little Christmas Eve – Celebrated on 23^rd December, this is the day when the trees are decorated inside every home with family.

Christmas Eve – In Norway, the 24^th the church bells ring at 4 pm, signifying the beginning of Christmas. Dinner consisting of pork or lamb with close friends and relatives between 5-8 pm. Walking around the Christmas Tree in the centre of town after dinner is an old tradition in Norway and is still followed by most families. Later that night, Norwegians commemorate Christmas by attending a service in one of the churches in one of the many churches around the country.

Christmas Day – A large Christmas breakfast buffet is common on Dec 25^th. The rest of the day is spent gathering with family and friends for coffee, cake, cookies and meals. Friends and family come together once again for a lavish Christmas dinner. Following this day are the 12 days of Christmas or “juletid.”