Norway Local Custom Tips by FletteMette

In Norway we have two types of "nisse" - the traditional one is a very short, stocky guy, usually living in the barn or stable, where he's looking after the animals - every farm in Norway has its own nisse. The nisse can be quite mischievous, playing tricks on people, hiding car keys & such, especially if he doesn't get his bowl of hot porridge on Christmas Eve. Every Christmas Eve a large bowl of hot porridge should be brought to the barn, and left overnight - the nisse will party through the night, the bowl will be empty the next morning - and the farm's nisse will be happy & content for another year... ;o)

The traditional nisse always wears a red woolen hat, and usually knee-pants and a knitted, woolen sweater - and he has a long white beard. The traditional nisse is an old figure, existing long before Christianity. Our Norwegian nisse is still commonly seen around Christmas time, even though his cousin, the American style Santa, does make an appearance here as well. Santa is also called nisse in Norwegian - they are competing for attention at Christmas...;o)

On Christmas Eve, the nisse brings gifts to the kids, in a huge sack carried over his shoulder - he'll knock on the door some time after the Christmas Dinner, asking if there are any well-behaved children present. (often scaring the crap out of the kids in the process...;o)

Oh, and contrary to what the Finns say: the *real* nisse / father Christmas / Santa doesn't live in Finland (and not on the North Pole either!) - he lives in Norway, and this is his postal address if you want to send him your wish list: Julenissen, 1440 Drøbak, Norway. If you don't believe me you can visit him and see for yourself - in Drøbak, a small coastal town just south of Oslo.

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Website: http://www.julehus.no/sak/000003.asp

Perhaps I should put this tip under the "Warning & dangers" category, but...here it goes.. :o)

Trolls are some of the most well-known creatures of Norwegian folk tales, they live in the forests and inside mountains - and they turn to stone if exposed to sunlight. (This is actually why Norway has so many mountains - all those petrified trolls...) They might abduct children - and they are particularly fond of kidnapping princesses. The trolls are quite naive and not particularly bright, so they're often fooled by clever humans.

A troll is usually huge (but not always!), perhaps with a spruce tree or two growing on top of its big, warty nose - some even have multiple heads. (And if you chop one off, three more will grow back...) They all have coarse, scruffy hair, and a long tail. A troll only has four fingers on each hand, and four toes on each foot - so counting fingers is always a good way of telling a troll from a human, if you're in doubt...;o)

Trolls are probably the most popular Norwegian souvenir - they come in all sizes and shapes, and are available in all souvenir stores.

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In Norway, there's a law known as "Allemannsretten", "Everyman's right" - which states that everyone has the right to hike or ski anywhere on uncultivated private land (and also on cultivated private land between October 30th and April 15th, provided the ground is frozen or covered in snow). This was originally a traditional right, but now it's part of the legislation.

You may put up a tent practically wherever you want on uncultivated land, as long as you stay at least 150 meters away from the nearest house or cabin - if you want to stay for more than two nights in the same place, you have to ask the landowner's permission. (Except in the mountains and in very remote areas) (But it *is* always polite to ask, even if you're only staying for one night!) Make sure you are not causing any inconvenience to the land owners or others.

Remember that this right is based on respect for the nature and the countryside - visitors must always show consideration for the farmers and property owners, for other users, and for the environment. Never leave anything behind, always take your rubbish back with you, don't disturb or damage the environment, livestock or wildlife. Open fires are not permitted in or near forested areas between April 15th - September 15th. The "Right of Access" does not apply to motorized vehicles...;o)

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Website: http://www.environment.no/templates/themepage____2147.aspx

Wine, liquor and beer stronger than 4.75 volume percent can only be purchased in the state-owned Vinmonopolet stores (literally "The Wine Monopoly") - in the supermarkets you'll only find beer and alcopops.

Alcohol taxes in Norway are sky-high - the taxes and the Vinmonopol are supposed to keep the alcohol consumption at a low level. The first Vinmonopol was established in 1922, and today there are less than 200 Vinmonopolet outlets in Norway - which means that in the countryside you might have to travel quite a distance to get to one.

The legal drinking age is 18 for beer, wine and liquor with an alcohol content up to 22 volume percent, and 20 for stronger liquor. Shops will ask for an ID if you look somewhat youngish. Many supermarkets are open until 22 - but be aware that you will not be able to buy any alcohol after 20 on weekdays, 18 on Saturdays - they'll cover up the beer / alcopop section of the shop, and they will *really* not let you buy the stuff, even though you *know* it's there... :o) No alcohol can be bought on Sundays (But we're still only talking "home consumption" here). The Vinmonopol outlets usually close between 16.30 and 18 weekdays, 15 on Saturdays - but some close even earlier.

If you're travelling to Norway and visiting some of us locals, know that a gift from the tax free shop is usually very welcome;o)

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Website: http://www.vinmonopolet.no/

Smoking is banned in common areas in public buildings in Norway - and in restaurants, bars and pubs. The ban was introduced in June 2004 - and despite previous protests by worried restaurant owners, it has been very successful. In polls, more than 3 out of 4 Norwegians say they approve of the smoking ban. (And 1 out of 4 Norwegians smoke... ;o)

The Norwegian government says that the ban was introduced to protect people working in the catering industry from the effects of second-hand smoke - but I guess they also hoped more people would quit smoking.

Many restaurants / pubs do have outdoor areas for smokers, often with roofs and even heating - where you may see smokers huddling together in cold winter nights..;o) I don't smoke, so I guess it's no surprise that I'm a big fan of the smoking ban - to me it's great to be able to go to a café or a pub without ending up smelling like an ashtray.

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Norway has quite a few public holidays, and on these days most (if not all) shops are closed, public transport is fairly limited and many restaurants are closed. You will find that some petrol stations (which also sell basic groceries etc) are open even on public holidays.

Jan 1: New Year’s Day
May 1: International Workers' Day
May 17: Constitution Day
Dec 25-26: Christmas. Many Norwegians also have Christmas Eve (Dec 24th) off work - or only work half-day on Christmas Eve. All shops close early on Christmas Eve and New Year's Eve, often at noon or 13.

Movable public holidays:

Easter: Holy Thursday, Good Friday, Easter Sunday, Easter Monday
Ascension - 40 days after Easter, always on a Thursday. Many Norwegians make this a four day weekend, and there's always heavy traffic (and long ferry queues!) on Norwegian roads before and after this weekend.
Pentecost: Sunday and Monday - 50 days after Easter Sunday.

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The Norwegian Constitution Day on May 17th is a celebration of the day in 1814 when Norway’s constitution was signed.

The day is celebrated in every city and tiny village across the country - in the morning all the schoolchildren parade through their town or local community, singing, shouting and waving their flags - walking behind colorful banners that represent either their school or their class. Marching bands play.

Everyone dresses up - many wear our colourful national costumes. After the Children's Parade, people usually gather in the school-yards for further celebrations: speeches, games for the kids, and food. The 17th of May is primarily the children's day - filled with ice cream, cotton candy, balloons and games. In most cities there are additional parades, usually in the afternoon, where all kinds of clubs & organizations take part - usually with a humouristic aspect. Notice the russ - 18-year-olds dressed in red, partying and celebrating having finished 13 years of school. (The russ might appear somewhat calm & quiet on the 17th - but that's only because they've been up all night (and quite possibly the night before, too) partying... ;o)

The 17th of May offers an opportunity to sample some of the traditional Norwegian dishes - such as "Rømmegrøt", a sour-cream porridge, served with cured meat. Salmon is also a National Day favourite.

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There are many different styles of the Norwegian national costume - bunad - the designs vary considerably from region to region of the country, but each region or city strictly follow their own specific design rules. Some bunads follow old local traditions, other models are reconstructions made in the 20th century, relying on local and historical material.

The bunads are entirely hand-made, with elaborate embroidery and silver or gold jewelry. A bunad never goes out of fashion, and can last a lifetime - some are even inherited.

Usually people get a bunad from the area they, or their ancestors, come from - so by looking at a person's bunad, you might be able to tell which part of the country they identify themselves with... (Even though some just pick a design they fancy)

Most Norwegian women (and an increasing number of men) own a bunad - we wear our bunads on the National Day (17th of May) and often at weddings and other celebrations - the bunads are fully recognized as gala costumes.

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Website: http://www.husfliden.no/husa/PageMaker.aspx?PageContainerID=5011&LanguageID=2&guid=1

When you're visiting a Norwegian home, always take your shoes off in the hallway immediately inside the front door - it is considered pretty impolite to keep them on inside the house. (Actually, it's *very* impolite... :o) Norwegians don't wear shoes inside the house - some might put on slippers, but most just wear socks.

When walking / driving / busing to a party at someone's home, we'll often wear boots or whatever - and pop on the high heels when we arrive at our host's house. The roads and pavements of Norway are snowy, slushy, icy or wet for a considerable part of the year - and shoes do tend to get muddy or wet... ;o)

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The spark (or sparkstøtting) is a pretty common sight in many areas of Norway in the winter months. (For example here in Tromsø in northern Norway, I saw three of them parked outside the supermarket today!) The spark is, obviously, mostly used in areas where the winters are cold and snowy - the inland (especially of eastern Norway) and of course in the north. I have seen kicksleds in western Norway too, but they're not very common in this part of the country (where the winters tend to be rainy rather than snowy;o)

Loads of people, especially older ladies, can be seen whizzing around on their sparkstøtting whenever the road conditions are spark-friendly - the road must be covered in hard-packed snow, or ice. (And the road shouldn't be salted or sanded.)

The lady in my photo demonstrates quite perfect spark-technique: stand on one runner (on the footrest), and kick backwards on the ground with the other foot. (Spark is *kick* in Norwegian) When going downhill, stand with one foot on each runner - the runners are quite flexible, and you can to some degree steer the spark by leaning to the side and twisting the handlebars. Be aware that there are no brakes!!;o)

The seat can be used for transporting shopping bags - or a grandchild. A very environmentally friendly means of transportation - and it's fun, too! In a few small towns the Tourist Information Office offers kicksleds for rent, for example in the World Heritage town of Røros.

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