I never heard about anybody that goes out to eat on Christmas Eve. Most people stay at home or at a familymember. We open presents after dinner on Christmas Eve .
----- @jacquelinebl6 ----- - Most if not all of what she talked about boils down to what she experienced herself... Other people might experience things differently, hence the reason as to why she added, "Please correct me if I got some of these things wrong!". Which again might not be wrong per se, but rather differ depending on where you are in Norway and the generational shift when it comes to traditions. Most of what she said I personally can relate to, and some of the things she said I've heard about. -----
@@Haraldhekk99.9% of Norwegians born and raised with 2 Norwegian (or Scandinavian) parents unwrap most of their Christmas presents on Christmas Eve. Only those with divorced parents, who can't even cooperate for Christmas, have to open some later.
@@AudunWangen We were sooo stuffed after the super delicious Jæren ribbe I made this year. Consequently, most of us (young) fell in coma after dinner and hoped we could open presents after the rice cream dessert. But not old mom! It became a catastrophe when we had to eat that dessert with bloated stomachs ... while the kids couldn't wait for the presents.
I have a tip for you Tyler. Don't let anyone who isn't Norwegian tell you about Norwegian traditions, you'll just become more stupid. This girl who told you about the Norwegian traditions about christmas , had so many factual errors that it was scary 😊 The biggest mistake was when she told about Santa Claus. We have Santa Claus, he is the one most children sit and wait for to come and give them presents on Christmas Eve, but we don't say Santa Claus but use the Norwegian word "Julenissen" "Julenissen" that she told you about is "Fjøsnissen" which you correctly mentioned that you had heard about last year. It is a small "nisse" that should not be confused with "Julenissen" - Santa Claus
I would say "Nisser" and "Fjøsnissen" is a bigger tradition in Norway tho. Thats why when looking at old Christmas cards and decorations, you'll see a lot of these small cute and/or mischievous "gnomes". Its norse/nordic folklore. The word "nisse" comes from the name Nils, which is a nordic version of Nikolaus. We also have a "Julegeit" (Christmasgoat). But we also have Julenissen, who is not as fancy dressed like Santa/Nikolaus from other countries like US etc etc, but a tall skinny "man" with a friendly face and long white beard. Source: snl.no/julenissen snl.no/nisse snl.no/Julegeita (I do not know if these translate well into english, so sorry in advance).
Well, this is really nothing but a modern myth. I don’t know about any traditions from the pre-Christian Nordic Jul that we still keep with us (which was not celebrated on December 24 or 25th); all of the ones we have now have Christian roots from the early church, Medieval times, or from the 1500s and onwards from European development of the festivities. Even the term jul is perhaps derived from the Greek biblical term of Jubilee, although there is not really a scholarly consensus on this last one.
@@veridicusmind3722 Maybe you who know everything should take your knowledge and share it with those who think they know something? The so-called linguists etc. don't know anything🤔. "No etymological explanation has been found for what the word means, but the oldest form of the word is ylir which is a plural word, or dual form in Old Norse."
For example leaving porridge outside for santa is a norwegian tradition with roots in Yule when they would leave offerings of food outside their houses for the spirits before the Wild Hunt on the 24th. Also a lot of the "later" beliefs/religions in norway up until christianity took over was heavily influenced by pagan beliefs and traditions itself - Like different branches or offsprings of paganism and these have been mixed with european xmas traditions. Julebukk is another example of this
@ Ah, classic internet polemics. Let’s address this in two points. 1. I never claimed that I know everything. You won’t have to know everything to access readily available academic literature or bother to trace your sources. 2. I wasn’t claiming to know better than linguists, I was basing my claim on linguistic studies, particularly Landau’s (2006) analysis of the earliest reference to Yule (in the 500s), which is not the Nordic term ýlir, but the gothic term jiuleis. And this is from a Christian Saints’ calendar, not a pagan one. Ýlir is the Nordic term for a season, not a celebration.
@ I have seen these claims, but can’t find any sources actually tracing them back to pagan pre-Christians festivals. From my understanding, none of these traditions popped up until the 17th century in a Christian context. If you can give me some sources that would be nice.
Fjøsnisse and julenisse are two very different things. This lady seams fairly new to Norwegian customs... They took the old traditions with Fjøsnisse, the little elf/nome type of guy who looks after your farm and it was somewhat fushioned with international Saint Nicolas/santa legend. And if became the "julenisse" the nisse of Christmas! 🎅 That's the spesific nisse who gives you your presents. He stops by on Christmas eve and gives you a gift, usually someone in your family dressing up. Gingerbread is not usual on Christmas trees. Tinsel is. I wrote a good booklet about Norwegian Christmas. I will send it to you if it's intersting. I would watch another video to learn about Norwegian Christmas.... 😂
Dont learn from someone who doesn’t know what she is talking about 😂😅 Here is the truth: We invite family over 24th Christmas eve, have fancy dinner and dessert, then open presents. 25th you visit the grandparents: maybe mothers parents on the 25th and fathers parents on the 26th and both days you get good food, cookies and cake etc. Christmas for Norway is food 3 days in a row. Then a break and another big meal for new year feast dinner usually turkey, then you hang out and wait for new year 00:00 so you can fire up fireworks. Usually all these things have in common formal wear, dinner then dessert then cookies and coffee.
Many Norwegians decorate in early December or whenever they want to, but decorating on the 23rd of December is an old tradition. In the early 80`s when I was a kid, the tree was decorated after the kids had gone to bed so when we got up in the morning on the 24th we were surprised with the tree with the presents underneath. And also we got a small present from a huge knitted sock to keep us busy the most of the day. The big gift-opening event is after dinner in the evening. PS, we also have a Christmas beer calendar for grown kids.. with a case of beers. 24 different beers...
She's got the Santa thing a little confused. The Nisser that she is referring to (the small ones) are part of our folklore. They live in barns and help out farmers if they are treated well. But yes they are revered and often given treats around Christmas time. If you treat them well they help you keep the farm well maintained is part of the folklore. We do have Santa Claus = Julenissen vs Nisse which are the small ones ;) . So we have Nisse the whole year, but Julenissen is the same as your Santa Claus
I am a Norwegian/American and have lived in both countries since 1951. Moved back and forth 4 times. Have lived in Norway since 1985. When I lived in Norway in the 60’s the family would gather at my grandparent’s apartment on the 24th. While most of the family was in the living room some of the adults would be in the dining room decorating the Christmas tree behind closed doors. When the tree was ready the double doors would open to reveal the fully decorated tree with live candles as the Christmas tree lights. We ooed and awed at the tree then the whole family would join hand around the tree and sing Christmas songs. Then came dinner and after dinner opening the presents.
Speaking as someone who actually is Norwegian, we do have «Santa» the Norwegian word is «Julenissen» and the small «Santa’s» are called «nisser». They are not the same thing.
The big Christmas celebration day is Christmas Eve here in Norway and that's when we eat the big Christmas dinner and open presents. So we already celebrated the big Christmas day last night. I haven't heard of anyone going out to restaurants and eating on Christmas Eve either, most things are closed then, as far as I've heard. I have no idea where she got that from. The other days, 25th and 26th are holidays, where you can relax at home with your family, watch movies or visit other extended family members. I've never heard of Norwegians celebrating Christmas and opening presents on 25the here in Norway Eve. But we know that both the English and Americans do that. The whole society and TV are geared towards Christmas Eve being the big Christmas day and that's the tradition. We decorate with other things much earlier for Christmas at home too. It's only the Christmas tree itself that is decorated on "lille julaften", Little Christmas Eve, the day before Christmas Eve. We already hang the Christmas star in the window, put up Christmas candlesticks in the windows and many hang lights out in the garden, on trees and bushes or on the house already at the beginning of December. Otherwise, the home inside is often decorated with many other Christmas decorations during December, such as Santa Claus/julenisses and other Christmas decorations. But then on Christmas Eve, it is first customary to decorate the Christmas tree itself. Regarding Christmas food, it depends a bit on where in the country you live. Those who live in the east usually eat ribs. In the west, where I live, we prefer to eat "pinnekjøtt", with potatoes and kohlrabi stew. In northern Norway, it is more common to have lutefisk. But it varies a bit, especially if someone in the family comes from a different part of the country than where they live, then it may be that they have the tradition with them and eat what they are used to. In some families, there can even be a big discussion, if they come from two different parts of the country, about which dinner to have on Christmas Eve. Both want to have what they are used to. I have even heard of people who cook both, to satisfy both. But that is not common. What is common here in western Norway is that we have pinnekjøtt on Christmas Eve, which is the big Christmas day, and ribs on one of the other Christmas days. I am not used to fish or lutefisk at all, but I know that many people eat it in other places. Maybe here too, I don't know, but I don't know anyone eating it here. And Santa Claus, there are both. He is always called Julenisse or just Nissen, but we can also have Santa Claus with a red Santa Claus hat, long white beard and red clothes like in America. We have both. I think the elf variation is more from the time before Christianity took over Jule-celebrations. Because before Christianity came, people also celebrated Jul here. That is why we still keep the name Jul and have not replaced it with Chiristams. The Vikings celebrated Jul before Christianity came here. They called it Julegilde and drank a lot of beer and celebrated that the sun turned. On Christmas Eve, Santa Claus comes knocking and asks if there are any good children here and hands out packages to the children. Then Santa Claus can be either in red clothes, a red Santa hat and a white beard like in America or more like the old Elf-julenisse. The little children are really excited about this. Of course, it is someone in the family who have dressed up as Santa Claus and who then come and hand out the packages to the children, disguised. And one more thing about Christmas tree decorations in Norway, we usually hang the Norwegian flag on the Christmas tree when we decorate it too. Otherwise, it was very common to walk around the Christmas tree and sing Christmas songs. When I was growing up, we always did that, but I don't know, I haven't seen much of this in recent years. Maybe it's a tradition that is becoming more and more rare. But some people still do it. Still God Jul :-) 🎅🧙♂🌲☀
I think walking around the Christmas tree and singing Christmas carols really depends on how big your living room is. Here at our place, there is hardly any room for a proper tree, and no room at all to drag it out on the floor and dance around it.
Some bars may stay open on Christmas Eve and do a special Christmas bar with some food. But they do it for people who have nowhere to go on Chitsmas Eve, to help those who are alone and for others too if they want to. It is open to everyone. But it is not every year, it depends on the bar owner and their goodwill whether they want to do it or not. It is almost more to be considered as part volunteer work.
In Norway we have both kind of Santa. The smaller one is the traditional one. The fat jolly Santa is integrated and is more modern. I personally grew up with both kind and i am over 30 years now, so it's been around for some time now. Edit: went and looked it up, the Santa as you know it came to Norway in the 1800 while the small one has been around since the 300.
Might be Julenissen in Norway emerged from Saint Nicolas which again emerged from Dutch immigrants that brought Sinterklaas to America. So the Nissen we now adore is more like a Coca Cola Nisse ...
Julenissen usually looks like Santa Claus here in Norway. The nisse she is talking about usually lived in the barn or outbuildings of a farm (fjøsnisse). We often mix both of these characters in our christmas decorations.
i can tell you a little about my crismas. it starts in the beinning of desember in the start of advent. when the kids in the kindergarden learn and understand a littlebit more about cristmascelebration. i do this also for my own enjoyment ,but the kids also love it. i drive a garbagetruck and i put on the nisselue (hat) before arrival to the kindergarden. at first they all see the big truck in the parkingarea, and the kids are enjoyd just to see this. but when they see me in nisselue and with my long white beard they go crazy in a good way.and the workers in the kindergarden also enjoy this.this is my spesial way to do a little exstra for others and also myself,the rest is like a lot of the comments i been reading.happy cristmas everybody.
Since people would obviously find their christmas tree in the forest back in the day, forest or nature themed ornaments such as birds and mushrooms are common. The birds are usually put higher up in the tree and the mushrooms lower down, which makes sense. And despite what this lady says, garlands is very common on Norwegian christmas trees. Both glass and tinsel ones. They might have gotten less common than before, but a lot of people (me included) still use them.
Julenissen is the norwegian name for santa clause. Which in turn should not be mistaken for the house spirit known as the nisse. Who held a different role in norwegian folklore.
Pepperkake is literally gingerbread cookies. And cooking and baking is super normal for every year. Pudding? It is literally porridge. We have a marsipan pig as a reward for finding the hidden almond.
We have Jul, not Christmas We have julenissen, not Santa clause And Santa stole the look from our julenisse… there is a meaning behind the colours of the outfit and the flying reindeer. Ever wondered about why Christmas traditions have reindeer in them, when reindeer are not a normal thing in Europe or America… but they are normal here in Norway, and they like to eat a «food» that is red and white and makes you «fly» God Jul Tyler 🎉
Presents are after dinner on the 24th. 25 & 26 are more family dinners, say with extended family inc uncles and aunts etc… We do not eat leftovers on 25th but make another feast… our family always do Turkey and smoked ham on 24th and usually the 25th On 26th usually pinnekjøtt (salted lamb) and laks & gravlaks (salmon). The 1 thing we know about jul traditionally (from old Norse and Viking times) is that to «drikke jul» was important (to drink jule) so yes jule-beer is important and should be consumed during jule time.
How genius move of you, to just talk about Norway from America. It is 5 million people here, more than enough to make your channel grow. And i enjoy your content very much. From Norway 🇳🇴
this lady has no idea what she is talking about, sounds like she has not even celebrated here once. merry christmas tho, we enjoy watching u learn about our country and traditions :)
We have nisser, and julenissen. One is around all year helping out or playing pranks on you, the other comes around after dinner on the 24th, to give out presents or most commonly, read out the labels on the presents already there under the tree. Regarding gift opening, most families celebrate together on the 24th, and love watching the children interact with julenissen. And the reason we open our gifts that day is so we can all express our gratitude or disappointments together at that time, but more importantly, to watch the children react to the gifts we gave them. If that was saved till the morning after, we would not get that experience. If there is disappointment, it's usually handled with receipts. "I'm sorry it wasn't what you wanted, I have the receipt so you can exchange it."
The pig that you get as a price for finding the almond in the rice porridge is made of marzipan (Sweet almond paste). Marzipan isn’t really a thing in the US, but it is very common in Europe. It is a mandatory part of the Norwegian christmas candies. It is also common around Easter. Back in the old days pigs would be fattened up throughout the year so that they would be as big as possible right in time for christmas, which is why the pig is a common symbol in the Norwegian christmas traditions. Julegris = christmas pig.
So the thing about the nisse here in norway is that there are many different types of nisse, we have fjøsnisse (a barn nisse) skipsnisse ( a boat nisse) and kirkenisse (church nisse) along with julenissen
glögg is like red wine with raisins and christmas spices, u cut up almonds in it. sweet and very good, it's a warm drink that everyone needs in their life. Julmust is also great, it's more like a cold drink, think coca cola but with more foam and more of a christmas taste to it.
We always open presents on Christmas Eve, in the evening, after dinner......NEVER on Christmas morning, that will never happen 😊😂 We also have a lot of Christmas sodas...... and Christmasqas candy/sweets Most of us make a lot of cakes and cookies for Christmas. Often at least 7 different types..... Many of us make our own advent calendar with nice 🎁 presents, but we also buy advent calendars. Norwegians have many different traditions, so we eat different Christmas dinners. In my house we have both pork rib/pork belly and turkey filet on Christmas Eve evening. And also Christmas sausages and pork patties.....a lot of different vegetables, and an insanely delicious gravy 😋 The pork belly/ribs are in the oven for 9 hours, on low temperature...... 😊
Regarding Santa Claus... We do have the same Santa as you do, but in our language it is "Jule Nissen" What the lady speak abouth is that in Norway we also have this dwarf Santa thing we call "Fjøs Nisse" It is a kind of a good spirit that live on farms and help the farmer to get good crops and stuff like this. Around Christmas we put out a bowl "Ris Grøt" to please this Tiny Santa good, so he give good help the upcomming yeare. Kind of like a sacrefice.
She did forget about watching some specific tv shows like Grevinnen og Hovmesteren (the countess and the butler) and Tre nøtter til askepott (three nuts for Cinderella) and tante pose (auntie bag) and Disneys Jul (Disney’s Christmas)
In Norway, all of the Nordic countries and Germany we celebrate mainly on the 24th - Christmas Eve! Yesterday... We keep celebrating on the 25th and 26th though. Still Merry Christmas! 🎅🏻 That girl seems pretty clueless... 😂
Had to do this, she got something WRONG! About Xmas trees, that differ from families to families, I put up my tree in the middle of December, because the kids of the house where I live, are so curious, especially since they have 2 traditions, one Norwegian, and one African. (Three is taken down Jan 6th!) On the 24th, is where almost all norwegians have, the feast dinner & dessert around 5-6 PM, the gifts after the feast, and where the adults gets all the socks and ties (😂😂😂), and the kids around 1000 gifts.. (it feels like it!) The 25th and 26th, relaxed days, just enjoys the time with the family and good food! This is my family's holiday! ❤
I recently came across your videos and have really been enjoying them. This one was no exception, but for some reason, I felt the need to explain that Christmas traditions in Norway can vary greatly from family to family. What is considered a "tradition" for one family may not necessarily be the norm for others. While there are some shared customs, Norwegian Christmas is often deeply personal and shaped by regional, generational, or even individual family preferences. Apologies in advance for the long comment, but I guess I got a bit carried away explaining Norwegian Christmas traditions. I've celebrated Christmas in various ways over the years, as I've spent it with different people. The way my family celebrates Christmas begins like this: we wake up early in the morning, stay in our pajamas, and watch Christmas movies like Tre nøtter til Askepott (Three Wishes for Cinderella), Reisen til julestjernen (Journey to the Christmas Star), and Mikke Mus og vennene hans feirer jul (Mickey Mouse and Friends Celebrate Christmas). When we were younger, we also used to go to church, but that's something we haven’t done in recent years. Now, it’s optional. For my family, attending church on Christmas Eve used to be the one day of the year we'd go, but in recent times, we don’t really do that anymore. I’m the odd one out, though, because I sing in a choir, so I'm in church a little more often. Around 1 PM, after church, the whole family gathers for julegrøt (Christmas porridge meal). Like she explained, we also have risengrynsgrøt (rice porridge) with an almond hidden inside. Whoever finds the almond wins a marsipangris (marzipan pig), which we usually end up sharing. Afterward, everyone goes their separate ways to relax a bit before we get dressed in festive clothes for the big Christmas dinner. The family meets again at 5 PM to watch the Sølvguttene (a boys' choir) singing in Christmas on TV while we drink gløgg (mulled wine, similar to Glühwein). Dinner begins at 6 PM. The host family prepares the meal. The traditional Christmas dinner in my family includes pinnekjøtt (dried lamb ribs), medisterkaker (meatballs), and pølser (sausages), along with sides like kålrabistappe (mashed rutabaga), boiled potatoes, surkål (sauerkraut), tyttebærsyltetøy (lingonberry jam), and gravy. Again, I’m the odd one out since I don’t eat meat, but fish, so I usually have fish, often cod, with the same sides. Important note: NO lutefisk! I'm an adult, but my inner child screams "YUCK!" The drink for dinner is usually Christmas beer and aquavit, or soda. For dessert, we have multer (cloudberries), raspberries from the garden, whipped cream, and various julekaker (Christmas cookies) like sandkaker, krumkaker, and ingefærnøtter. After dinner, which lasts for a couple of hours, it's time to gather around the Christmas tree and sing Christmas carols. My family is really bad at this because for some reason, we’re terrible at remembering the lyrics to traditional carols, but we try our best. Afterward, we gather around the coffee table, where more julekaker are served, and prepare for gift opening. This takes a ridiculously long time with such a large family, and it often gets really late before we finish. This is where I envy the American tradition of opening presents on the morning of the 25th. I’ve also celebrated Christmas eve with different friends and their families, each with unique traditions. One year, I spent Christmas with a family at their cabin. We spent most of Christmas Eve skiing and relaxing outdoors before having a low-key vegetarian dinner. Afterward, we opened presents quickly and spent the evening playing board games-a very different experience from my own family’s traditions. Another year, I celebrated with a friend’s family who lived on a farm. On Christmas Eve, we went into the forest to cut down and decorate a Christmas tree-a tradition they did together on the day itself. Everyone helped prepare the meal, and I got to make caramel pudding for dessert. This family’s teamwork and helpfulness left a lasting impression on me. In the evening, we enjoyed appetizers of flatbread with smoked salmon and dill pesto, followed by a Christmas dinner with various meat and fish dishes, potatoes, red cabbage, and Brussels sprouts. Unlike my family, they opened gifts quickly and spent more time chatting and enjoying each other’s company, which I thought was lovely. I’ve also celebrated with another family whose Christmas Eve included lunch with their entire extended family. Dinner was different too, featuring cod with a Christmas sauce and mashed rutabaga, paired with white wine. Afterward, we played trivia and opened gifts while enjoying homemade cherry liqueur and cookies. Everyone later changed into Christmas pajamas, and the evening ended with more wine, trivia and fun conversation. This was another fun and memorable celebration. So, while the woman in the video shared a lovely example of her experience of Norwegian Christmas, it’s worth noting that every family celebrates a little differently. That’s what makes it so special! Thanks again for your videos-they’re a joy to watch!
I live in norway, here are a few things: Like santa clause is a man who comes to your house with gifts. He is not just a small elf. We decorate our house however with small elfs that look like what she described. But us who dont have a farm dont do the pourage thing. We decorate our house and tree in november like everyone else, not on little christmas eve. On little christmas eve we just gather, eat dinner, play some games or watch a movie. Many people go light candles on graves then. (at least where i live). Santaclause comes on the evening on the 24 with the gifts inside to visit people, he talks and interacts with the kids before leaving for the next house. Also rampenisse is a fun tradition done in most homes: it is and elf who dose mischief in the house ever evening and you see what he has done in the morning.
Most Norwegians opens the gifts in the evening on the 24th, after dinner. In Norway, the big celebration is in the evening on the 24th. Almost all the stores are closed on the 25th, but some are open on the 26th.
The thing is, we have advent as a separate season here. So we don't start Christmas early, we just start advent .. when advent starts. Advent is the last four sundays, so the lights go up and we decorate a little bit with purple (table cloths usually). We also have the advent calendars, advent calendar lights, four advent lights, etc. 22nd. Deep clean day. The darkest and shortest day of the year, so it fits to have something to do all day. 23rd. Change advent decorations to Christmas ones. Purple to red. Christmas tree goes up, Christmas curtains, tables cloths, etc. Traditionally the advent lights in the windows should be removed at this point, but most people leave them up, since they're pretty. Also the day of our annual "Kvelden før kvelden" Christmas program. A show full of traditional short programs, celebrity appearances, cooking, decoration tips, music, etc. It's very cosy and relaxed and all the guests just talk and joke around. 24th. Watch traditional films, like Askepott (Czek Cinderella film, dubbed by one Norwegian man), Reisen til Julestjernen (old Christmas movie), as well as Disney's Julekavalkade (a Christmassy collection of Disney short films). Then go have a massive dinner with family, usually at five o'clock, after church (most don't go to church). Then, after dinner, dessert, cake and coffee, we open presents. My family starts Christmas dinner at 2, which is very unusual, because my aunt and uncle (and formerly my paternal grandparents) have cows and have to tend them betwene dinner and presents. We also open the presents in a very orderly fashion, with one person being the designated "Nisse" (though we never dress up), who goes to get one present at a time, reads the lable and then we all watch the receiver open it. It takes a while, but it's nice to see what everyone gets. There's no pressure to "love" the stuff you get, since we're an extra deadpan family in a pretty deadpan country, so we just say a calm "thank you, that's nice" and leave it at that. I remember one time, though, when I was maybe six or seven, when my maternal grandparents asked their neighbour to be "Nissen" (the Santa type) for us and they dressed up in the full gear, with a mask and everything, but it fell really flat. Neither my brother, nor I, believed it was real and we were just a bit confused.
since its dark so long, and the lights come up so urly i think the xmas spirit is a bit more noticable here. like we would make xmas decorations in school and kindergarden, and they will usually end up on the tree. but then then you got the grannies and what not that have the fancy glass or crystal birds on theyre trees, as well as many other things like angels and balls. but one thing is for sure, when the darkness settles and the snow starts to fall its all about making it as cozy for the kids every day and just enjoying theyre fun. weather it be building snow forts or watching cartoons with a mug of hot chocolate, or playing boardgames infront of the fireplace.
We got both the Santa Claus and the julnisse. :) Santa brings the presents on the 24th. the julenissar are mostly in peoples gardens or standing in a corner somewhere in your house. or they live under your house and terrorize you until you bring out the porridge. :)
Just to clarify some misinformation about the Norwegian “Julenisse” and “fjøsnisse”. Fjøsnisse is that little short man or woman that people believed to watch over the farm and animals are so old. (Not an Elf!) It’s very old and goes back to old norrøn mythology. The only thing “Julenissen” and “fjøsnissen” have in common is this part of the name “nissen”. Julenissen for Norwegian is the same as Santa Claus, that big old cozy guy with the red costume and long white beard😅 He sometimes ride his slide with reindeer. Reindeer only live in the arctic, like Norway! So there you go it’s a mix of old and new traditions both from USA and Europe (Scandinavia) Merry Christmas 🎅🎄
Santa: "Be good, and I'll give you a present for Christmas." Norwegian 'fjøsnisse': "Feed me for yule, or else I'll set the livestock free or turn them sick. Arson might also be involved!" My family's 'julenisse' lives on the mountain top near my mum's house. The kids hang up their wish list in a window facing the mountain, so the 'julenisse' can read it from home.
Going out to a restaurant and then a bar with your friends on christmas eve sounds like the most non-norwegian christmas ever fictionally invented. I’m now going to write the script for my «Portuguese Christmas» youtube-video, based solely on my creative imagination. God jul alle sammen ❤
Christmas marked is often most about homemade stuff like knitted sweaters, mittens and hats (Norway is cold ;) ) and things that people can buy as christmas presents. People can sign up to have a stand at the market, but in Oslo they sell even more quality and more food. It's known that almost every city has Christmas marked =)
The fjøsnisse is a temperamental figure in Scandinavian folklore, known for rewarding kindness and punishing neglect. If treated poorly, he could become vengeful, causing misfortunes like sick animals or broken tools. To keep him content, it was customary to leave out a bowl of porridge on Christmas Eve (julaften), topped with a pat of butter. Forgetting the butter-or worse, neglecting to leave the porridge altogether-was believed to provoke his wrath. In Scandinavian culture, Christmas Eve has long been the centerpiece of holiday celebrations. Historically, it marked the culmination of Advent, a time of preparation for Christmas. This special evening is filled with cherished rituals, festive meals, and family gatherings, making it the natural occasion for exchanging gifts. Among the many traditions enjoyed during the holiday season is gløgg, a quintessential Scandinavian mulled drink. Served hot during the winter months, especially at Christmas, gløgg offers a rich, spiced flavor that varies depending on the recipe. It can be made with red wine, a non-alcoholic base like fruit juice, or even spirits such as aquavit or brandy, lending it a delightful versatility. The Flavors of Gløgg Gløgg’s taste is a warm and complex harmony of sweet and spicy notes, characterized by: Spices: Dominant flavors of cinnamon, cardamom, cloves, and ginger create a comforting, aromatic profile. Fruity Sweetness: Citrus elements, such as orange peel, and dried fruits like raisins contribute a natural sweetness. Nutty Undertones: Almonds or other nuts are often included, adding texture and a subtle nuttiness. Rich Depth: When prepared with wine or spirits, gløgg boasts a bold, warming richness balanced by sugar or honey. Customizable Additions: Some versions include a splash of brandy or aquavit for a stronger, more festive kick. Whether enjoyed as part of a cozy family gathering or paired with traditional Christmas treats like gingerbread cookies (pepperkaker), gløgg embodies the essence of Scandinavian winter celebrations
7:39 no it’s not the same santa as santaclaus. We have nisser, and we have julenissen aka santaclaus. So yes, we have the big jolly santa aswell but an old tradition is that he is a little scary. So when we dress up as santa we dont always talk to the kids, we give em presents while acting a little sketchy. Sometimes we try to put the kids in the bag if they arent to scared. It’s what makes long lasting memories and kinda magical
The little goblins may look a bit like Santa, but noooooo. They are magical and helps out - IF you treat them right. Or you're in trouble! Christmas is very simalar, but dinner is Christmas eve, and so is presents, and some of us DO start a bit too early....like me! ;p
Some rambly info on the santa situation: Santa is a very christian and american thing, while norwegian christmas tradition goes back way before any of that. Christmas is still called jul (you might’ve heard of yule, that word is derived from jul or jól) which was a winter soltice celebration. Gift giving was a part of it already in ancient times, but instead of santa, there was Odin (sometimes nicknames the julfather). The gnomes are associated with the winter seasons, but are not replacements for santa as the gift giving has always been person to person. The idea of santa as you know it now is directly imported from america, though very popular for kids. The nisse/nisser archetype are more associated with mischevious or helpful spirits from late medieval and early modern history. If you set out porridge for them, they fix your tools and house. If you don’t, they might leave doors unlocked and let mice in. Think of them as house spirits, though they sometimes also live in the woods as protectors. Nisse lore aside, as others have noted she gets a lot of things wrong. She mentions a lot of real things, but she is clearly in the same boat as you where she still interperates a lot rather than actually having the knowledge. Regarding things like eating out, I think she’s confusing it with julebord. Nothing is open on christmas eve. However, you do eat christmas food and go bar hopping during advent as part of a julebord (christmas table), like a pre-christmas party usually with friends or coworkers She also missed a lot of things. No mention of dancing around the christmas tree, no mention of church culture, no mention of other types of christmas food (game meat, grouse, ham steak, turkey and more). Didn’t mention even a quarter of the desserts (cookies are not dessert. There are a lot of traditional christmas cookies and an ideal is to bake 7 different kinds throughout advent. These are to have as a treat by themselves or with coffee after dessertor whenever you feel like having a festive snack). Her mentioning only gingerbread was frankly an insult
There’s a Christmas movie called «There’s something in the barn» from 2023. This is a about fjøsnissen (barnelf). It’s a Norwegian movie but they speak English. On Christmas Eve Santa Claus (julenissen), visits with presents for the children. The jolly old Coca Cola Santa you have in the US. Fjøsnissen lives in the barn and can do mischief if you don’t give him porridge on Christmas. If you treat him good he will help with things around the farm. You will most likely never see him though. 😄
The tradition for many was to set up and decorate the Christmas tree on Christmas Eve. In my family we still do it, but I see that many neighbors do it from 1/12 until Little Christmas Eve. And many have the tradition of keeping the Christmas tree standing until what many call the 13th day of Christmas or the 20th day of Christmas. But many people remove the tree already a few days after the New Year. AND at the same time as decorating the Christmas tree, the home is also decorated, so Christmas Eve is a difficult day for most people, and in the middle of this, there are also some dishes that have to be prepared for Christmas Eve already. When I was a child, the family had a large living room, which was only used on major occasions, and of course at Christmas. And back then, we kids weren't allowed to go up to the great room for the last three days before Christmas, so on Christmas Eve we were allowed to go up to the great room, and then everything was decorated and ready for Christmas Eve, with a decorated tree and packages under the tree. Large Christmas decorations on the tables. Christmas decorations in the windows, and lots of Christmas flowers, such as poinsettia+++.
This lady has done minimal research before making a video.. 🙈 Our santa is similar to the american santa, only he comes to visit on christmas eve in stead of down the chimney in the morning christmas day. Christmas lights come up on first advent sunday. We use tinsel and various ornaments, nobody I've ever heard of puts cookies in the tree 😆😆 some people make huge heart cookies to hang in the window. The tree is traditionally taken down after 13 days, on 3 kings day.
We have Santa Claus here in Norway, but we also have "fjøsnisser". Saint Nicholas is based on Christian tradition. Fjøsnissene, as depicted here, is more a Norwegian thing.
Its most common to open presents in the Christmas evening with the ones you are spending the evening with 😊 And we DO have Santa, who is giving presents on the Christmas evening, called "jule-nissen" who is NOT THE SAME as farm (gårds) nissen. Gårdsnissen or what some kids calls "rampenissen" is the one who play tricks and mess around in the house during december 😊 But i am actually a bit shocked that americans dont have these star decorations, "jule-stjernen" (Christmas star) 😮😮
She first talks about Santa Claus and mixes in the farm elf. If you go to a shopping center, the Santa in Norway looks exactly like the Santa in the USA, big and fat, with a long red cloak, black belt, lots of white beard, and a great Santa hat on top. But as you can see now, there are more type of goblins in Norway. You have Santa Claus, you have the farm Santa. The farm elf is a little thief, he can come up with "almost ruining Christmas, but only almost. >That's why the farmer has to take extra good care of his animals all year round, otherwise the farm elf comes and does mischief. Many people have experienced getting sour milk on the table at Christmas, some animals may be missing for a few days++++ And if you make a big ball of porridge on Christmas Eve and put it out in the barn on Christmas Eve, you will probably rather experience that Gårds Santa can be kind, for example, the cows may have been milked when you come out one morning. The animals may have been fed and brushed. So never mix up the farm Santa and Santa Claus.
We have the Christian advent light traditions from old. But we have jazzed it up quite a bit with our outdoor lighting over the past 25 years or so. A lot of cities and towns have car free city centres and shopping walkways that would be pitch black hour before the stores close, and we enjoy going shopping here, at least some of our gifts. (There's nothing Christmasy about doing all of your Christmas gift shopping at Temu and Amazon.) A lot of women often meet their girlfriends for shopping and lunch or dinner. It's nice to have the shopping street decorated in December, and since we barely see daylight in December and January at all, the lights really help taking some of the gloom of the darkness. We decorate and light our Christmas trees (at home) on the 23rd because that's when Christmas starts. Really young kids get their visit from Julenissen (Santa Claus), but all the other smaller nisse-folk are part of the pre-Christian, Norwegian folklore and tradition, related to winter solstice.
We are used to have real conifers trees inside, and they would not last till 24th if you put it up 1st of December, so yeah... we decorate the tree on "lille julaften" (the day before the big day).
Actual lights made of wax was obviously the only solution before electricity was a thing. But now pretty much everyone used electric or battery lights for the sake of safety. Electric lights might be shaped like actual candles to look authentic, but are of course made of plastic and/or glass.
Julenissen is the santa in Norway 🇳🇴 😅🎅 But yes, we also have the gnome’s who watches over our farms and the farmer need to keep him/her happy throughout desember 😂 but that’s only on farms 😊 and yes we have julegrøt party every 23. desember . And we Winn a marsipan big in chocolate 😄 not a real pig 😝🙃 and we decorated our Christmas tree that day too ❤no, we have our stockings hanging outside of our bedroom door ! So we can’t wait to wake up and see what kind of candy is innside of the stocking ❤ we have Christmas on the 24.desember after dinner! NEVER on 25.! I don’t know anyone in Norway that opens their presents on the 25. of December. And yes the adults drink egg likør ☺️ Gløgg is like te, but just whit Christmas taste 🥰 Sending all my love and support from Norway 🇳🇴 ❤
Nissen is not only found on the farms, where he lives in the barn. He can also be in the wood/tool shed on the property, out in the woods or even in fishing boats and ships. They all have in common that they help with various tasks as long as they get a proper meal on Christmas Eve, and you otherwise treat them with respect.
We used to wait until des.23 to decorate the christmastree when i was a kid....... it was tradition for many many years.As a adult i usualy have it up by the 15 th of des. I have to, to get finished with everything in time. But i know many people put it up already des.1 or by the the first sunday in advent. I buy chocolate adventcalender for 20 kr.....i have a fake tree...we open gifts the 24th after dinner.....and we always have a homemade meal...the 24,25,26,31 and the 1 jan. I always make homemade eggsalad (for bread at breakfast) and i need to buy and boil a Kjøttrull (that also for breakfast) 🎅 Merry christmas from Norway 🤶
As a Norwegian, if you wanna learn about a culture, you go to the source, not outsiders/foreigners who didn’t grew up in the culture with these exact traditions. Outside perspectives are of course like your own Tyler, when lacking the cultural awareness, heavily culturally biased and therefore can distort the actual truth. It’s not about her not being Norwegian by nationality or ethnicity, but whether she actually shares misinformation or facts. Assumptions and misunderstandings as well as opinions aren’t facts. Sure it’s fun to hear what foreigners have to say, but if you want the 1st hand knowledge due to 1st hand experience, you ask a Norwegian or use Norwegian sources! Foreigners always do this, they use these videos about Norway made by fellow foreigners, and in most cases 99% of it is wrong, or twisted wether it’s due to political propaganda or to muddle the right narrative to fit their own. And everyone who tried to come for me on the basis of my skin color and ethnic appearance, I’m adopted. I’m Norwegian by law, I grew in the culture with the same traditions if not more, speaking the same language as my fellow Norwegian peers. Only difference is the lack of melanin.
Not everyone take the christmas tree at 23 December, my parents did it around 19-20 december, People do it different here! At the candles and and every adventcalender in Norway we have date 01 - 24 December, It is chrismas for us 24th december, where we open our presents that day :) and 25th are named first christmas day, snd 26th are named second christmas day. We have never been on a resturant at christmas eve, In Norway some of us eat christmas dinner like pinnekjøtt, ribbe, lutefisk, and more. We had pinnekjøtt yesterday at christmas :) We open the presents after we have eating dinner. Merry christmas(God Jul) Tyler! I like to watch your videos, and even I learn things about my country Norway that I didn't know before! Thank you! :)
I have never seen a mushroom on a Christmas tree 😜 . Many have stockings for christmas morning. Traditionally, we open gifts after dinner on christmas Eve, but many ppl now start to go for the american way. Much because if the children open toys, they should have time to play with them afterwards. If they open at night, it's almost straight to bed afterwards :P Gløgg is a warm drink made of red wine, and you add nuts and stuff in it. It's as she says a version of the british mulled wine. Gingerbread = pepperkake, made of syrup, ginger, pepper, cinnamon, crushed clove, etc.
@Miamia_01 I do. Also, one family that open only the gifts that are from the ppl they are celebrating with. And open the others when they are with the persons that gift is from. But, yes, the majority opens in the evening.
The restaurant thing is totally wrong. Noone goes to a restaurant. The bus will not even go. Everything is closed past 5 /17.00. And yes, the church bells will ring 3 times at 17.00 because the latest church service is from 16-17. Some people will celebrate Christmas Eve at the hytte but most have a bigger home so usually at home.
Mushrooms? I've spent most of my life in Norway, and she must have indulged in a more special kind of mushroom if she's seen mushrooms on a Christmas tree :)
@@havardpedersen1138 Oh, the "fluesopp". My bad. Never ingest that. Unless you plan to invade Britannia after a row across the North Sea, right? Merry Yule :)
@@CM-ey7nq A highly medicinal mushroom - most misunderstood thing on the whole planet. Check out The Pharmacratic Inquisition. Not saying it's all true, but too many peculiarities there not to be something to it.. come on, even santa is red and white 😉
----- @madsimusnuo ----- - As did we back in the day... Traditions boil down to where you are in Norway, and the generational shift also influences traditions. -----
In Scandinavia, we mostly celebrate Christmas on the 24th with food and gifts, as many of the traditions come from before we became Christians and at that time the day and night changed when the sun went down.
speaking personally, ending the 24th of december without touching the presents would be Wrong. they are the perfect end to a day celebrated With The Family. Born to it, Married into it or just a bunch of really close friends...you exchange presents in the evening while staying in the same home on the 24th, you're a family.
Hi and Merry Christmas from Lofoten Islands. First: Christmas is based upon the Norwegian viking tradition jól or jólablót and was the pagan sacrificial celebration of midwinter in the Nordic countries and a lot of the traditional celebrating have roots from this. It is believed that it began with a celebration in the home that lasted several days. It then continued with cultic acts such as blotting, that is, sacrificing animals, objects, food or drink. An important element was also drinking beer in honor of the gods to promote annual growth and peace. Some researchers believe that the festival had many features reminiscent of ancestor worship, and that it was held for the dead who returned to their old homes during the darkest time of winter. The custom of leaving candles burning on Christmas night and leaving food out has been preserved right up to our time. Beds were left empty so that the dead could use them, and people themselves slept on the floor the night between Christmas Eve and Christmas Day. The oldest Norwegian Christmas celebration is also interpreted as the end of a festive period with slaughtering and brewing. Christmas became a celebration where symbolic actions, such as lying in straw on Christmas Eve and setting up a Christmas tree, were supposed to increase the chances of good crops in the coming year. Some of the customs from this old celebration have survived with partly new content within the framework of the Christian Christmas celebration, such as the ritual drinking of beer (now: Christmas Soda). According to old folk belief, Christmas, and especially Christmas Eve, was the time when supernatural beings had more freedom of action than usual, due to the darkness. The dead sought to return to their homes on Earth, and people had to protect themselves against the åsgårdsreia, the riding retinue of beings that travel through the air, by painting tar crosses over doors and on beer barrels. One of the underground beings who traveled during Christmas was the nissen (the barn nissen). According to Norwegian folklore, the Åsgårdsreia or oskoreia are a noisy group of ghosts or spirits - ghosts, fighters, murderers, drunkards, deceivers, lewd women, goblins and trolls - who at Christmas time ride through the air on fire-breathing horses, led by Guro Rysserova (Rumpe-Guro). Some claim that Christmas was a celebration in honor of the return of the sun. Others have interpreted the first Christmas celebration as a fertility celebration because a number of cultic acts with vegetation symbols play a large role in the old customs. Decorating with greenery such as juniper and spruce branches indoors at Christmas was common from ancient times, and this has been interpreted as symbols of growth that promoted well-being and fertility. Some researchers have believed that the Yule goat is also an expression of a fertility cult. This was a goat that was slaughtered at Christmas for a good year. Food: Until the Reformation in the 16th century, there was Lent until Christmas Day. At this time, meat could not be eaten, but fish was okay. In many places, fish has therefore been a common food on Christmas Eve: fresh fish in the fjord regions and lutefisk (en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lutefisk) or rakfisk (en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rakfisk) in the inland areas. Milk soup or porridge was often served, a tradition that is still maintained, for example, in Nord-Østerdal and parts of Trøndelag, where sour cream porridge and fish are considered festive food. Christmas porridge as such is still an important tradition for many. As with everything else, one should serve “the finest one had” for Christmas. For a long time, this was sour cream porridge or barley flour porridge. It took a long time before “most people” could get their hands on rice, and this exclusivity may have contributed to rice porridge becoming Christmas porridge in many homes. Some ate porridge in the morning, others had it before or after dinner in the evening. There are reliable sources that pinnekjøtt, or sheep's ribs, were used as Christmas food in the 18th century, but it was probably common even earlier than that, since salting and smoking are preservation methods that go back a long way. Roasted pork ribs with medister cakes and sausages, which are today the most popular Christmas food in Norway, are of much more recent date. It was only when the stove came into use that people had the opportunity to roast ribs in an oven pan in the oven. Mølje/mølja/mylja/mille/mell has been a common Christmas food in several places in the country. Fiskemølje is most widespread along the coast, and especially in the northernmost counties, while kjøttmølje is more common in inland villages. Then you break up the flatbread into a dish or plate and pour hot stock over it. From Sogn og Fjordane, stock after boiling sheep's head, for example, is mentioned as the usual stock for the mill, while from Akershus it is said that the pickled stock was particularly good, but that stock after boiling roulade, tongue or ribs was also common.
We eat at home. All restaurants here in my town are closed both 24th and 25th. We eat at 5pm on the 24th, then open gifts after. Often getting midnight before the gifts are done. Ribbe is too fatty for most so we have turkey. We have a proper tree. Christmas beer is dark redish with a more caramelly flavour to match the more fatty Christmas foods. It should also be drank with Akkevitt whick is a potato based liquor that is "good" for digestion.
There's a lot of Sons of Norway clubs in the US you can visit and eat traditional Norwegian food. Just search for the nearest club where you're at, and see if you can find one. It's mostly Americans with Norwegian heritage there. 👍 🇳🇴
‘’Gløgg’’is a type of mulled wine. You can make it from scratch, but it is more commonly store bought as a bottled syrup. You dilute the syrup in water and then heat up before drinking it. It has kind of a spiced flavor with a mix of tangy and sweet. It is common to put chopped almond pieces and raisins in it, but you don’t have to do that.
Imagine what foods Norwegians had in the olden days. What foods were possible to grow here during summer, and how long into the winter and spring could they make this foods last, for themselves and their animals? 😮 With limited conservatives. If we imagine the times before most anything were imported. What could they make from animals and animals own products like milk and eggs? What could nature offer like berries, nuts, seeds, herbs and mushrooms? And then we add new foods and recipes when Spices, were imported. Malt. And sugar, and coffee, Rice Chocolate, cacao. A lot of our traditions is based on this. And nostalgia comes from eating and drinking these foods and drinks. E if you make it from scratch or almost from scratch. 😊😊 And then little by little, so many foods from warmer places and far away, came, and now most everyone can afford most everything, And we can eat anything even in winter and spring. Also electricity played a big part in what one could conserve and cook and bake! ❤ For Christmas many of us wants the old good memories jogged! 😅❤😊 Luckily it is not so frowned uppon anymore to go for the easy options. The less time consuming. And what ever options you may prefer. Nice! Good to get rid of some of the needless expectations and shame.
Before the 23. we traditionally have advent decorations in our homes. The colour of advent is purple/violet. And maybe silver as well. We’re talking table clothes, sometimes curtains, and a 4 candle decoration. Often inherited beautiful handcrafted pieces. Or crafted by your children in school. On the first Sunday of December we light the first candle. On the Second Sunday we light the first and the second candle, and so on. It’s a countdown for Christmas eve. The 24’th. There is even a song and a poem that some families and schools sing or read pr candle. In the Christian tradition, (which was added to the native Norwegian religious tradition, back in the day. Well added too, or tried to replace with. Which to some are very provocative, and to others very welcomed.) The advent time is supposed to be a time of waiting and longing and building up excitement, joy and expectation for Jesus’s birth and the light he brought. So, it’s a count down for Christmas, and in the old native tradition a celebration of the sun turning. Meaning the day light will become longer and longer. The temperature warmer and eventually the crops possible to grow. The two religious traditions are also why have we have two types of «nisser». The «santa gnomes» and the Santa Claus, from the Catholic Christian branch. From the 23. the decorations traditionally go from purple and silver to red, green and gold. 😊 again often inherited Princes. In the modern day many wish to choose decoration styles and Colours of their own, and the Christmas markets and stores offer a huge variety of decore! 😊 In Christmas markets you often get home crafted products. Decor, food and candy. And of course candles. We used to need the candles for warmth and light, Now we need them for coziness and to brighten our spirits. I imagine that the extra decor and candles were for this purposes in the old days too. Because they definitely increased the coziness and hope and endurance a lot for this month. A highlight at the middle of the long cold dark winter. But man is January, February and March rough!! Then and now. The Christmas decorations were suppoesd to be up in til the thirteenth day of Christmas.
She has been shown before and she says a lot of incorrect things. Sadly. It would be better if she said, some people do it like this, we do it like that.
1:23 No, not the end of November, December 1st, for Advent. They may hang them a little before, so they’re ready for advent though… Just practical. That is also when the towns light their big town christmas trees. The holiday starts on December 24th at 17:00 (5 p.m.), so that is when everybody traditionally starts dinner, so then the whole country goes silent! After dinner and dessert, there’s a little break (which the kids haaate and the adults try to teasingly make longer). Then coffee and at least 7 types of cookies and home made christmas snacks and fruit comes on the table and the unpacking of presents start. When I grew up we also hang a sock on the wall which Santa Claus filled with goodies and something small during the night (in addition to coming during the night before), for the kids to open in the morning on Christmas Day. I don’t think this is that common anymore though. Oh well, it makes sense that Santa starts up north, then does the rest of the world afterwards… 😉😂❤❤❤
I don't know your age, but back in 1950-70, I never see stocking to empty on 25th. That comes after TV be more common and kid see this in American movies.
Merry XMas & Happy holiday! Some more info: Santa Claus = JuleNissen, we have "him" in Norway too. What she tried to explain is that we have folklore about some small peoples living in the woods called "Nisser" (ending "r" give plural, an "n" s spesific one), kind of mix between elf and goblin, where have a resemblance of Santa, red pointy headpiece and bearded. Christmas trees often get decorated 23th, not a strict rule though but often done then due to a kind of getting in the Christmas mood and spirit. Particularly in larger cities then many use artificial/plastic trees, apparently have been a reduction trend in use of actual trees sold. Ornaments for a tree can vary, no strict rules there either, except preferable have lights (electrical candles), normally reuse next year with sometimes some new. We have a saying that Christmas last until Eastern, but normally a tree is removed some time in January. Advent lights is a religious tradition, originally are to read a certain poem for each lighting. Presents after dinner at 24th, less stress for kids too when to sleep, along overall use 1st Christmas day (25th) to relax and kids can play with the gifts. Christmas drink are called "Gløgg", several versions of spicy "toddy" or punch, can put wine in it. Often add some raisins and crushed almonds (often prepared as a mix) to the cup, no particularly rule on when to consume it during Christmas time. Rarely use eggnog, many know about it by movies/series probably. Dinner food traditions varies, some even have the frozen pizza Grandiosa, assumed heated before eaten. XD
There are a number of things that are not quite right, we decorate the Christmas tree 2-3 weeks before Christmas Eve and in my family, Santa Claus is the same in Norway as in the US, he comes through the chimney, but he also comes when we call him, he comes with a large sack on the back with presents for all the children on Christmas Eve. We have always used real trees in my family. Merry Christmas to all of you in the US 🎅
Decorating for Christmas early, I imagine inspire people to do their Christmas shopping earlier also. It definitely get you into that Christmas spirit when you are out seeing the streets and malls decorated in shiny and sparkly decoration. Idk how many actually make their own advent calendar though. I only know that my mom did because she liked sewing. I got the impression that gift calendars that you can buy are popular. Every toystore got them. And grocery stores also got their own larger chocolate or candy type advent calendar.
After Halloween your good to go, as we don’t have thanksgiving. So yeah when it gets dark bring out the Christmas lights👌 1 December we have Christmas music, Christmas soda and candy that is only for Christmas time. Advent calendar bought or homemade. Every sunday we light 1 of 4 candles. 13 of december we have baked goods called: lussekatter. 23 is the day before Christmas. 24th is Christmas eve and we have family over, dinner and presents opened together and formal wear. 25th and 26 is called 1st and 2nd Christmas day and is for visiting family.
----- @thcredeye4016 ----- - A lot of what she said I can relate to or have heard about over the years... Clearly, your experiences are different. -----
Most put lights on trees in start of December. December is also the only month when shops are allowed to be open on Sundays. Adventcalendar.. well, in our family we have never made adventcalendar like that.. we just buy the chocolate. Christmas Eve tradition: 12: Eat porridge with cinnamon and sugar (not a pudding dish. its the only dish we eat that contains rice) 14: Donald Duck introduces Christmas on tv... Tradition each year! 17: Eat Christmas dinner 19: Open presents 21: Eat cakes, and cookies, watch movie on TV, play with presents you've got Christmas Day tradition: 11: Christmas brunch.. you don't eat breakfast as this is a feast during the daytime. very calm day.
Fjøsnisse og Hasle Nisse, .. we have santa too… We have RISENGRYNSGRØT with cinnamon and sugar on top. On 23 desember evening or 24 desember to lunch The best dessert are RISKREM WITH BERRYSAUCE. To dinner on christmas eve we have Ribbe (pig), Pinnekjøtt (lamb), or Lutefisk. This three are most used in Norway.
The candle with every day on it is just a marked candle. It sells well if it is Christmas related. The 4 candles every Sunday is lit because of christian tradition yes. We dont really do the stockings instead we do that Christmas stocking with candy in the edge of your bed when you wake up 1 of January.
Traditionally, decorating would be done on ‘’lille julaften’’, December 23rd. My grandmother would even decorate the tree on the morning of the 24th. That’s when actual Christmas or ‘’Jul’’ (as we say in Norway) starts. The time before that is ‘’advent’’ which is when you have the advent calendars, candles and the advent star in the window. Maybe some red flowers or small trinkets, but the actual decorating is supposed to be done closer to the start of actual Christmas. Nowdays most people will decorate much earlier though. The problem with decorating too early is that it might loose a bit of the magic, and you also risk getting tired of it all too early. The late decorating is also something that has practical roots from back in the day, when things were not as easy as it is now. People needed to be done with all the other chores and preparations before they could even think about decorating. Things like food preparation, baking, cleaning, farm work etc).
I never heard about anybody that goes out to eat on Christmas Eve. Most people stay at home or at a familymember.
We open presents after dinner on Christmas Eve .
yes.. me neither.. on 26th yes.
Nobody I ever heard of went out to eat on christmas eve
🙏dont listen too her about what we Norwegians doo she gets soo much ting wrong, always.🙏🎅😜
Everything is closed, so.. yeah..
Il never eat out on christmas 24 or 25 dec. Im 52.
Learn from Norwegian people, not portugeese, she got it wrong
Mmm yes that must be very annoying when people do this
I'm agree
Completely agree should learn about a Norwegian Christmas from a Norwegian.
She actually got a lot right, but I think he chose her because she gives an outside perspective. Remember, we don't all celebrate the same way.
@@kjellaugirenfjeld6940Du er “agree”?🤣🤣🤣
I'm married in a Norwegian family...Somethings she said are incorrect. She should let Norwegians speak for themselves.
-----
@jacquelinebl6
-----
- Most if not all of what she talked about boils down to what she experienced herself...
Other people might experience things differently, hence the reason as to why she added, "Please correct me if I got some of these things wrong!".
Which again might not be wrong per se, but rather differ depending on where you are in Norway and the generational shift when it comes to traditions.
Most of what she said I personally can relate to, and some of the things she said I've heard about.
-----
Here in Norway we always open the Christmas gifts on the 24th after dinner and dessert.
95% of Norwegian open gifts on 24th
@@Haraldhekk99.9% of Norwegians born and raised with 2 Norwegian (or Scandinavian) parents unwrap most of their Christmas presents on Christmas Eve.
Only those with divorced parents, who can't even cooperate for Christmas, have to open some later.
TRUE
We are always too stuffed after dinner, so we open presents between dinner and dessert. It's become a tradition for us.
@@AudunWangen We were sooo stuffed after the super delicious Jæren ribbe I made this year. Consequently, most of us (young) fell in coma after dinner and hoped we could open presents after the rice cream dessert. But not old mom! It became a catastrophe when we had to eat that dessert with bloated stomachs ... while the kids couldn't wait for the presents.
I have a tip for you Tyler. Don't let anyone who isn't Norwegian tell you about Norwegian traditions, you'll just become more stupid. This girl who told you about the Norwegian traditions about christmas , had so many factual errors that it was scary 😊
The biggest mistake was when she told about Santa Claus. We have Santa Claus, he is the one most children sit and wait for to come and give them presents on Christmas Eve, but we don't say Santa Claus but use the Norwegian word "Julenissen"
"Julenissen" that she told you about is "Fjøsnissen" which you correctly mentioned that you had heard about last year. It is a small "nisse" that should not be confused with "Julenissen" - Santa Claus
I would say "Nisser" and "Fjøsnissen" is a bigger tradition in Norway tho. Thats why when looking at old Christmas cards and decorations, you'll see a lot of these small cute and/or mischievous "gnomes". Its norse/nordic folklore. The word "nisse" comes from the name Nils, which is a nordic version of Nikolaus. We also have a "Julegeit" (Christmasgoat).
But we also have Julenissen, who is not as fancy dressed like Santa/Nikolaus from other countries like US etc etc, but a tall skinny "man" with a friendly face and long white beard.
Source:
snl.no/julenissen
snl.no/nisse
snl.no/Julegeita
(I do not know if these translate well into english, so sorry in advance).
A lot of our traditions comes from the time before Christianity. Jul is an old Norse tradition that is mixed with Christmas.
Well, this is really nothing but a modern myth. I don’t know about any traditions from the pre-Christian Nordic Jul that we still keep with us (which was not celebrated on December 24 or 25th); all of the ones we have now have Christian roots from the early church, Medieval times, or from the 1500s and onwards from European development of the festivities. Even the term jul is perhaps derived from the Greek biblical term of Jubilee, although there is not really a scholarly consensus on this last one.
@@veridicusmind3722 Maybe you who know everything should take your knowledge and share it with those who think they know something? The so-called linguists etc. don't know anything🤔. "No etymological explanation has been found for what the word means, but the oldest form of the word is ylir which is a plural word, or dual form in Old Norse."
For example leaving porridge outside for santa is a norwegian tradition with roots in Yule when they would leave offerings of food outside their houses for the spirits before the Wild Hunt on the 24th. Also a lot of the "later" beliefs/religions in norway up until christianity took over was heavily influenced by pagan beliefs and traditions itself - Like different branches or offsprings of paganism and these have been mixed with european xmas traditions.
Julebukk is another example of this
@ Ah, classic internet polemics. Let’s address this in two points.
1. I never claimed that I know everything. You won’t have to know everything to access readily available academic literature or bother to trace your sources.
2. I wasn’t claiming to know better than linguists, I was basing my claim on linguistic studies, particularly Landau’s (2006) analysis of the earliest reference to Yule (in the 500s), which is not the Nordic term ýlir, but the gothic term jiuleis. And this is from a Christian Saints’ calendar, not a pagan one. Ýlir is the Nordic term for a season, not a celebration.
@ I have seen these claims, but can’t find any sources actually tracing them back to pagan pre-Christians festivals. From my understanding, none of these traditions popped up until the 17th century in a Christian context. If you can give me some sources that would be nice.
Fjøsnisse and julenisse are two very different things. This lady seams fairly new to Norwegian customs...
They took the old traditions with Fjøsnisse, the little elf/nome type of guy who looks after your farm and it was somewhat fushioned with international Saint Nicolas/santa legend. And if became the "julenisse" the nisse of Christmas! 🎅 That's the spesific nisse who gives you your presents. He stops by on Christmas eve and gives you a gift, usually someone in your family dressing up.
Gingerbread is not usual on Christmas trees. Tinsel is.
I wrote a good booklet about Norwegian Christmas. I will send it to you if it's intersting.
I would watch another video to learn about Norwegian Christmas.... 😂
Almost excatly the same in Denmark; a fusion of old pagant belives, folkelore and christianity. 👍
Glædelig Jul! 🎄
@@bodilfrausing7966God Jul 😊🌟
Never heard og people going to restaurants and bars on christmas eve. I believe everything is closed.
I wondered about that too.. Where in Norway is anything open on Christmas eve??
Dont learn from someone who doesn’t know what she is talking about 😂😅
Here is the truth:
We invite family over 24th Christmas eve, have fancy dinner and dessert, then open presents.
25th you visit the grandparents: maybe mothers parents on the 25th and fathers parents on the 26th and both days you get good food, cookies and cake etc.
Christmas for Norway is food 3 days in a row. Then a break and another big meal for new year feast dinner usually turkey, then you hang out and wait for new year 00:00 so you can fire up fireworks. Usually all these things have in common formal wear, dinner then dessert then cookies and coffee.
Yes, that's true, but at new Year it is more common to celebrate with friends. But that is also common in other country.
Many Norwegians decorate in early December or whenever they want to, but decorating on the 23rd of December is an old tradition. In the early 80`s when I was a kid, the tree was decorated after the kids had gone to bed so when we got up in the morning on the 24th we were surprised with the tree with the presents underneath. And also we got a small present from a huge knitted sock to keep us busy the most of the day. The big gift-opening event is after dinner in the evening. PS, we also have a Christmas beer calendar for grown kids.. with a case of beers. 24 different beers...
Samme her ;-) God Hjul og godt nytt år
If you are going to learn about Norwegian christmas, learn from a Norwegian! So many things mentioned in this video is wrong.
She's got the Santa thing a little confused. The Nisser that she is referring to (the small ones) are part of our folklore. They live in barns and help out farmers if they are treated well. But yes they are revered and often given treats around Christmas time. If you treat them well they help you keep the farm well maintained is part of the folklore. We do have Santa Claus = Julenissen vs Nisse which are the small ones ;) . So we have Nisse the whole year, but Julenissen is the same as your Santa Claus
I am a Norwegian/American and have lived in both countries since 1951. Moved back and forth 4 times. Have lived in Norway since 1985.
When I lived in Norway in the 60’s the family would gather at my grandparent’s apartment on the 24th. While most of the family was in the living room some of the adults would be in the dining room decorating the Christmas tree behind closed doors. When the tree was ready the double doors would open to reveal the fully decorated tree with live candles as the Christmas tree lights.
We ooed and awed at the tree then the whole family would join hand around the tree and sing Christmas songs. Then came dinner and after dinner opening the presents.
Speaking as someone who actually is Norwegian, we do have «Santa» the Norwegian word is «Julenissen» and the small «Santa’s» are called «nisser». They are not the same thing.
Im Norwegian and would never ever have lutefisk as Christmas dinner, but there are areas in Norway that do, but alot of people would never😂
Most Norwegians open the gifts on the 24 night. Not so many ordinary people go to Restaurants on the Desember 24.
The big Christmas celebration day is Christmas Eve here in Norway and that's when we eat the big Christmas dinner and open presents.
So we already celebrated the big Christmas day last night.
I haven't heard of anyone going out to restaurants and eating on Christmas Eve either, most things are closed then, as far as I've heard. I have no idea where she got that from.
The other days, 25th and 26th are holidays, where you can relax at home with your family, watch movies or visit other extended family members. I've never heard of Norwegians celebrating Christmas and opening presents on 25the here in Norway Eve. But we know that both the English and Americans do that. The whole society and TV are geared towards Christmas Eve being the big Christmas day and that's the tradition.
We decorate with other things much earlier for Christmas at home too. It's only the Christmas tree itself that is decorated on "lille julaften", Little Christmas Eve, the day before Christmas Eve.
We already hang the Christmas star in the window, put up Christmas candlesticks in the windows and many hang lights out in the garden, on trees and bushes or on the house already at the beginning of December. Otherwise, the home inside is often decorated with many other Christmas decorations during December, such as Santa Claus/julenisses and other Christmas decorations. But then on Christmas Eve, it is first customary to decorate the Christmas tree itself.
Regarding Christmas food, it depends a bit on where in the country you live. Those who live in the east usually eat ribs. In the west, where I live, we prefer to eat "pinnekjøtt", with potatoes and kohlrabi stew. In northern Norway, it is more common to have lutefisk.
But it varies a bit, especially if someone in the family comes from a different part of the country than where they live, then it may be that they have the tradition with them and eat what they are used to.
In some families, there can even be a big discussion, if they come from two different parts of the country, about which dinner to have on Christmas Eve. Both want to have what they are used to. I have even heard of people who cook both, to satisfy both. But that is not common.
What is common here in western Norway is that we have pinnekjøtt on Christmas Eve, which is the big Christmas day, and ribs on one of the other Christmas days. I am not used to fish or lutefisk at all, but I know that many people eat it in other places. Maybe here too, I don't know, but I don't know anyone eating it here.
And Santa Claus, there are both. He is always called Julenisse or just Nissen, but we can also have Santa Claus with a red Santa Claus hat, long white beard and red clothes like in America. We have both. I think the elf variation is more from the time before Christianity took over Jule-celebrations. Because before Christianity came, people also celebrated Jul here. That is why we still keep the name Jul and have not replaced it with Chiristams. The Vikings celebrated Jul before Christianity came here. They called it Julegilde and drank a lot of beer and celebrated that the sun turned.
On Christmas Eve, Santa Claus comes knocking and asks if there are any good children here and hands out packages to the children. Then Santa Claus can be either in red clothes, a red Santa hat and a white beard like in America or more like the old Elf-julenisse. The little children are really excited about this. Of course, it is someone in the family who have dressed up as Santa Claus and who then come and hand out the packages to the children, disguised.
And one more thing about Christmas tree decorations in Norway, we usually hang the Norwegian flag on the Christmas tree when we decorate it too.
Otherwise, it was very common to walk around the Christmas tree and sing Christmas songs. When I was growing up, we always did that, but I don't know, I haven't seen much of this in recent years. Maybe it's a tradition that is becoming more and more rare. But some people still do it.
Still God Jul :-) 🎅🧙♂🌲☀
I think walking around the Christmas tree and singing Christmas carols really depends on how big your living room is. Here at our place, there is hardly any room for a proper tree, and no room at all to drag it out on the floor and dance around it.
Some bars may stay open on Christmas Eve and do a special Christmas bar with some food. But they do it for people who have nowhere to go on Chitsmas Eve, to help those who are alone and for others too if they want to. It is open to everyone.
But it is not every year, it depends on the bar owner and their goodwill whether they want to do it or not. It is almost more to be considered as part volunteer work.
In Norway we have both kind of Santa. The smaller one is the traditional one. The fat jolly Santa is integrated and is more modern. I personally grew up with both kind and i am over 30 years now, so it's been around for some time now.
Edit: went and looked it up, the Santa as you know it came to Norway in the 1800 while the small one has been around since the 300.
Might be Julenissen in Norway emerged from Saint Nicolas which again emerged from Dutch immigrants that brought Sinterklaas to America. So the Nissen we now adore is more like a Coca Cola Nisse ...
@@SteifWood Yeah, pretty much. we can all say Fjøsnissen is a much more older tradition and part of our heritage.
Julenissen usually looks like Santa Claus here in Norway. The nisse she is talking about usually lived in the barn or outbuildings of a farm (fjøsnisse). We often mix both of these characters in our christmas decorations.
4:43 she is wrong btw
This is not the total and big picture of Norwegian jul. Just remember that. You only get her version, and she is not a native.
i can tell you a little about my crismas. it starts in the beinning of desember in the start of advent. when the kids in the kindergarden learn and understand a littlebit more about cristmascelebration. i do this also for my own enjoyment ,but the kids also love it. i drive a garbagetruck and i put on the nisselue (hat) before arrival to the kindergarden. at first they all see the big truck in the parkingarea, and the kids are enjoyd just to see this. but when they see me in nisselue and with my long white beard they go crazy in a good way.and the workers in the kindergarden also enjoy this.this is my spesial way to do a little exstra for others and also myself,the rest is like a lot of the comments i been reading.happy cristmas everybody.
Since people would obviously find their christmas tree in the forest back in the day, forest or nature themed ornaments such as birds and mushrooms are common. The birds are usually put higher up in the tree and the mushrooms lower down, which makes sense. And despite what this lady says, garlands is very common on Norwegian christmas trees. Both glass and tinsel ones. They might have gotten less common than before, but a lot of people (me included) still use them.
Julenissen is the norwegian name for santa clause. Which in turn should not be mistaken for the house spirit known as the nisse. Who held a different role in norwegian folklore.
Pepperkake is literally gingerbread cookies.
And cooking and baking is super normal for every year.
Pudding? It is literally porridge. We have a marsipan pig as a reward for finding the hidden almond.
We have Jul, not Christmas
We have julenissen, not Santa clause
And Santa stole the look from our julenisse… there is a meaning behind the colours of the outfit and the flying reindeer.
Ever wondered about why Christmas traditions have reindeer in them, when reindeer are not a normal thing in Europe or America… but they are normal here in Norway, and they like to eat a «food» that is red and white and makes you «fly»
God Jul Tyler 🎉
Thank you! Same to you!
Presents are after dinner on the 24th.
25 & 26 are more family dinners, say with extended family inc uncles and aunts etc…
We do not eat leftovers on 25th but make another feast… our family always do Turkey and smoked ham on 24th and usually the 25th
On 26th usually pinnekjøtt (salted lamb) and laks & gravlaks (salmon).
The 1 thing we know about jul traditionally (from old Norse and Viking times) is that to «drikke jul» was important (to drink jule) so yes jule-beer is important and should be consumed during jule time.
How genius move of you, to just talk about Norway from America. It is 5 million people here, more than enough to make your channel grow. And i enjoy your content very much. From Norway 🇳🇴
this lady has no idea what she is talking about, sounds like she has not even celebrated here once. merry christmas tho, we enjoy watching u learn about our country and traditions :)
We have nisser, and julenissen. One is around all year helping out or playing pranks on you, the other comes around after dinner on the 24th, to give out presents or most commonly, read out the labels on the presents already there under the tree.
Regarding gift opening, most families celebrate together on the 24th, and love watching the children interact with julenissen. And the reason we open our gifts that day is so we can all express our gratitude or disappointments together at that time, but more importantly, to watch the children react to the gifts we gave them. If that was saved till the morning after, we would not get that experience. If there is disappointment, it's usually handled with receipts. "I'm sorry it wasn't what you wanted, I have the receipt so you can exchange it."
The pig that you get as a price for finding the almond in the rice porridge is made of marzipan (Sweet almond paste). Marzipan isn’t really a thing in the US, but it is very common in Europe. It is a mandatory part of the Norwegian christmas candies. It is also common around Easter. Back in the old days pigs would be fattened up throughout the year so that they would be as big as possible right in time for christmas, which is why the pig is a common symbol in the Norwegian christmas traditions. Julegris = christmas pig.
We in Norway selebrate on desember 24.
So the thing about the nisse here in norway is that there are many different types of nisse, we have fjøsnisse (a barn nisse) skipsnisse ( a boat nisse) and kirkenisse (church nisse) along with julenissen
glögg is like red wine with raisins and christmas spices, u cut up almonds in it. sweet and very good, it's a warm drink that everyone needs in their life. Julmust is also great, it's more like a cold drink, think coca cola but with more foam and more of a christmas taste to it.
Julmust is Swedish though, in Norway we have julebrus
We always open presents on Christmas Eve, in the evening, after dinner......NEVER on Christmas morning, that will never happen 😊😂
We also have a lot of Christmas sodas...... and Christmasqas candy/sweets
Most of us make a lot of cakes and cookies for Christmas. Often at least 7 different types.....
Many of us make our own advent calendar with nice 🎁 presents, but we also buy advent calendars.
Norwegians have many different traditions, so we eat different Christmas dinners. In my house we have both pork rib/pork belly and turkey filet on Christmas Eve evening. And also Christmas sausages and pork patties.....a lot of different vegetables, and an insanely delicious gravy 😋
The pork belly/ribs are in the oven for 9 hours, on low temperature...... 😊
Regarding Santa Claus... We do have the same Santa as you do, but in our language it is "Jule Nissen" What the lady speak abouth is that in Norway we also have this dwarf Santa thing we call "Fjøs Nisse" It is a kind of a good spirit that live on farms and help the farmer to get good crops and stuff like this.
Around Christmas we put out a bowl "Ris Grøt" to please this Tiny Santa good, so he give good help the upcomming yeare. Kind of like a sacrefice.
She did forget about watching some specific tv shows like Grevinnen og Hovmesteren (the countess and the butler) and Tre nøtter til askepott (three nuts for Cinderella) and tante pose (auntie bag) and Disneys Jul (Disney’s Christmas)
In Norway, all of the Nordic countries and Germany we celebrate mainly on the 24th - Christmas Eve! Yesterday... We keep celebrating on the 25th and 26th though. Still Merry Christmas! 🎅🏻
That girl seems pretty clueless... 😂
Merry Christmas to you as well!🎄
She is totally clueless. Talking with such confidence😂😂
In Poland too I think.
Had to do this, she got something WRONG!
About Xmas trees, that differ from families to families, I put up my tree in the middle of December, because the kids of the house where I live, are so curious, especially since they have 2 traditions, one Norwegian, and one African. (Three is taken down Jan 6th!)
On the 24th, is where almost all norwegians have, the feast dinner & dessert around 5-6 PM, the gifts after the feast, and where the adults gets all the socks and ties (😂😂😂), and the kids around 1000 gifts.. (it feels like it!)
The 25th and 26th, relaxed days, just enjoys the time with the family and good food!
This is my family's holiday! ❤
I recently came across your videos and have really been enjoying them. This one was no exception, but for some reason, I felt the need to explain that Christmas traditions in Norway can vary greatly from family to family. What is considered a "tradition" for one family may not necessarily be the norm for others. While there are some shared customs, Norwegian Christmas is often deeply personal and shaped by regional, generational, or even individual family preferences.
Apologies in advance for the long comment, but I guess I got a bit carried away explaining Norwegian Christmas traditions.
I've celebrated Christmas in various ways over the years, as I've spent it with different people. The way my family celebrates Christmas begins like this: we wake up early in the morning, stay in our pajamas, and watch Christmas movies like Tre nøtter til Askepott (Three Wishes for Cinderella), Reisen til julestjernen (Journey to the Christmas Star), and Mikke Mus og vennene hans feirer jul (Mickey Mouse and Friends Celebrate Christmas). When we were younger, we also used to go to church, but that's something we haven’t done in recent years. Now, it’s optional. For my family, attending church on Christmas Eve used to be the one day of the year we'd go, but in recent times, we don’t really do that anymore. I’m the odd one out, though, because I sing in a choir, so I'm in church a little more often.
Around 1 PM, after church, the whole family gathers for julegrøt (Christmas porridge meal). Like she explained, we also have risengrynsgrøt (rice porridge) with an almond hidden inside. Whoever finds the almond wins a marsipangris (marzipan pig), which we usually end up sharing. Afterward, everyone goes their separate ways to relax a bit before we get dressed in festive clothes for the big Christmas dinner. The family meets again at 5 PM to watch the Sølvguttene (a boys' choir) singing in Christmas on TV while we drink gløgg (mulled wine, similar to Glühwein). Dinner begins at 6 PM. The host family prepares the meal. The traditional Christmas dinner in my family includes pinnekjøtt (dried lamb ribs), medisterkaker (meatballs), and pølser (sausages), along with sides like kålrabistappe (mashed rutabaga), boiled potatoes, surkål (sauerkraut), tyttebærsyltetøy (lingonberry jam), and gravy. Again, I’m the odd one out since I don’t eat meat, but fish, so I usually have fish, often cod, with the same sides. Important note: NO lutefisk! I'm an adult, but my inner child screams "YUCK!" The drink for dinner is usually Christmas beer and aquavit, or soda. For dessert, we have multer (cloudberries), raspberries from the garden, whipped cream, and various julekaker (Christmas cookies) like sandkaker, krumkaker, and ingefærnøtter.
After dinner, which lasts for a couple of hours, it's time to gather around the Christmas tree and sing Christmas carols. My family is really bad at this because for some reason, we’re terrible at remembering the lyrics to traditional carols, but we try our best. Afterward, we gather around the coffee table, where more julekaker are served, and prepare for gift opening. This takes a ridiculously long time with such a large family, and it often gets really late before we finish. This is where I envy the American tradition of opening presents on the morning of the 25th.
I’ve also celebrated Christmas eve with different friends and their families, each with unique traditions. One year, I spent Christmas with a family at their cabin. We spent most of Christmas Eve skiing and relaxing outdoors before having a low-key vegetarian dinner. Afterward, we opened presents quickly and spent the evening playing board games-a very different experience from my own family’s traditions.
Another year, I celebrated with a friend’s family who lived on a farm. On Christmas Eve, we went into the forest to cut down and decorate a Christmas tree-a tradition they did together on the day itself. Everyone helped prepare the meal, and I got to make caramel pudding for dessert. This family’s teamwork and helpfulness left a lasting impression on me.
In the evening, we enjoyed appetizers of flatbread with smoked salmon and dill pesto, followed by a Christmas dinner with various meat and fish dishes, potatoes, red cabbage, and Brussels sprouts. Unlike my family, they opened gifts quickly and spent more time chatting and enjoying each other’s company, which I thought was lovely.
I’ve also celebrated with another family whose Christmas Eve included lunch with their entire extended family. Dinner was different too, featuring cod with a Christmas sauce and mashed rutabaga, paired with white wine. Afterward, we played trivia and opened gifts while enjoying homemade cherry liqueur and cookies. Everyone later changed into Christmas pajamas, and the evening ended with more wine, trivia and fun conversation. This was another fun and memorable celebration.
So, while the woman in the video shared a lovely example of her experience of Norwegian Christmas, it’s worth noting that every family celebrates a little differently. That’s what makes it so special!
Thanks again for your videos-they’re a joy to watch!
I live in norway, here are a few things:
Like santa clause is a man who comes to your house with gifts. He is not just a small elf. We decorate our house however with small elfs that look like what she described. But us who dont have a farm dont do the pourage thing.
We decorate our house and tree in november like everyone else, not on little christmas eve.
On little christmas eve we just gather, eat dinner, play some games or watch a movie. Many people go light candles on graves then. (at least where i live).
Santaclause comes on the evening on the 24 with the gifts inside to visit people, he talks and interacts with the kids before leaving for the next house.
Also rampenisse is a fun tradition done in most homes: it is and elf who dose mischief in the house ever evening and you see what he has done in the morning.
Most Norwegians opens the gifts in the evening on the 24th, after dinner.
In Norway, the big celebration is in the evening on the 24th.
Almost all the stores are closed on the 25th, but some are open on the 26th.
The thing is, we have advent as a separate season here. So we don't start Christmas early, we just start advent .. when advent starts.
Advent is the last four sundays, so the lights go up and we decorate a little bit with purple (table cloths usually).
We also have the advent calendars, advent calendar lights, four advent lights, etc.
22nd. Deep clean day. The darkest and shortest day of the year, so it fits to have something to do all day.
23rd. Change advent decorations to Christmas ones. Purple to red. Christmas tree goes up, Christmas curtains, tables cloths, etc. Traditionally the advent lights in the windows should be removed at this point, but most people leave them up, since they're pretty.
Also the day of our annual "Kvelden før kvelden" Christmas program. A show full of traditional short programs, celebrity appearances, cooking, decoration tips, music, etc. It's very cosy and relaxed and all the guests just talk and joke around.
24th. Watch traditional films, like Askepott (Czek Cinderella film, dubbed by one Norwegian man), Reisen til Julestjernen (old Christmas movie), as well as Disney's Julekavalkade (a Christmassy collection of Disney short films). Then go have a massive dinner with family, usually at five o'clock, after church (most don't go to church). Then, after dinner, dessert, cake and coffee, we open presents.
My family starts Christmas dinner at 2, which is very unusual, because my aunt and uncle (and formerly my paternal grandparents) have cows and have to tend them betwene dinner and presents. We also open the presents in a very orderly fashion, with one person being the designated "Nisse" (though we never dress up), who goes to get one present at a time, reads the lable and then we all watch the receiver open it. It takes a while, but it's nice to see what everyone gets. There's no pressure to "love" the stuff you get, since we're an extra deadpan family in a pretty deadpan country, so we just say a calm "thank you, that's nice" and leave it at that.
I remember one time, though, when I was maybe six or seven, when my maternal grandparents asked their neighbour to be "Nissen" (the Santa type) for us and they dressed up in the full gear, with a mask and everything, but it fell really flat. Neither my brother, nor I, believed it was real and we were just a bit confused.
since its dark so long, and the lights come up so urly i think the xmas spirit is a bit more noticable here. like we would make xmas decorations in school and kindergarden, and they will usually end up on the tree. but then then you got the grannies and what not that have the fancy glass or crystal birds on theyre trees, as well as many other things like angels and balls. but one thing is for sure, when the darkness settles and the snow starts to fall its all about making it as cozy for the kids every day and just enjoying theyre fun. weather it be building snow forts or watching cartoons with a mug of hot chocolate, or playing boardgames infront of the fireplace.
We got both the Santa Claus and the julnisse. :) Santa brings the presents on the 24th. the julenissar are mostly in peoples gardens or standing in a corner somewhere in your house. or they live under your house and terrorize you until you bring out the porridge. :)
Just to clarify some misinformation about the Norwegian “Julenisse” and “fjøsnisse”. Fjøsnisse is that little short man or woman that people believed to watch over the farm and animals are so old. (Not an Elf!) It’s very old and goes back to old norrøn mythology. The only thing “Julenissen” and “fjøsnissen” have in common is this part of the name “nissen”. Julenissen for Norwegian is the same as Santa Claus, that big old cozy guy with the red costume and long white beard😅 He sometimes ride his slide with reindeer. Reindeer only live in the arctic, like Norway! So there you go it’s a mix of old and new traditions both from USA and Europe (Scandinavia) Merry Christmas 🎅🎄
Santa: "Be good, and I'll give you a present for Christmas."
Norwegian 'fjøsnisse': "Feed me for yule, or else I'll set the livestock free or turn them sick. Arson might also be involved!"
My family's 'julenisse' lives on the mountain top near my mum's house. The kids hang up their wish list in a window facing the mountain, so the 'julenisse' can read it from home.
Classic Christmas desert: cloudberry cream (cream mixed withwhole cloudberries). Yum!
Going out to a restaurant and then a bar with your friends on christmas eve sounds like the most non-norwegian christmas ever fictionally invented.
I’m now going to write the script for my «Portuguese Christmas» youtube-video, based solely on my creative imagination. God jul alle sammen ❤
Christmas marked is often most about homemade stuff like knitted sweaters, mittens and hats (Norway is cold ;) ) and things that people can buy as christmas presents. People can sign up to have a stand at the market, but in Oslo they sell even more quality and more food. It's known that almost every city has Christmas marked =)
The fjøsnisse is a temperamental figure in Scandinavian folklore, known for rewarding kindness and punishing neglect. If treated poorly, he could become vengeful, causing misfortunes like sick animals or broken tools. To keep him content, it was customary to leave out a bowl of porridge on Christmas Eve (julaften), topped with a pat of butter. Forgetting the butter-or worse, neglecting to leave the porridge altogether-was believed to provoke his wrath.
In Scandinavian culture, Christmas Eve has long been the centerpiece of holiday celebrations. Historically, it marked the culmination of Advent, a time of preparation for Christmas. This special evening is filled with cherished rituals, festive meals, and family gatherings, making it the natural occasion for exchanging gifts.
Among the many traditions enjoyed during the holiday season is gløgg, a quintessential Scandinavian mulled drink. Served hot during the winter months, especially at Christmas, gløgg offers a rich, spiced flavor that varies depending on the recipe. It can be made with red wine, a non-alcoholic base like fruit juice, or even spirits such as aquavit or brandy, lending it a delightful versatility.
The Flavors of Gløgg
Gløgg’s taste is a warm and complex harmony of sweet and spicy notes, characterized by:
Spices: Dominant flavors of cinnamon, cardamom, cloves, and ginger create a comforting, aromatic profile.
Fruity Sweetness: Citrus elements, such as orange peel, and dried fruits like raisins contribute a natural sweetness.
Nutty Undertones: Almonds or other nuts are often included, adding texture and a subtle nuttiness.
Rich Depth: When prepared with wine or spirits, gløgg boasts a bold, warming richness balanced by sugar or honey.
Customizable Additions: Some versions include a splash of brandy or aquavit for a stronger, more festive kick.
Whether enjoyed as part of a cozy family gathering or paired with traditional Christmas treats like gingerbread cookies (pepperkaker), gløgg embodies the essence of Scandinavian winter celebrations
7:39 no it’s not the same santa as santaclaus. We have nisser, and we have julenissen aka santaclaus. So yes, we have the big jolly santa aswell but an old tradition is that he is a little scary. So when we dress up as santa we dont always talk to the kids, we give em presents while acting a little sketchy. Sometimes we try to put the kids in the bag if they arent to scared. It’s what makes long lasting memories and kinda magical
The little goblins may look a bit like Santa, but noooooo. They are magical and helps out - IF you treat them right. Or you're in trouble! Christmas is very simalar, but dinner is Christmas eve, and so is presents, and some of us DO start a bit too early....like me! ;p
Some rambly info on the santa situation:
Santa is a very christian and american thing, while norwegian christmas tradition goes back way before any of that. Christmas is still called jul (you might’ve heard of yule, that word is derived from jul or jól) which was a winter soltice celebration. Gift giving was a part of it already in ancient times, but instead of santa, there was Odin (sometimes nicknames the julfather). The gnomes are associated with the winter seasons, but are not replacements for santa as the gift giving has always been person to person. The idea of santa as you know it now is directly imported from america, though very popular for kids. The nisse/nisser archetype are more associated with mischevious or helpful spirits from late medieval and early modern history. If you set out porridge for them, they fix your tools and house. If you don’t, they might leave doors unlocked and let mice in. Think of them as house spirits, though they sometimes also live in the woods as protectors.
Nisse lore aside, as others have noted she gets a lot of things wrong. She mentions a lot of real things, but she is clearly in the same boat as you where she still interperates a lot rather than actually having the knowledge.
Regarding things like eating out, I think she’s confusing it with julebord. Nothing is open on christmas eve. However, you do eat christmas food and go bar hopping during advent as part of a julebord (christmas table), like a pre-christmas party usually with friends or coworkers
She also missed a lot of things. No mention of dancing around the christmas tree, no mention of church culture, no mention of other types of christmas food (game meat, grouse, ham steak, turkey and more). Didn’t mention even a quarter of the desserts (cookies are not dessert. There are a lot of traditional christmas cookies and an ideal is to bake 7 different kinds throughout advent. These are to have as a treat by themselves or with coffee after dessertor whenever you feel like having a festive snack). Her mentioning only gingerbread was frankly an insult
... she forgot that ribbe takes 3-5 hours to make, that many Nordlendinger prefer cod and ofc, some can drink too much aquavit ...
There’s a Christmas movie called «There’s something in the barn» from 2023. This is a about fjøsnissen (barnelf). It’s a Norwegian movie but they speak English. On Christmas Eve Santa Claus (julenissen), visits with presents for the children. The jolly old Coca Cola Santa you have in the US.
Fjøsnissen lives in the barn and can do mischief if you don’t give him porridge on Christmas. If you treat him good he will help with things around the farm. You will most likely never see him though. 😄
merry xmas and a happy new year from Scandinavia!
The tradition for many was to set up and decorate the Christmas tree on Christmas Eve. In my family we still do it, but I see that many neighbors do it from 1/12 until Little Christmas Eve. And many have the tradition of keeping the Christmas tree standing until what many call the 13th day of Christmas or the 20th day of Christmas. But many people remove the tree already a few days after the New Year. AND at the same time as decorating the Christmas tree, the home is also decorated, so Christmas Eve is a difficult day for most people, and in the middle of this, there are also some dishes that have to be prepared for Christmas Eve already. When I was a child, the family had a large living room, which was only used on major occasions, and of course at Christmas. And back then, we kids weren't allowed to go up to the great room for the last three days before Christmas, so on Christmas Eve we were allowed to go up to the great room, and then everything was decorated and ready for Christmas Eve, with a decorated tree and packages under the tree. Large Christmas decorations on the tables. Christmas decorations in the windows, and lots of Christmas flowers, such as poinsettia+++.
This lady has done minimal research before making a video.. 🙈
Our santa is similar to the american santa, only he comes to visit on christmas eve in stead of down the chimney in the morning christmas day.
Christmas lights come up on first advent sunday.
We use tinsel and various ornaments, nobody I've ever heard of puts cookies in the tree 😆😆 some people make huge heart cookies to hang in the window.
The tree is traditionally taken down after 13 days, on 3 kings day.
The tree should be decorated until the 20th day of Christmas, which is January 13. That's why many people make mistakes.
We have Santa Claus here in Norway, but we also have "fjøsnisser". Saint Nicholas is based on Christian tradition. Fjøsnissene, as depicted here, is more a Norwegian thing.
Its most common to open presents in the Christmas evening with the ones you are spending the evening with 😊 And we DO have Santa, who is giving presents on the Christmas evening, called "jule-nissen" who is NOT THE SAME as farm (gårds) nissen. Gårdsnissen or what some kids calls "rampenissen" is the one who play tricks and mess around in the house during december 😊 But i am actually a bit shocked that americans dont have these star decorations, "jule-stjernen" (Christmas star) 😮😮
She first talks about Santa Claus and mixes in the farm elf. If you go to a shopping center, the Santa in Norway looks exactly like the Santa in the USA, big and fat, with a long red cloak, black belt, lots of white beard, and a great Santa hat on top. But as you can see now, there are more type of goblins in Norway. You have Santa Claus, you have the farm Santa. The farm elf is a little thief, he can come up with "almost ruining Christmas, but only almost. >That's why the farmer has to take extra good care of his animals all year round, otherwise the farm elf comes and does mischief. Many people have experienced getting sour milk on the table at Christmas, some animals may be missing for a few days++++ And if you make a big ball of porridge on Christmas Eve and put it out in the barn on Christmas Eve, you will probably rather experience that Gårds Santa can be kind, for example, the cows may have been milked when you come out one morning. The animals may have been fed and brushed. So never mix up the farm Santa and Santa Claus.
We have the Christian advent light traditions from old. But we have jazzed it up quite a bit with our outdoor lighting over the past 25 years or so. A lot of cities and towns have car free city centres and shopping walkways that would be pitch black hour before the stores close, and we enjoy going shopping here, at least some of our gifts. (There's nothing Christmasy about doing all of your Christmas gift shopping at Temu and Amazon.) A lot of women often meet their girlfriends for shopping and lunch or dinner. It's nice to have the shopping street decorated in December, and since we barely see daylight in December and January at all, the lights really help taking some of the gloom of the darkness. We decorate and light our Christmas trees (at home) on the 23rd because that's when Christmas starts. Really young kids get their visit from Julenissen (Santa Claus), but all the other smaller nisse-folk are part of the pre-Christian, Norwegian folklore and tradition, related to winter solstice.
No, most restaurants and pubs are closed after 17.00 when the bells ring to start christmas.
We are used to have real conifers trees inside, and they would not last till 24th if you put it up 1st of December, so yeah... we decorate the tree on "lille julaften" (the day before the big day).
Actual lights made of wax was obviously the only solution before electricity was a thing. But now pretty much everyone used electric or battery lights for the sake of safety. Electric lights might be shaped like actual candles to look authentic, but are of course made of plastic and/or glass.
Julenissen is the santa in Norway 🇳🇴 😅🎅 But yes, we also have the gnome’s who watches over our farms and the farmer need to keep him/her happy throughout desember 😂 but that’s only on farms 😊 and yes we have julegrøt party every 23. desember . And we Winn a marsipan big in chocolate 😄 not a real pig 😝🙃 and we decorated our Christmas tree that day too ❤no, we have our stockings hanging outside of our bedroom door ! So we can’t wait to wake up and see what kind of candy is innside of the stocking ❤ we have Christmas on the 24.desember after dinner! NEVER on 25.!
I don’t know anyone in Norway that opens their presents on the 25. of December. And yes the adults drink egg likør ☺️ Gløgg is like te, but just whit Christmas taste 🥰 Sending all my love and support from Norway 🇳🇴 ❤
Nissen is not only found on the farms, where he lives in the barn. He can also be in the wood/tool shed on the property, out in the woods or even in fishing boats and ships. They all have in common that they help with various tasks as long as they get a proper meal on Christmas Eve, and you otherwise treat them with respect.
We used to wait until des.23 to decorate the christmastree when i was a kid....... it was tradition for many many years.As a adult i usualy have it up by the 15 th of des. I have to, to get finished with everything in time. But i know many people put it up already des.1 or by the the first sunday in advent. I buy chocolate adventcalender for 20 kr.....i have a fake tree...we open gifts the 24th after dinner.....and we always have a homemade meal...the 24,25,26,31 and the 1 jan. I always make homemade eggsalad (for bread at breakfast) and i need to buy and boil a Kjøttrull (that also for breakfast) 🎅 Merry christmas from Norway 🤶
As a Norwegian, if you wanna learn about a culture, you go to the source, not outsiders/foreigners who didn’t grew up in the culture with these exact traditions. Outside perspectives are of course like your own Tyler, when lacking the cultural awareness, heavily culturally biased and therefore can distort the actual truth. It’s not about her not being Norwegian by nationality or ethnicity, but whether she actually shares misinformation or facts. Assumptions and misunderstandings as well as opinions aren’t facts. Sure it’s fun to hear what foreigners have to say, but if you want the 1st hand knowledge due to 1st hand experience, you ask a Norwegian or use Norwegian sources! Foreigners always do this, they use these videos about Norway made by fellow foreigners, and in most cases 99% of it is wrong, or twisted wether it’s due to political propaganda or to muddle the right narrative to fit their own. And everyone who tried to come for me on the basis of my skin color and ethnic appearance, I’m adopted. I’m Norwegian by law, I grew in the culture with the same traditions if not more, speaking the same language as my fellow Norwegian peers. Only difference is the lack of melanin.
Not everyone take the christmas tree at 23 December, my parents did it around 19-20 december, People do it different here! At the candles and and every adventcalender in Norway we have date 01 - 24 December, It is chrismas for us 24th december, where we open our presents that day :) and 25th are named first christmas day, snd 26th are named second christmas day. We have never been on a resturant at christmas eve, In Norway some of us eat christmas dinner like pinnekjøtt, ribbe, lutefisk, and more.
We had pinnekjøtt yesterday at christmas :) We open the presents after we have eating dinner.
Merry christmas(God Jul) Tyler! I like to watch your videos, and even I learn things about my country Norway that I didn't know before! Thank you! :)
I have never seen a mushroom on a Christmas tree 😜 . Many have stockings for christmas morning.
Traditionally, we open gifts after dinner on christmas Eve, but many ppl now start to go for the american way. Much because if the children open toys, they should have time to play with them afterwards. If they open at night, it's almost straight to bed afterwards :P
Gløgg is a warm drink made of red wine, and you add nuts and stuff in it. It's as she says a version of the british mulled wine.
Gingerbread = pepperkake, made of syrup, ginger, pepper, cinnamon, crushed clove, etc.
I don’t know anyone that does it in the morning. They just eat dinner earlier and the kids are up a little bit later than usual
@Miamia_01 I do. Also, one family that open only the gifts that are from the ppl they are celebrating with. And open the others when they are with the persons that gift is from. But, yes, the majority opens in the evening.
The restaurant thing is totally wrong. Noone goes to a restaurant. The bus will not even go. Everything is closed past 5 /17.00. And yes, the church bells will ring 3 times at 17.00 because the latest church service is from 16-17. Some people will celebrate Christmas Eve at the hytte but most have a bigger home so usually at home.
Mushrooms? I've spent most of my life in Norway, and she must have indulged in a more special kind of mushroom if she's seen mushrooms on a Christmas tree :)
we had mushrooms
You find the amanita muscaria everywhere in the norwegian christmas theme..
@@havardpedersen1138 Oh, the "fluesopp". My bad. Never ingest that. Unless you plan to invade Britannia after a row across the North Sea, right? Merry Yule :)
@@CM-ey7nq
A highly medicinal mushroom - most misunderstood thing on the whole planet.
Check out The Pharmacratic Inquisition.
Not saying it's all true, but too many peculiarities there not to be something to it.. come on, even santa is red and white 😉
-----
@madsimusnuo
-----
- As did we back in the day...
Traditions boil down to where you are in Norway, and the generational shift also influences traditions.
-----
In Scandinavia, we mostly celebrate Christmas on the 24th with food and gifts, as many of the traditions come from before we became Christians and at that time the day and night changed when the sun went down.
speaking personally, ending the 24th of december without touching the presents would be Wrong. they are the perfect end to a day celebrated With The Family. Born to it, Married into it or just a bunch of really close friends...you exchange presents in the evening while staying in the same home on the 24th, you're a family.
Hi and Merry Christmas from Lofoten Islands.
First: Christmas is based upon the Norwegian viking tradition jól or jólablót and was the pagan sacrificial celebration of midwinter in the Nordic countries and a lot of the traditional celebrating have roots from this.
It is believed that it began with a celebration in the home that lasted several days. It then continued with cultic acts such as blotting, that is, sacrificing animals, objects, food or drink. An important element was also drinking beer in honor of the gods to promote annual growth and peace. Some researchers believe that the festival had many features reminiscent of ancestor worship, and that it was held for the dead who returned to their old homes during the darkest time of winter. The custom of leaving candles burning on Christmas night and leaving food out has been preserved right up to our time. Beds were left empty so that the dead could use them, and people themselves slept on the floor the night between Christmas Eve and Christmas Day. The oldest Norwegian Christmas celebration is also interpreted as the end of a festive period with slaughtering and brewing. Christmas became a celebration where symbolic actions, such as lying in straw on Christmas Eve and setting up a Christmas tree, were supposed to increase the chances of good crops in the coming year.
Some of the customs from this old celebration have survived with partly new content within the framework of the Christian Christmas celebration, such as the ritual drinking of beer (now: Christmas Soda).
According to old folk belief, Christmas, and especially Christmas Eve, was the time when supernatural beings had more freedom of action than usual, due to the darkness. The dead sought to return to their homes on Earth, and people had to protect themselves against the åsgårdsreia, the riding retinue of beings that travel through the air, by painting tar crosses over doors and on beer barrels. One of the underground beings who traveled during Christmas was the nissen (the barn nissen).
According to Norwegian folklore, the Åsgårdsreia or oskoreia are a noisy group of ghosts or spirits - ghosts, fighters, murderers, drunkards, deceivers, lewd women, goblins and trolls - who at Christmas time ride through the air on fire-breathing horses, led by Guro Rysserova (Rumpe-Guro).
Some claim that Christmas was a celebration in honor of the return of the sun. Others have interpreted the first Christmas celebration as a fertility celebration because a number of cultic acts with vegetation symbols play a large role in the old customs. Decorating with greenery such as juniper and spruce branches indoors at Christmas was common from ancient times, and this has been interpreted as symbols of growth that promoted well-being and fertility. Some researchers have believed that the Yule goat is also an expression of a fertility cult. This was a goat that was slaughtered at Christmas for a good year.
Food:
Until the Reformation in the 16th century, there was Lent until Christmas Day. At this time, meat could not be eaten, but fish was okay. In many places, fish has therefore been a common food on Christmas Eve: fresh fish in the fjord regions and lutefisk (en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lutefisk) or rakfisk (en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rakfisk) in the inland areas. Milk soup or porridge was often served, a tradition that is still maintained, for example, in Nord-Østerdal and parts of Trøndelag, where sour cream porridge and fish are considered festive food.
Christmas porridge as such is still an important tradition for many. As with everything else, one should serve “the finest one had” for Christmas. For a long time, this was sour cream porridge or barley flour porridge. It took a long time before “most people” could get their hands on rice, and this exclusivity may have contributed to rice porridge becoming Christmas porridge in many homes. Some ate porridge in the morning, others had it before or after dinner in the evening.
There are reliable sources that pinnekjøtt, or sheep's ribs, were used as Christmas food in the 18th century, but it was probably common even earlier than that, since salting and smoking are preservation methods that go back a long way.
Roasted pork ribs with medister cakes and sausages, which are today the most popular Christmas food in Norway, are of much more recent date. It was only when the stove came into use that people had the opportunity to roast ribs in an oven pan in the oven.
Mølje/mølja/mylja/mille/mell has been a common Christmas food in several places in the country. Fiskemølje is most widespread along the coast, and especially in the northernmost counties, while kjøttmølje is more common in inland villages. Then you break up the flatbread into a dish or plate and pour hot stock over it. From Sogn og Fjordane, stock after boiling sheep's head, for example, is mentioned as the usual stock for the mill, while from Akershus it is said that the pickled stock was particularly good, but that stock after boiling roulade, tongue or ribs was also common.
There are many Christmas markets in the USA. Carmel, Indiana's Kristkindlmarkt begins near Thanksgiving each year.
We eat at home. All restaurants here in my town are closed both 24th and 25th.
We eat at 5pm on the 24th, then open gifts after. Often getting midnight before the gifts are done.
Ribbe is too fatty for most so we have turkey.
We have a proper tree.
Christmas beer is dark redish with a more caramelly flavour to match the more fatty Christmas foods. It should also be drank with Akkevitt whick is a potato based liquor that is "good" for digestion.
Merry Christmas, Tyler ! I'm enjoying some beers and and some roastbeef sandwiches right now, bro' ☃🎁🎀 Keep it up !
There's a lot of Sons of Norway clubs in the US you can visit and eat traditional Norwegian food. Just search for the nearest club where you're at, and see if you can find one. It's mostly Americans with Norwegian heritage there. 👍 🇳🇴
‘’Gløgg’’is a type of mulled wine. You can make it from scratch, but it is more commonly store bought as a bottled syrup. You dilute the syrup in water and then heat up before drinking it. It has kind of a spiced flavor with a mix of tangy and sweet. It is common to put chopped almond pieces and raisins in it, but you don’t have to do that.
Imagine what foods Norwegians had in the olden days. What foods were possible to grow here during summer, and how long into the winter and spring could they make this foods last, for themselves and their animals? 😮
With limited conservatives.
If we imagine the times before most anything were imported.
What could they make from animals and animals own products like milk and eggs?
What could nature offer like berries, nuts, seeds, herbs and mushrooms?
And then we add new foods and recipes when Spices,
were imported.
Malt.
And sugar, and coffee,
Rice
Chocolate, cacao.
A lot of our traditions is based on this. And nostalgia comes from eating and drinking these foods and drinks. E if you make it from scratch or almost from scratch. 😊😊
And then little by little, so many foods from warmer places and far away, came,
and now most everyone can afford most everything,
And we can eat anything even in winter and spring.
Also electricity played a big part in what one could conserve and cook and bake! ❤
For Christmas many of us wants the old good memories jogged! 😅❤😊
Luckily it is not so frowned uppon anymore to go for the easy options. The less time consuming. And what ever options you may prefer.
Nice!
Good to get rid of some of the needless expectations and shame.
We open gifts at 24 in the evening . No one is going to restaurants in christmas eve. But some pubs are open for people that are lonley in christmas
Before the 23. we traditionally have advent decorations in our homes. The colour of advent is purple/violet. And maybe silver as well.
We’re talking table clothes, sometimes curtains, and a 4 candle decoration.
Often inherited beautiful handcrafted pieces. Or crafted by your children in school.
On the first Sunday of December we light the first candle. On the Second Sunday we light the first and the second candle, and so on. It’s a countdown for Christmas eve. The 24’th.
There is even a song and a poem that some families and schools sing or read pr candle.
In the Christian tradition,
(which was added to the native Norwegian religious tradition, back in the day. Well added too, or tried to replace with. Which to some are very provocative, and to others very welcomed.)
The advent time is supposed to be a time of waiting and longing and building up excitement, joy and expectation for Jesus’s birth and the light he brought.
So, it’s a count down for Christmas, and in the old native tradition a celebration of the sun turning. Meaning the day light will become longer and longer. The temperature warmer and eventually the crops possible to grow.
The two religious traditions are also why have we have two types of «nisser». The «santa gnomes» and the Santa Claus, from the Catholic Christian branch.
From the 23. the decorations traditionally go from purple and silver to red, green and gold. 😊 again often inherited Princes.
In the modern day many wish to choose decoration styles and Colours of their own, and the Christmas markets and stores offer a huge variety of decore! 😊
In Christmas markets you often get home crafted products. Decor, food and candy.
And of course candles. We used to need the candles for warmth and light,
Now we need them for coziness and to brighten our spirits.
I imagine that the extra decor and candles were for this purposes in the old days too. Because they definitely increased the coziness and hope and endurance a lot for this month. A highlight at the middle of the long cold dark winter.
But man is January, February and March rough!! Then and now.
The Christmas decorations were suppoesd to be up in til the thirteenth day of Christmas.
Pepperkake= peppercake is the Norwegian version of gingerbread. It’s pretty much identical, and a staple of the Norwegian Christmas.
She is so wrong. What kind of Norwegian does she know? It must be some gang of foreigners 😂
She has been shown before and she says a lot of incorrect things. Sadly. It would be better if she said, some people do it like this, we do it like that.
1:23 No, not the end of November, December 1st, for Advent. They may hang them a little before, so they’re ready for advent though… Just practical. That is also when the towns light their big town christmas trees. The holiday starts on December 24th at 17:00 (5 p.m.), so that is when everybody traditionally starts dinner, so then the whole country goes silent! After dinner and dessert, there’s a little break (which the kids haaate and the adults try to teasingly make longer). Then coffee and at least 7 types of cookies and home made christmas snacks and fruit comes on the table and the unpacking of presents start. When I grew up we also hang a sock on the wall which Santa Claus filled with goodies and something small during the night (in addition to coming during the night before), for the kids to open in the morning on Christmas Day. I don’t think this is that common anymore though. Oh well, it makes sense that Santa starts up north, then does the rest of the world afterwards… 😉😂❤❤❤
I don't know your age, but back in 1950-70, I never see stocking to empty on 25th. That comes after TV be more common and kid see this in American movies.
8:32 she is wrong now too
The amanita muscaria is all around in the norwegian christmas theme.. originally, the whole celebration probably revolved around this mushroom...
in my city of Bergen we have our own gingerbread city, a copy of bergen made of gingerbread. we do it every year.
Merry XMas & Happy holiday! Some more info: Santa Claus = JuleNissen, we have "him" in Norway too. What she tried to explain is that we have folklore about some small peoples living in the woods called "Nisser" (ending "r" give plural, an "n" s spesific one), kind of mix between elf and goblin, where have a resemblance of Santa, red pointy headpiece and bearded. Christmas trees often get decorated 23th, not a strict rule though but often done then due to a kind of getting in the Christmas mood and spirit. Particularly in larger cities then many use artificial/plastic trees, apparently have been a reduction trend in use of actual trees sold. Ornaments for a tree can vary, no strict rules there either, except preferable have lights (electrical candles), normally reuse next year with sometimes some new. We have a saying that Christmas last until Eastern, but normally a tree is removed some time in January. Advent lights is a religious tradition, originally are to read a certain poem for each lighting. Presents after dinner at 24th, less stress for kids too when to sleep, along overall use 1st Christmas day (25th) to relax and kids can play with the gifts. Christmas drink are called "Gløgg", several versions of spicy "toddy" or punch, can put wine in it. Often add some raisins and crushed almonds (often prepared as a mix) to the cup, no particularly rule on when to consume it during Christmas time. Rarely use eggnog, many know about it by movies/series probably. Dinner food traditions varies, some even have the frozen pizza Grandiosa, assumed heated before eaten. XD
There are a number of things that are not quite right, we decorate the Christmas tree 2-3 weeks before Christmas Eve and in my family, Santa Claus is the same in Norway as in the US, he comes through the chimney, but he also comes when we call him, he comes with a large sack on the back with presents for all the children on Christmas Eve. We have always used real trees in my family. Merry Christmas to all of you in the US 🎅
Decorating for Christmas early, I imagine inspire people to do their Christmas shopping earlier also.
It definitely get you into that Christmas spirit when you are out seeing the streets and malls decorated in shiny and sparkly decoration.
Idk how many actually make their own advent calendar though. I only know that my mom did because she liked sewing. I got the impression that gift calendars that you can buy are popular. Every toystore got them. And grocery stores also got their own larger chocolate or candy type advent calendar.
After Halloween your good to go, as we don’t have thanksgiving. So yeah when it gets dark bring out the Christmas lights👌
1 December we have Christmas music, Christmas soda and candy that is only for Christmas time. Advent calendar bought or homemade. Every sunday we light 1 of 4 candles. 13 of december we have baked goods called: lussekatter.
23 is the day before Christmas.
24th is Christmas eve and we have family over, dinner and presents opened together and formal wear.
25th and 26 is called 1st and 2nd Christmas day and is for visiting family.
The small santa's are caled elves and we do have a normal Santa but hes not that popular
half of what she said was wrong... ask norwegians how they celebrate christmas, you might get some correct answers instead
-----
@thcredeye4016
-----
- A lot of what she said I can relate to or have heard about over the years...
Clearly, your experiences are different.
-----
Most put lights on trees in start of December. December is also the only month when shops are allowed to be open on Sundays. Adventcalendar.. well, in our family we have never made adventcalendar like that.. we just buy the chocolate.
Christmas Eve tradition:
12: Eat porridge with cinnamon and sugar (not a pudding dish. its the only dish we eat that contains rice)
14: Donald Duck introduces Christmas on tv... Tradition each year!
17: Eat Christmas dinner
19: Open presents
21: Eat cakes, and cookies, watch movie on TV, play with presents you've got
Christmas Day tradition:
11: Christmas brunch.. you don't eat breakfast as this is a feast during the daytime. very calm day.
Fjøsnisse og Hasle Nisse, .. we have santa too…
We have RISENGRYNSGRØT with cinnamon and sugar on top.
On 23 desember evening or 24 desember to lunch
The best dessert are RISKREM WITH BERRYSAUCE.
To dinner on christmas eve we have Ribbe (pig), Pinnekjøtt (lamb), or Lutefisk. This three are most used in Norway.
The candle with every day on it is just a marked candle. It sells well if it is Christmas related. The 4 candles every Sunday is lit because of christian tradition yes. We dont really do the stockings instead we do that Christmas stocking with candy in the edge of your bed when you wake up 1 of January.
Traditionally, decorating would be done on ‘’lille julaften’’, December 23rd. My grandmother would even decorate the tree on the morning of the 24th. That’s when actual Christmas or ‘’Jul’’ (as we say in Norway) starts. The time before that is ‘’advent’’ which is when you have the advent calendars, candles and the advent star in the window. Maybe some red flowers or small trinkets, but the actual decorating is supposed to be done closer to the start of actual Christmas. Nowdays most people will decorate much earlier though. The problem with decorating too early is that it might loose a bit of the magic, and you also risk getting tired of it all too early. The late decorating is also something that has practical roots from back in the day, when things were not as easy as it is now. People needed to be done with all the other chores and preparations before they could even think about decorating. Things like food preparation, baking, cleaning, farm work etc).