"'Twas The Night Before Christmas.."

In ancient times, long before Christianity came to Scandinavia, “Jul” or “Yule” was an observation of the winter solstice. It was a mid-winter celebration of the transition from the dark winter to spring and the time to celebrate harvest, fertility and birth. December is the darkest month of the year but it is also when the days start to get longer again. In “The Early Days, Jul was  a pagan tradition that, in time,slowly converted into a Christian custom celebrating the birth of Jesus, the last week of December.

 Christmas is traditionally celebrated on the 24th of December in Scandinavia, but it starts long before that with preparations of food and shopping.

 In Sweden, youngsters made sure that they had  their stockings hung at the end of their bed before the morning of the 24th, Christmas Eve.That morning, after examining  the stockings contents, joyous activities were enjoyed  until  3 pm. At this time, much of Sweden gathered their families to do, of all things,  watch  cartoons! This was the time when a viewing of Donald Duck and his Friends officially kicked off the Christmas festivities!
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 Every year on Dec. 24 at 3 p.m., half of Sweden sits down in front of the television for a family viewing of the 1958 Walt Disney Presents Christmas special, "From All of Us to All of You." Or as it is known in Sverige (Swedish), Kalle Anka och hans vänner önskar God Jul: "Donald Duck and his friends” extend their Christmas wishes.

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Kalle Anka (pronounced kah-lay ahn-kah) gets its name from the star of the show's animated short, a 1944 cartoon called "Clown of the Jungle," in which Donald Duck is tormented by a demented Aracuan Bird during a luckless ornithological expedition.

The show's cultural significance is VERY important! There is no taping or DVR Kalle Anka for later viewing, and  no eating or dinner preparation is allowed while watching Kalle Anka. Every member of the family is expected to sit quietly together and watch a program that generations of Swedes have been watching for fifty years. Most families plan their entire Christmas around Kalle Anka, from the Smörgåsbord at lunch to the post-Kalle visit from Jultomten. It has been said that "At 3 o'clock in the afternoon, you can't to do anything else, because Sweden is closed." Each time the network has attempted to cancel or alter the show, public complaints have been swift and fierce.
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After the show, the tree that has been decorated with strings of their country's flag, or white lights resembling

  bonfires that lit up the dark winter nights might be the center of family activity. Everyone joins hands and they circle the tree while singing  “Nu är det jul igen, nu är det jul igen!”and other favorites until everyone stops singing and starts walking towards the table. It’s time for the Christmas smorgasbord.

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 The traditional Scandinavian kitchen will have prepared a wide variety of cold and warm traditional Christmas dishes. The cuisine varies slightly between the three countries. It is expected that you should go around seven times to get food at a proper smorgasbord, because of the wide range of cold and hot food, fish, meat and desserts that is served. Some of the fish dishes that might be included are herring and ham. The herring is pickled and comes in many variations, tasting of garlic, tomato or mustard. Other dishes include lutefisk, as well as meatballs, duck, sausages and rice pudding. And of course there is an abundance of salads and garnish to go with it.

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Soon, there’s a knock on the door and Swedish youngsters happily allow the jultomten to join the festivities. In Norway, he’s the julenissen, in Denmark, he’s known as the julemanden. He’s believed to be a cross between the garden gnome and the Greek Saint Nicholas whose generosity became the inspiration for today’s American Santa Claus. The most characteristic features of Norway's Santa Claus are his red stocking cap and long white beard. The Julenisse wears knee breeches, hand-knitted stockings, a Norwegian sweater and a homespun jacket. On top, he wears a heavy fur coat — it can get cold in Norway in the winter.

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Exactly where he lives is also disputed. Some say the North Pole is his real home, but in Scandinavia, it is almost common knowledge that he lives in Rovaniemi, Finland, or if you ask a Dane, they might say he is from Greenland.
At any rate, the Jultomte delivers his presents in person, never flying through the air on a sleigh pulled by magical reindeer, but sometimes on a sled pulled by a goat.

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December 25th finds churchgoers enjoying a Christmas service and a quiet day with their family.
In Sweden, December 26th is a day of socializing. Children’s parties are held in the afternoon, while adults parties are held later in the evening and animals are given extra food. On the Epiphany (Twelfth Night), villagers would dress up as biblical characters and sing hymns from home to home.

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 Perhaps there may be a knock on the door by a group of carolers dressed in costumes and masks. They are the julbukkers who are making their way to their neighbors for Christmas cakes and delicacies. In this season of games and merriment, there is little mention of children's bedtimes as they dare the neighbors to guess their identity.

In this time of long, cold, dark winter nights, the lights of Christmas and the songs of  celebration happily mark the Twenty Days of Christmas, ending January 13th, St. Knut’s Day. Twenty days and twenty nights of happiness and joy in a long,cold winter!

Kalle Anka och hans vänner önskar God Jul:

 "Donald Duck and his friends wish you a Merry Christmas”.

God Jul!

How Many More Days...?

How many more days...?

Long winter nights cause problems with our mental health. To this day, SAD is an acronym of  Seasonal  Affective Disorder. In Scandinavia during the winter months, the sun would disappear for great lengths of time. After thirty-five of such dark days known as Mørketiden, or “The Murky Time”,

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 scouts would be sent to the mountain tops to await the return of this life-giving heavenly body. When the first light was sighted, the scouts would hurry back to their villages to announce the good news.   In celebration, a great festival would be held, called the Yuletide, and a special feast would be served around a fire burning with the Yule log. Huge bonfires would also be lit to celebrate the welcome return of the Sun. In some areas, people would tie apples to the branches of trees as a reminder that Spring and Summer would eventually return.

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Other  decorative pagan mid-winter rituals  featured a wreath of evergreen with four candles. The candles were placed in each of the four directions to represent the elements of earth, wind, water and fire. Rites were performed  to ensure the continuation of the circle of life also symbolized by the evergreen wreath. Important  beliefs established by ancient traditions  still practised in part,  today.

Wreaths are, in essence, an eternal part of the festive season. In ancient Greece, a coral wreath was awarded to victors in sporting events, in much the same way that today's

Apollo wearing a laurel wreath

 Olympic champions are awarded gold medals. Wreaths were, and still are a sign of victory, and in Roman times, were often hung upon doors of those victorious in battle, thus advertising their status.

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The Wichern Wreath

The Advent Wreath originated in Eastern Germany. Advent wreaths are round...having no beginning and no ending. It is also likened to the circle of life.There is evidence that suggests the Advent wreath was not invented until the 19th century. Johann Hinrich Wichern (1808–1881) was  a Protestant pastor in Germany  whose mission was to work among the poor. He is credited as the source of the modern Advent wreath. During Advent, children at a mission school  in Hamburg would constantly ask him when Christmas would arrive. In 1839, he built a large wooden ring with 19 small red and 4 large white candles fashioned from an old cartwheel  . A small candle was lit  every weekday during Advent. On Sundays, a large white candle was lit. The custom gained ground among Protestant churches in Germany and evolved into the smaller wreath with four or five candles known today.

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Scandinavian wreaths feature candles, which illuminate the winter nights as everyone awaits the future light of Spring. It was once believed that the wreath and candles would encourage the Norse God of Light to turn the world back toward the direction of the Sun.

 In Scandinvian homes, the approach of Christmas is signified by getting out the Advent candlestick, which is often a little box with four candleholders embedded in moss and lingonberry sprigs. The first candle is lit on the First Sunday in Advent and allowed to burn down by one quarter. Next Sunday it is time for the second candle, and so on, until by the fourth Sunday the first candle has burnt right down and the last one was started.

 This is a peculiarly Swedish custom, but it was inspired by the “Advent trees” of Germany and became widespread in the 1920s. The Advent wreath, is a Christian tradition that symbolizes the passage of the four weeks of Advent in the liturgical calendar of the Western church. The Advent Wreath is traditionally a Lutheran practice that has spread to many other Christian denominations.

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The time of Advent is coming to a close, and soon we will be celebrating the day of Christmas. Some might call it the day of Xmas. While many would feel the term "Xmas" is derogatory or secular, Xmas had it's place in earlier days.

The term "Xmas" instead of "Christmas" is Greek in origin. The word for "Christ" in Greek is "Xristos." during the Sixteenth Century, Europeans began using the first initial of Christ's name...the "X" of "Xristos"...in place of the word "Christ" as a shorthand version of the word "Christmas." Although early Christians understood that the "X"
was simply another form for the name of Jesus Christ, later Christians, who had no knowledge of the Greek language, mistook "Xmas" as a sign of disrespect. Eventually, however, "Xmas" came to be both an accepted and suitable alternative to the word "Christmas."

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The word Advent has its origins in the Latin word adventus, which means arrival. The arrival of The Christ Child. Commercial enterprises have not been able to capitalize on the four weeks of Advent, but quickly jump to the lucrative profits of  Santa Claus and Xmas! However, the term Xmas may not be, as many feel, demeaning!

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     The celebration of Advent  is of fairly recent origin. It is only in our own time that attendance at Swedish church services on the first Sunday in Advent match attendance at the early morning service of Christmas Day. Church attendance tops  the year’s attendance figures in otherwise secular Sweden at this time for honoring the family, both living and dead, and for celebrating the rebirth of the Sun in the depth of winter.  The sun had disappeared about 30 days ago, and they hopefully awaited it’s reappearance.The people rejoiced by feasting, gift giving, visiting friends and kin, and remembering those family members who have died.

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The Drinking Horn  Dec 25th

Yule marks the death of one year and the birth of another, as a turning of the endless cycle.Two hundred fifty years before the Roman/Christian calendar was accepted, the Runic Era calendar was followed.   December 20th marked  the arrival of winter. It marked a time of preparation as the long nights became a bit shorter. December 22nd marked the winter solstice, signaling as celebratory time of feasting and drinking when the sun returned to the world. In our modern world, this evolved into a celebration marking the birth of The ChristChild ,and our new beginning.

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Yule marks the death of one year and the birth of another, as a turning of the endless cycle.

So, how many days...?  "Pretty soon!".

It's Time To Prepare!

It has begun!

  We have survived Black Friday when consumers, waiting for hours for stores to open, frantically fought their fellow shoppers for space and commodities! It’s that time of the year, once again. Christmas is coming. Commercials have taken the place of political ads on TV, and newspapers bulge with the latest product on sale . We have just celebrated one day of “Thanksgiving”, and now we enter a season of “Giving”. Giving to others, perhaps a spin on “gifts of The Magi” as they brought gifts to the Christ Child, long ago. It’s the Advent Season, but here in the USA, it’s time for stores to make most of their yearly profit.

Advent is a term from the Latin word adventur which means “arrival”. The advent officially begins on the    fourth Sunday after November 30th, or the fourth Sunday prior to Christmas Day. Here, in the US, this is a  quiet season of preparedness to celebrate the anniversary of the birth of The Christ Child, December 25th. We have no “bench marks” other than advent candles that are lit to mark the weeks before the event. It is a quiet, sacred time for reflective thoughts. However, commercial stores are enjoying the profits of the “Giftgivers”.

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Commercialism is slowly appearing in Scandinavia.

Christmas House in Drøbak

Drøbak CardTree

 Drøbak, a small town 20 miles south of Oslo, is famous for two things: During WWII, locals sank a Nazi war ship in the narrow harbor...and it’s Norway’s self-proclaimed capital of Christmas. Drøbak  has a reputation  for promoting Christmas, telling everyone that it is Santa’s postal code. The Julehus, a converted church, overlooks the town square. It is filled with red Christmas elves and holiday handicrafts .

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In European preparations, a highlight of the season is Santa Lucia Day. The festival celebrating the “queen of lights” is celebrated in schools, day-care centers, nursing homes and hospitals with processions led by a young Lucia in a white robe with a crown of lights on her head and a candle in her hand. Traditionally the girls bring baskets of saffron buns to hand out.

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The legend of Santa Lucia begins in the early hours of the morning of December 13th. A young woman of rich and noble parents, dressed in a white gown, with a red sash and a crown of lingonberry twigs and blazing candles would go from one farm to the next. She carried a torch to light her way, bringing baked goods to each house,  returning home by sunrise. Every village had its own Lucia..

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Santa Lucia Day celebrations were strong first in Sweden and spread from there to Norway. The origins of today’s celebration can be traced to the 4th century martyrdom of a Sicilian girl named Lucia.
Lucia symbolizes light and growth for human and beast as she emerges out of the darkness. Because her name means “light”, she  became the great patron saint for the “light of the body”, the eyes.

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Every country has their nisse, or Tomte to bring them happiness for the dark winter season, but Iceland has several Christmas “characters”  to mark their preparations.

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 In Iceland, there are 13 “Santas”called “Jolasveinar”, or “Christmas Boys” . They are sons of frightening characters Gryla and Leppaludi, who appeared in the seventeenth century. Gryla is a wicked, old trolllady who came out of the mountains to kidnap naughty children who would become dinner for Gryla and her lazy, equally wicked husband Leppaludi.   However, each  naughty child could escape the boiling kettle if they would repent and “be good”. Parents were sure to remind them what could happen if Gryla came to their house.

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 When stories about the Jolasveinar  first appeared, they were frightening creatures just like their parents, however, they also, over the years became milder, gentler and just fun characters to remind everyone of the things to do around the farm. The Icelandic Christmas boys would come one by one, and start arriving 13 days before Christmas. Each one would have their favorite mischief to enjoy.

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 The first one to arrive is the yule lad Stiff Legs.He loves to suck milk from the sheep, but his stiff legs make that very difficult. In Icelandic he’s called “Staurfotur”.
The Second to arrive is the infamous Gully Gawk, (Gully Guy) has a taste for the froth on the milk and stays close to the cows.
The third is the yule lad Shorty, small and nimble and smacks his lips over the leftovers in the cooking pans, especially if they are burnt or gone bad.
 Then there is Ladle Licker, , so thin he resembles the ladels which he licks the food from.
Others were Pot Scraper, who enjoyed scraping leftover food from the pots, reminding the cook to not forget to clean the kettles, “Door-Slammer” who woke people in the middle of the night slamming their doors, And “Sausage Snatcher”, who very skillfully stole the smoked sausages that were being smoked for the Christmas meal. They and the rest of the troll family would leave little presents for the children who have behaved. Any children who had misbehaved would receive a potato or some other reminder that good behavior is essential when the Jolasveinar come to town.

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 Every country has their traditional Christmas custom, and many customs have their origin in pre-Christian traditions. The Vikings were known to hang branches of mistletoe outside their homes as a sign of peace and a welcome to visitors. Whatever our country's custom, we all  anticipate the upcoming  joyous  season .

It’s time to prepare!

It's Time!

It’s Time....

We, here in the USA are getting ready for the beginning of winter, and the excitement known as “Black Friday”, the beginning of the Christmas holidays and Yuletide. At this time, hunters tip-toe through the woods while shoppers stampede to the malls. Christmas shopping is foremost in everyone’s mind.

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 America’s Christmas traditions differ from those in the “old country”. When temperatures begin to drop, ancient Scandinavian activities centered around preparations for their survival in the up-coming harsh winter. The harvest was completed, food was gathered and stored, and animals were slaughtered to provide meat for the long winter season. It

was time to celebrate. While “Yule” in the USA is centered around a spiritual birthday with gifts to give and receive, the concept of “Jul” in Scandinavia is a period of time rather than a specific event.

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Norway, sitting on the north of Europe, has the longest and darkest winters in Europe. It’s also about the least church-going country in Europe. The Norwegian word for Christmas is actually a pre-Christian Viking drinking festival: Jul. In the 10th century, King Haakon I moved the heathen custom of drinking Jul to December 25th to celebrate the birth of Jesus.

Scandinavians have some interesting traditions rooted in early history relating to their families. Christmastime was associated with ghosts! Each farm had a special ghost named Haugkallen or “ the old man of the mound.” These ancestors had to be honored. If ignored, the next growing season may be disappointing  with sad times in  the family future.

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Juløl  The Christmas beer

Besides the usual stabbour or shed, these farms often included another structure, often known as a brewhouse. This was a special place of activity centered around the making of the “Christmas Beer’, commonly known as Juløl.

Beer and drinking has always been under great scrutiny in Scandinavia. Drinking and driving regulations are highly enforced. While there used to be 10,000 registered distilleries in Norway, soon that amount was only 40. Beer can only be purchased in supermarkets, and that  beer will have an alcohol content under 4.5% . Any other alcohol beverage will be sold only in state-owned liquor stores called “vinnomonpolet” meaning “The wine monopoly.” However, beginning in November, distilleries start production of a special seasonal beverage known as Christmas beer.

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Farmers can also get into the act as they produce their version of the alcoholic favorites.

label  reading 15%!

Farmers are allowed to make their own beer at special occasions. When a new brew is underway, the smoke and rich odors tell everyone in the neighborhood that beer is being made and they happily go to the farmhouse to help, and  sample the finished brew. Helpers collect juniper branches to fill a 700-litre [about 185 gallons] bath-shaped tank in a cabin that acts as both the hot liquor vessel and the brew kettle.

The water source can be a stream tumbling down the hillside outside the cabin where sacks of barley have been submerged to germinate. A nearby neighbor might turn his shed into a kiln, powered by a fan heater, and where barley is turned into malt. In the brewing process, when hot liquor has been added to the malt, the mash is filtered over more juniper branches to filter it. Berries are added to give flavor to the wort - just as they do to gin and other distilled spirits . Juløl, can include 9-10% alcohol...or more!.

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Most beer available in Norway is a light coloured pils, or lager - but that changes in the weeks before Christmas, with many breweries producing special Christmas beers which are darker, heavier and sweeter.

    They are called Juløl or Julebrygg in Norwegian and are designed to compliment the heavy, rich Christmas foods such as  Pinnekjøtt and Ribbe. Pinnekjøt is dried, salted lamb ribs ( a good way to preserve meat in those days) which are soaked in water for several days, then steamed over birch wood. In Norway pinnekjøtt is served on hot plates with coarse sausages, then boiled . Since this dish is rather rich, beer and aquavit are a very suitable accompaniment .


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Akvavit or aquavit is a traditional flavored spirit principally produced in Scandinavia, where it has been produced since the 15th century. Akvavit gets its distinctive flavor from spices and herbs, and the main spice can be caraway or dill. Most of the Norwegian brands are matured in oak casks for at least one year, and for some brands even as long as 12 years.It typically contains 40% alcohol by volume.   Another favorite Jul meal might include ribbe. Ribbe, pork ribs roasted to make the faty surface layer crunchy is a meat easily consumed

with Juløl ( Christmas beer), an amber or brown lager especially brewed for the Christmas season.

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Then, to take the bite of the winter nights, a classic Scandinavian hot spiced wine punch called gløgg would be served. (Flaming brandy is optional). This drink is mixed by pouring wine into a large pot, bringing the mixture to a boil. Oranges, almonds, cloves, raisins and cardamom are added and boiled for fifteen minutes.

This beverage is particularily important to three seasonal religious Scandinavian festivals. The first occurring after harvest, the second near midwinter, and the last at midsummer.

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Beer in Norway has a long history, going back at least 1,000 years. Untill around 200 years ago, no farm was complete without a brewhouse. From the early 20th century, brewing was then industrialized and home brewing outlawed. With the exception of the malty juløl , most beer styles brewed in Norway today trace their ancestry to early central Europe. Today, most people probably don’t have the time to produce their own Juløl and specialist breweries take advantage of the special season and profitably supply the needed beverage. Special brew for special times!

However, driving away after the celebration is not an option. Finland and Sweden automatically sentence drunk drivers for three weeks to one-year jail sentences that include hard-labor. In Norway, a drunk driver is jailed for three weeks including hard labor while loses driving privileges for one year. A repeat offender loses the license for life. ( In Malaya, a man  caught driving drunk, is jailed. If he is married, his wife is jailed as well).

  Glade Jul! Try the gløgg, but easy on the Juløl!





Jobs, Jobs And More Jobs!

Anyone listening to today's TV or radio cannot escape the constant promises of those who have the solutions, as they promise to  create jobs for the needy. Apparently, we in the USA are not alone with the problem of unemployment.

More than 100 young Swedish people from Söderhamn, located about 250 kilometers north of Stockholm, have  left  town to seek their fortunes in Sweden’s neighbor to the west, according to Sveriges Radio (SR)  Most of them have found work immediately! Something which they weren’t  able to do in the Swedish town of about 12,000 residents.

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Oslo street scene

Söderhamn resident Andreas Larsson had been out of work for two years before taking advantage of the program and now works as a truck driver in Oslo, Norway!
”I came here on a Thursday and had a job by Monday morning. It went that fast. It felt almost unreal, like I’d come to the promised land,” he told SR.

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Swedish youth ,who are unable to find work, are being paid to leave the country! They are being offered a month-long preparation course, then  free travel to Oslo, Norway. There, they  receive a month of free accomodation and the aid of a job-finding organization to help them find their new work in Norway, all government sponsored.

Swedish girls work at the bakery.

 Oslo’s location close to the border has made it a popular destination for Swedes, whose presence is especially noticeable in the city’s restaurants and cafes. Many of the available jobs are those unwanted by Norwegian youth, who are reported to be “picky” about their opportunities.

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 A Swedish official of the program stated:
“We’re not sending them away; we’re helping them take a step forward and to have a richer experience, and hope they will return to Sweden in the future.” The Swedish government has failed to achieve its main goal of reducing the number of people who are inactive in the job market. Sweden’s Prime Minister Fredrik Reinfeldt said in a government statement that the overall goal is to create conditions for more jobs. He added that “over one million people are inactive from the job market. Despite strong growth, there is mass unemployment.”

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Swedish doctors have also been leaving their Swedish positions and relocating in Norwegian hospitals. Norway has a great need for specialist physicians and offer the new doctors an attractive schedule of two weeks on-duty followed by four weeks of off-duty at the same pay-rate as the full-time hospital physicians in Norway. When asked how this could be happening, Stein Tronmoen,  the head of a Norwegian hospital stated “ In Europe, there is a free market, and we are a member through the EEA. That’s just the way it is.”
A small Norwegian country hospital has almost only Swedish doctors on its staff. Most have come from the same clinic in Sweden, seeking more attractive employment terms in Norway.

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During political debates in the spring, the government pointed out that Sweden has gone through a deep financial crisis. However, the country has emerged as one of Europe’s strongest economies, thanks to government policies. Reducing  unemployment has been the government’s most important objective.

But, why this migration to Norway?

Norway remains  number one, edging its Scandinavian neighbors atop an annual list of countries ranked according to wealth and well-being. Norway remains the most prosperous country in the world, according to a recent study.
In the 2012 Prosperity Index published by the London-based Legatum Institute, Sweden climbed to third place,up from fifth place in 2011. Norway, meanwhile, maintained its hold on the number one spot, while Denmark came in second. Published annually for the last six years, the Prosperity Index ranks 142 countries based on criteria in eight categories including economic strength, health, education and government. The United States has dropped out of the Prosperity Index top ten for the first time, dropping to twelfth place .

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Even burglars in Norway are busier. Burglaries rose by eight percent in the first six months of this year compared to the same period last year. They are finding  Norwegians have more and more valuables in their homes. Norway’s high standard of living is tempting for organized criminals from Eastern Europe.

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But goods are expensive and prices are high in Norway. In order to save money, Norwegian shoppers are streaming over the border in record numbers to avoid hefty domestic prices by  stocking up on groceries... in Sweden. The price differences between Norway and Sweden on popular goods like alcohol, tobacco products, chocolate, and sweets are at a  very different rate.

A large shopping center, the Nordby Center on the Swedish side of the border, posted record sales results this summer. Located just off the motorway from Oslo, Nordby is always crowded with Norwegians and is much bigger than any shopping center in Norway, as stated in the Norwegian newspaper Aftenposten .
Over the last four quarters, Norwegians spent a total of 11.7 billion kroner ($2 billion) in Swedish stores, according to Statistics Norway.

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An interesting thought is that Sweden can place their youth in Norway to find a job, and earn a wage. That worker can board a bus to travel over the border, returning to Sweden to shop for cheaper goods. Their kroner earned in Norway is spent in their home country of Sweden.

The Border Crossing between Sweden and Norway

Sounds like a winner for everyone, and an interesting solution to finding a job.