God Jul in Norway

Christmas in Norway is celebrated as Gledelig Jul or God Jul. here, Christmas celebrations commence with the Saint Lucia ceremony observed on December 13. Custom has it that the youngest daughter of a traditional Norwegian family is dressed in a white robe and sash and a crown made of evergreens and holds tall lighted candles during the day-break. The boys of eth family are dressed as star boys dressed in long white shirts and pointed hats. These young children wake up their parents and serve them coffee along with the traditional Lucia buns called Lussekatter.

As the Christmas day nears, people elaborately decorate their homes with juletre, spruce or pine trees, whichever is available. The embellishments on the trees can be the Norwegian flags, candles, white lights, apples, red hats, cornets, straw ornaments, and balls of glass, tinsels and colorful paper baskets made by the children. Hyacinths and red tulips are used to decorate the indoors.

The main celebration of Christmas in Norway is actually on December 24, where people love to spend the day in the company of close family members. People are found to be more reflective and caring and if you refer back to the legends, Christmas used to be a mid-winter sacrificial feast in Norway. It was a festival of lights that marked the transition of the dark winters to the bright spring and summers. It was a time to celebrate the harvest, fertility, birth and death. During the 900s, King Haakon I announced the heathen custom of drinking Jul or Yule to be held on December 25 to commemorate the birth of the Lord. With the passage of time this pagan feast was Christianized. Today, Christmas in Norway is a blend of ancient heathen and traditional Christian rituals, celebrated by the name of Jul.

Celebrations takes place in several stages and initiated with the Advent. It is the preparation for Christ’s Nativity and marks the commencement of the church year. The duration comprises of four Sundays falling before December 25. People keep fasts as a part of spiritual preparations. In this occasion several art and craft fairs are held through out the country and people prefer to purchase the homemade decorations and gifts. Candles are lighted on every Sunday during the Advent and churches are decorated.
This is followed by St. Lucia’s Day on December 13. According to legends, Saint Lucy was a little girl who was martyred in Sicily. This night is called Lussinatten in Norway and is believed to be the longest night in the year and also no work is done on this day.

Julenisse is known as the Norwegian Santa Claus. He arrives in his traditional attire with gifts for the children in the evening. It is a traditional custom in Norway for children to visit houses asking for gifts. This is known as Julebukk or Christmas Buck. A traditional Christmas Eve dinner comprises of ribs with good cracklings, surkaal, potatoes, cauliflowers, carrot sprouts. Lye-treated codfish, gingerbread and lutefisk are other major attractions. Christmas in Norway is never complete without a special holiday cookie called the Sand Kager.