Christmas In Norway (Jul i Norge) – Norwegian Christmas Traditions, Food and Culture [Documentary]
It’s Christmas time. In this mini-series, we’re going to take an intimate look at Norwegian Christmas traditions filmed as they happened in 2019.
You’ll get to see how Norwegians prepare for Christmas and how they celebrate Christmas Eve Christmas Day and New Year’s Eve.
Before we begin, I should mention that Norwegians are very reserved and shy about being on camera, So we’ll use lots of close-ups and occasionally blur faces.
However, you’ll still get a fascinating insight into Norwegian culture, and you, ‘ll have a virtual seat at the table.
As we feast on Christmas food, Ankomst, til Norge.
We start our journey at Oslo Airport Gardermoen.
In Norway.
The sales tax is 25 on goods and 15 on food, So when returning home it’s common for Norwegians to pick up alcohol and cigarettes at the duty-free shop, Norway is an expensive, expensive country.
You can get three of these for 25 quid.
The taxes are high, which means the wages are high, which means the price of goods and services is high. It’s great if you’re Norwegian, but not so great.
If you’re from abroad, You can scrape by on 50 a day by staying in a hostel and self-catering but expect to fork out over 100 a day if you want a hotel room and an eye-watering 200 a day.
If you want to eat out at decent places, Time to go home, The first things you’ll notice about Norway are how clean it is and how quiet it is.
Norway has a population of 5 4 million, spread over 365,000 square kilometers, which makes it slightly larger than Germany Some people, Some people are always old.
This works out to a population density of about 15 people per square kilometer For reference, England,’s density is 432 people per square kilometer, which is 28 times higher.
The public transport system is frequent in the cities but can be infrequent in rural areas.
However, they’re almost always on time over four years, even while staying in a remote village on the west coast, I’ve never waited more than 2 minutes for a local bus.
We’re in Drammen my home town.
I’m going to show you guys around.
I love this chair. Drammen is a river city at the end of a fjord and yes that’s how they decorate Christmas trees.
Here It has a population of 100 000 people making it the sixth largest urban area in Norway.
Like many European towns, there’s a public square, surrounded by shops, hotels, restaurants, and leisure facilities.
This neo-Gothic church was built in 1871 and faces the town square with an impressive view.
Drammen is famous for having the oldest surviving brewery in Norway.
Aass Brewery was founded in 1834.
Other sites to see are Ypsilon Bridge and Spiralentoppen a spiral road tunnel that climbs to the edge of the valley with incredible views over the city, We made our way to my sister-in-law’s place where we would take part in our first pre-Christmas Tradition Julebakst or Christmas baking Every Sunday before Christmas, we have four Sundays and they’re called Advent Sundays.
We light a candle every Sunday and wait for it to burn down counting down to Christmas, and we bake Every day should be a baking day, especially when there are so many goodies.
And I’m so proud of my baby sister because she made loads of things with the help of her mother-in-law.
She burned something, but we’re going to leave that out. Traditionally, Norwegians will bring their family together and bake seven different items As we near Christmas.
The 23rd of December is called Lillejulaften where Norwegians gather and put the finishing touches to the decorations.
They also watch an English sketch called Dinner for One that was filmed in the 1960s in Germany.
It’s unknown in the UK, but practically everybody knows it in Norway.
Tell me, dear sister.
What did you make today? This is Bringeb r Julekrans.
This is Karamellkjeks.
This is Silkekaker, and this is Kokosmakroner Juleinn kj, p av matter Norwegian supermarkets are smaller in size and product selection than their British and American counterparts because of the lower population Country of potatoes.
You can cook it, you can fry it and you can make a mash out of it Almond Yeah Almond Potatoes.
Is it shaped like an almond, I guess, But they’re, the classic potatoes for parties. You’ll come across several familiar brands.
However, during Christmas, Norwegians lose their collective minds and prefix Jul in front of everything you can imagine You’ll find Christmas crisps, Christmas, cake, Christmas, ale, and even Christmas vegetables.
All right.
We have our own Christmas drink for Christmas and it’s called Julebrus.
It’s brewed in a local brewery, So we have to have this every Christmas next to our Christmas dinner.
Okay, this is a Christmas drink.
In Norway, It’s called Tomtegl gg.
We usually have this with chopped-up almond bits in it.
My favorite dessert in all of Norway, is Julepynt Kj ping, Outside of Oslo, Norwegian towns and cities, don’t have what we would describe as a High Street, So for clothes groceries, and Christmas present shopping Norwegians flock to the shopping malls.
I’m going to try Hjort, which is Deer, Poor Rudolph, But a very tasty Rudolph. According to a 2018 Ipsos survey, each household will spend 1 040 on Christmas celebrations spending 520 on gifts alone, Us Brits, aren’t slouches, though, Even though we earn half of what they earn, we spend almost as much 973 in total, with 530 spent on gifts.
The Julestjerne Or Christmas Star is the most popular Christmas plant.
It’s worth noting that what you’re seeing aren’t vibrant red flower petals.
They’re, actually leaves It’s.
Also common for Norwegians to hang illuminated cardboard Christmas stars in their windows.
The only reason you’ll notice.
This is because they don’t use net curtains here.
Jul i, Oslo, Oslo, is Norway,’s, capital city, which was founded over a thousand years ago.
In Norwegian it’s pronounced Oslo, Or if you’re, posh Oslo, It was previously known as Kristiania, and recently it was nicknamed Tiger.
City Oslo is often cited as the fastest growing city in Europe, Generating an enormous 25 of Norway.’s, GDP, Its high quality of life, is matched by its reputation for regularly ranking as one of the most expensive cities to live in. The metropolitan area of Oslo has a population of just over 1 5 million inhabitants, meaning 27 of the entire population of Norway lives either in or around the city.
The population is diverse, 25 of Oslo’s, population are foreign-born, and a further 7 8 are from an immigrant background, Like many European capitals, Oslo isn’t very representative of Norwegian culture Until Christmas when the city comes alive with dazzling Christmas lights and cozy Christmas markets Back in the day or even some places in Norway.
Now they used something like this for transportation.
One person sits at the front, while the other one is doing the hard work sliding through using their leg force to get through the snow and ice.
We’re in Oslo right now, exploring the Christmas market here And there are loads of food stalls.
Here it is, buzzing People are walking all over each other.
Here We have a Ferris wheel and an ice rink Lots of people falling over, which is a lot of fun to see Let’s go and explore the stalls.
I wish you a Merry Christmas.
I wish you a Merry Christmas, Alfred, Alfred, Alfred.
The Swedish Chippendales are here: selling smelting in Norway, Smultring Chippendales, I’m going to try some Smultringer It’s doughnuts, but dry doughnuts without the glaze or anything, but it’s full of fat And it’s nice to have this in this Cold weather because it’s going to heat you from the inside And don’t tell anyone they’re. Actually, Swedish, So Yummy, Oh, my God, Julebord, which translates to Christmas table, is a Christmas party that’s usually organized by companies or organizations.
According to Oscar and Stallen’s website in 1971, it opened its doors as the first steak, restaurant in Drammen and one of the first restaurants to offer pizza.
We’re here to try traditional Norwegian, food and Akevitt A Scandinavian spirit, usually distilled from potatoes and flavored with spices.
It’s, usually 40 alcohol by volume and it’s drunk at Christmas because it’s believed to aid digestion.
It looks worse than it is So.
This is my personal favorite.
It’s from the town next door, Lier That’s nice, though Yeah it works great with mussels and stuff.
Then we have the Amundsen, which is like The Well.
That goes up the nose that does Oh yeah.
If you smell it, while you have a runny nose, you’re fine. This is the one that I drink every day, which goes with steak, no, not steak, but pork belly.
Oh God, It smells like a nail polish remover.
It’s made in Norway.
It’s illegal, to make it at home.
Oh okay, Don’t do that.
That was the mildest.
That is the mildest kindest one Wait.
The aftertaste is good.
It has a liquorice flavour Yeah.
They use a lot of spices. Oh wow, You know, we love our potatoes when we make liquor out of it Cheers guys.
No, not again.
Lutefisk is made by drying white fish soaking it in water, curing it in a caustic soda solution, soaking it again in water, and then serving it.
Alongside bacon.
Peas and potatoes – I’m, really excited because I’m going to try Lutefisk for the very first time.
Most Norwegians are terrified of this item because it’s supposed to be bad.
My mom when she came to Norway for the first time had lutefisk and it was a terrible experience for her.
She thought if this was like their Christmas dinner, how would the regular food taste like This time it’s, going to be so exciting to see her reaction. Bon Appetit? Okay, It’s.
Okay, It’s better than the last time you had it.
I think I like it A lot Wow That’s so salty. That is super salty.
If I just have the fish by itself So slippery, It has a little bit of a jelly texture to it, but it’s so good.
I see why you need the Aquavit to wash it down That’s, water, not Aquavit.
Juletallerken is the name given to a plate of traditional Norwegian Christmas food.
It usually consists of Julep lse, Medisterkake, and Ribbe.
It’s a celebration in your mouth Christmas, sausage, Julep lse.
Well, to me, it tastes like regular sausage.
What makes it a Julesausage It is made traditionally, but they have also used a little bit of spices as well Like the regular hot dogs.
Aren’t that dense Meaty flavors, Meaty hot dog, Not hot dog, but sausage Medisterkaker with lingonberry jam?
It’s, not a soft patty. You can feel the texture, It’s grainy, but it’s really good.
It tastes like a sausage but in a different form, like a meatball sausage And on to the Ribbe.
If you can hear that that’s, the top layer, Let’s try the actual meat That’s soft.
The top layer is hard, but when I cut through it, it just slides off the bone and it’s so soft Julaften.
Today it’s the 24th of December and in Norway we celebrate Christmas.
On Christmas Eve We’ve got Pinnekj tt, we’ve got Kalkun and we’ve got Juleribbe, Let’s check it out, and Merry Christmas.
It’s Christmas Eve.
The candles have been lit.
The fireplace is burning.
The house has been cleaned, The table has been set, The tree has been decorated And the presents are snuggled underneath There’s that Christmas star I was talking about, But something’s, not quite right. You see this isn’t how Norwegians used to celebrate.
Jul was a mid-winter festival that lasted several days and featured some unbelievable traditions.
Alcohol, fueled, Vikings would sacrifice animals and sprinkle their blood onto statues of the gods.
Nearby, a designated Yule log would be burned for good luck and to signify the lengthening of the days.
If there was a ferocious storm, people would take shelter because it meant Odin and his warriors were hurtling across the sky on the wild hunt gathering the souls of the dead and anyone unfortunate enough to be outside at the time.
Julebukking is a tradition where someone from the village would dress up as a goat and go door to door, receiving gifts for protection against spirits and warning children to behave themselves After Christianity, children began taking part and they would sing Christmas carols in return for food.
In the 19th century, the Julebukk evolved from being the recipient of gifts to delivering gifts in a role similar to Santa Claus.
During the 20th century, the international version of Santa Claus began replacing local versions and, unfortunately, all that remains of the once mighty Julebukk is a straw Christmas decoration.
If you’re a Norwegian watching this, how do you feel about bringing back the OG Julebukk? Let me know in the comments Julemiddag With the final preparations underway in the kitchen here:’s, a handful of assorted Christmas facts.
There’s a regional divide regarding what to have for Christmas dinner. According to Matprat, no Ribbe is favored in Oslo, the East, and mid-Norway, Whilst Pinnekj is favored in the West, and the North TeamRibbe Nidar estimates that over 40 million marzipan figures are eaten during Christmas or roughly seven figures for every person in Norway.
In the UK will leave sherry and mince pies for Father Christmas, which presumably means he should be arrested for drunk driving, But here in Norway, they leave Risgr t or rice porridge.
And finally, although we open our presents on Christmas Day here, they open them straight after dinner, Christmas Eve buffet and I’m, starting with Pinnekj tt, Cured Lamb Rotmos, It’s a root vegetable mash, Some potatoes.
Have you been nice this Christmas? I’m.
Joking Sauerkraut Ribbe, The last one Cranberry sauce, topped with sauce Ready to eat like a beast, Cheers to Tore and Dippen for hosting a great dinner party.
It wouldn’t be the same without you guys, Especially not without our mothers Cheers to them.
We’re.
I have two desserts for Christmas Eve, One of them is Caramel Pudding with Caramel Sauce and my brother-in-law is making Multekrem.
It means cloudberry cream, Let’s see how he makes it.
Karamellpudding is the Norwegian name for cr me caramel, A creamy custard-flavored jelly with a layer of soft caramel at the top. Multekrem is a simple dessert made by combining whipped cream sugar and cloudberries a tart berry that takes its name from the alpine conditions.
It can grow in They’re high in vitamin C and have the nickname.
The gold of the bogs Multikrem is usually served with Krumkaker, which can be described as being halfway between a waffle and an ice cream cone.
There’s a Christmas tradition in Norway, where you can win a prize: Jule marsipan You put an almond piece or just an almond in the porridge Today we don’t have porridge, We put the almond in the Multekrem or cloudberry cream.
It’s.
Another very traditional dessert, So the one who gets the almond wins the prize, And now we’re going to sample the Julebrus.
This is the Christmas soft drink of choice.
Here, Let’s give it a go That’s quite mild.
It’s tastes like It tastes like July.
It tastes like July, It tastes like red food, coloring, Hints of timber and formaldehyde Carrot, and hibiscus Really Yeah All right. It’s time to open the presents and enjoy these lovely baked goods Pouty lips and cheese knives.
Yes, Oh it’s, Rituals.
I just came for the foodman Hunting socks I’m down for hunting socks.
These are my Norway socks.
Now, After unwrapping all those gifts, we need to hydrate with Eplemost It’s from a local town.
Eplemost is an apple drink without alcohol, Refreshing Romjula, which translates to Christmas space.
Isn’t the Norwegian name for the Star Trek race, but a term to describe the period between Christmas and New Year’s Eve.
Employees are encouraged to take annual leave during this period, reflect upon the year, and spend quality time with their friends and family.
Now I know what you’re thinking.
Well, what do Norwegians do for fun? According to Statistics, Norway, this chart illustrates the percentage of Norwegians participating in various outdoor activities within 12 months. As most of Norway,’s population is along the coast.
If you wander even for a few minutes outside of any settlement, you’ll immediately be in the vicinity of a forest, a hill, a mountain, or even a fjord.
It’s.
No surprise, then that so many Norwegians take an interest in the outdoors.
The next chart illustrates the percentage of Norwegians participating in different forms of exercise.
I wouldn’t say there are any surprises here, but as a Brit, I had to look into the Norwegian football scene.
It’s: Norway,’s, most popular team sport with 1822 registered football clubs and almost 400 000 registered players, which means 7 4 of the population, plays organized football 27 of those players are female, including both my wife and her sister, St p, Ski Norwegians.
Have a saying, Nordmenn, er, f, dt, med ski p beina, which translates to Norwegians, are born with skis on their feet.
Skiing is a part of Norway.’s, DNA, and children often start learning to ski when they are kindergarten age.
The word Ski comes from Old Norse and there are Stone Age, rock carvings of figures on skis from as early as 3000 BC, I’ve put together a timeline of Norway,’s relationship with skiing, but instead of using stock footage. I’ve added footage of the first time I went skiing.
In 1767, the Scandinavian military began, organizing skiing exercises and races In 1808 at Eidsberg.
The first documented ski jump was performed by Olaf Rye In 1843.
In Troms, the first public skiing competition was held In 1849 in Trondheim, the first public recreational ski tour was advertised In 1861 in Trysil, the first ski club was established and in 1862 the first public ski jumping competition was held In 1884 in Trondheim, the first cross country ski competition was held and, finally in 1879, the first documented use of the word Slalom occurred.
Julelunsj is a tradition where leftovers are served in a buffet alongside a variety of hot and cold foods.
You’ll find Br d, Medisterkake, Kj, TTP, Legg, Hardkokte Egg, Ostebrett Gr, Sker, and, of course, Julebrus.
If you’re lucky, you might even have pizza.
I tried to take a nap after the heavy meal, but it wasn’t meant to be Wake up.
Baby, Why Wake up You baby? Wake up, Nytt often, We’re, hustling and bustling in this kitchen, Got to make sure the turkey isn’t burnt It’s going to be a disaster if it is, But it looks good, It smells good.
My mom likes to make something extra a side dish next to the turkey, and these are her favorite meatballs, patties, Meatball, patties, cakes, Meatball, cakes, Whatever Norwegians eat turkey on New Year’s Eve instead of Christmas, But other than that. It isn’t too different from what you’d expect.
Friends and family gather to enjoy a homemade meal together and then grab their thickest winter jackets and head out to watch a fireworks display Here.
The sale of fireworks is restricted to the public.
They are only sold from December 27th to the 31st and can only be fired in designated areas between 6 p.m. And 2.
A m on New Year’s, Eve, Youngsters take part in Vorspiel which in German translates to foreplay, but it’s.
What we would describe as pre-gaming or pre-drinking In Norway, alcohol is heavily taxed, can’t be consumed in public, and is strictly controlled by the government.
Grocery stores can only sell alcohol below 4 75 up until 8 p.m. on weekdays.
6 pm.
On Saturdays, and not at all on Sundays or certain holidays, If you want stronger alcohol, you have to go to one of the 315 Vinmonopolet stores, which close at 6 p.m. on weekdays and 3 p.m. on Saturdays.
According to Deutsche Bank, the average price for a pint of beer is 7 32 in Oslo, 5, 47 in New York City, and 4 73 in London. With prices like that, you can’t blame the youth.
Can you We’re on Drammensbrua it’s about to hit 1200 soon It’s midnight here in Drammen, Norway, As it neared midnight Drammen came alive with a barrage of fireworks lighting up the sky and the sound of fireworks echoing around the valley.
It was impressive that a city with the population of London borough even had a professional display, But what made it extra special was seeing people contributing to the display with their fireworks, firing them from their homes or by the side of the river Happy New Year.
Guys I’m going to warm myself up with a jacket potato or, as we call it here, Bakt Potet, It’s, basically just a baked potato with sour cream dressing and some bacon bits and corn.
It’s, perfect, Salty savory, and warm.
My first Christmas in Norway is one I’ll always remember.
Although I’d spent a lot of time in Norway, most of it was spent in a small town on the west coast In Drammen.
I was able to experience Christmas through a different lens, trying new food, new drinks, new sports, and taking part in new traditions.
We headed home full of optimism and thoughts about our New Year’s resolutions blissfully unaware of what was to come in 2020.
This video series is part of a larger project documenting daily life in Norway, divided into four seasons. The next part will focus on Spring and my experiences staying in a small town on the West Coast.
Click that subscribe button below so you’ll be notified when it comes out – and I’ll see you in the next episode.
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