March 17...St Patrick's Day!

WHY ST. PATRICK’S DAY IS CELEBRATED EACH YEAR IN AMERICA

(according to Norwegians)

The real reason the Irish celebrate St. Patrick’s Day is because this is when St. Patrick drove the Norwegians out of Ireland .

It seems that some centuries ago, many Norwegians came to Ireland to escape the bitterness of the Norwegian winter. Ireland was having a famine at the time, and food was scarce. The Norwegians were eating almost all the fish caught in the area, leaving the Irish with nothing to eat but potatoes.St. Patrick, taking matters into his own hands, as most Irishmen do, decided the Norwegians had to go. Secretly, he organized the Irish IRATRION (Irish Republican Army to Rid Ireland of Norwegians) Irish members of IRATRION passed a law in Ireland that prohibited merchants from selling ice boxes or ice to the Norwegians, in hopes that their fish would spoil. This would force the Norwegians to flee to a colder climate where their fish would keep. Well, the fish spoiled, all right, but the Norwegians, as every one knows today, thrive on spoiled fish. So, faced with failure, the desperate Irishmen sneaked into the Norwegian fish storage caves in the dead of night and sprinkled the rotten fish with lye, hoping to poison the Norwegian invaders. But, as everyone knows, the Norwegians thought this only added to the flavor of the fish, and they liked it so much they decided to call it “Lutefisk”, which is Norwegian for “luscious fish”. Matters became even worse for the Irishmen when the Norwegians started taking over the Irish potato crop and making something called ”Lefse”. Poor St. Patrick was at his wit’s end, and finally on March17th, he blew his top and told all the Norwegians to “GO TO ..WHO CARES?”.

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So they all got in their boats and emigrated to Minnesota or Wisconsin —— the only other paradise on earth where smelly fish, old potatoes and plenty of cold weather can be found in abundance.

But, seriously, folks....

St. Patrick is the patron saint of Ireland and the Irish. He was born about 389 A.D. in Northern Wales, which at that time may have been part of England or Scotland.

Saint Patrick had an adventurous life. He was captured by pirates at the age of 16. The Irish pirates brought him to Ireland to tend the flocks of a chieftain in Ulster. Six years of slavery made him a devoted Christian. He escaped to France and became a monk. In 432, a vision led him to return to Ireland as a missionary bishop. He brought Christianity to Ireland and taught there for 29 years. He used the shamrock, a 3 leaf clover, (Ireland's national flower) to explain the Blessed Trinity. St. Patrick founded 365 churches, baptized over 120,000 people and consecrated 450 bishops. According to some Irish writings, St. Patrick died on March 17, 461 A.D. The anniversary of his death is celebrated as St. Patrick's Day. It's interesting to note that the shamrock clover flowers around that time of year. ------------------ Happy St. Patrick's Day!!-------------------

How do you say."Giddy-up" in Norwegian?

Everyone expects stories about Vikings to be associated with ships as they sail from one conquest to another. Little thought has been given to Vikings traveling on-land, outside of simply walking. While battling their enemies on land , the Vikings had a super weapon, a war-horse. Vikings bred one of the world's oldest and purest breed of war-horse domesticated over 4,000 years ago. Horses were known to exist in Norway at the end of the last ice age, and are believed to be the ancestor of the modern Norwegian horse we know today as the Fjord horse. The Fjord horse is strong enough for heavy work plowing fields, pulling lumber, yet light and agile enough to be a fine gentle riding and driving horse. They have an extremely mild temperament, even used in therapeutic schools, suitable for children and disabled individuals.

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Fjords are buckskin colored ( Norwegians refer to them as 'brown duns') with a dark dorsal stripe from their mane, down their back, and all the way to the end of their tail. The inside of the adult mane is black while the outside hair is white. They are a little horse with big heart and friendly as a puppy!

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While visiting our relatives in Northwest Wisconsin, we learned about a herd of Fjord horses on a farm nearby and decided to check it out. The Clifton Nesseth family of Cameron, Wisconsin has been involved in breeding and raising Fjord horses for some time. Their daughter Kristen had been studying at Saint Olaf College, and being the main groomer, when time permited came home to care, train and groom and ride the friendly horses. We were quite taken by the calmness and friendly nature of the horses as they gathered around us, nuzzling for attention. The young Fjords didn't have their traditional black stripe that will develope , but surely had the mild temperament.

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Another Wisconsin well-known breeder of Fjord horses lives in Barronett, Wisconsin. This breeder is well-known for raising, training and selling quality Fjord horses that are known as Odden's Registered Norwegian Fjord Horses. Phillip Odden and his wife Else are even better known as the owners of Norsk Wood Works in Barronett, a location of excellent Norwegian woodcarvings. After moving his studio to a nearby farm, they began their development of a quality fjord horse business that is active to this day, having traveled to Norway to study the horse in its natural country resulting in a herd of gentle, athletic fjord horses. Phillip Odden states: " To us, the fjord horse is folk art". ---------------------- If you happen to be near St. Paul, Minnesota March 17-18th, the NFHR will be holding their annual meeting and forum. This is the Norwegian Fjord Horse Registry organization held at the Leatherdale Center at the University of Minnesota Equine Center. ( All Fjords are invited). When you get to meet a Fjord horse, you will be seeing a little horse with a big heart, who will be happy to be your best friend!

I'll Have The Cod, Please.

Most everyone enjoys their “eating out Fish-Fry” Friday night. Especially now that the Lenten Season is upon us, the eating of fish takes on a new meaning. The demand for the different fish dishes has steadily increased along with prices, as our local supply becomes limited.Each winter when it’s at its darkest and coldest up north in the Barents Sea, spawning cod collect in shoals, searching for their place to spawn, the majority choosing Lofoten as their spawning area, hence the name “Lofoten Cod”. Fisheries gather to net the fish and collect the eggs. Entrepreneurs began raising the popular cod, trout and salmon in indoor enclosures that have spawned a new industry called “Aquaculture”. ----------------------------------------- Aquaculture is not a newcomer in Norway. The industry dates back to 1850 with the first brown trout ( Salmo trutta) were hatched. By around 1900, rainbow trout were imported from Denmark and the first attempts at pond-culture were initiated. Today, salmon and rainbow trout farming has developed into a major business along the majority of the coast of Norway and the demand has increased. Since World War II, the supply of wild-caught fisheries could no longer meet demand and the birth of farming fish in lakes, rivers and at sea seemed to be the solution.In 2011, Norway had its greatest salmon export season. More than 840,000 tons were sold on the world markets and, according to NRK reports, the demand continues to rise.

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While Norway’s fish farming is currently considered a “healthy” business, keeping the growing fish in pens poses some health problems. A parasite known as “sea lice” can infest an entire pen of growing fish, and critics feel that infected fish escape their open-water pens in violent storms, intermingling with free-water fish, and spreading the disease. This parasite may pose a problem to fish in both inside and outside cages.

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To counter these critics and control the health of the fisheries, the Norwegian Minister of Fisheries and Coastal affairs, Lisbeth Berg-Hansen, asked the government to introduce two important measures that will better avoid sea lice infestations. She announced the pilot scheme that will come into effect in May of 2012. The industry and authorities have demonstrated that plans already in effect are showing promise in controlling the parasite. One solution to the problem has been to allow the newly hatched young fish to grow larger in indoor-pens before being taking out to their in-lake pens that have a new maximum allowed 20,000 fish per cage. ------------------------------------ Now, if you might be one who wishes to cast a line and snag your own big one, coast and deep sea fishing is good all along the Norwegian coast, but Lofoten seems to be the place to go. Cod, mackerel and coalfish can be caught almost everywhere along the coast. Trout and pike fishing is good in lakes, and there are excellent salmon rivers. --------------------------------------------- Imagine what you might find on the end of your line while casting into a Norwegian fjord!

What In The World Is Happening?

It is almost mid- February in Midwest-USA. Lake ice is still unsafe for fishermen and we have green grass instead of snow. Where is our "Good old-fashion winter" with blizzards and below zero temperatures? The term "Climate Change" has been quietly whispered, while critics claim that it’s only Nature’s Law-of Averages at work.

A January, 2012 golf-outing in Minnesota.

Meanwhile, in Europe and Western Russia, there are media reports of the worst February cold wave to hit that area in 25 years. The death toll has climbed to 280 people who have frozen to death over the last few days in Eastern Europe."Global warming might be the culprit", according to climatologists. The question arises: "How does a little local Arctic summertime warming result in freezing half the globe later?"

Dangerous low temperatures and heavier-than normal snow falls have been experienced in Eastern Europe and Russia.

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The Alfred Wegener Institute says that "Summertime warming is melting the Arctic ice, which leads to a more exposed Arctic Ocean. This, in turn releases heat into the atmosphere, triggering atmospheric dynamics that morphs into massive cold waves six months later".

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Over here in the USA, bird-watchers are reporting sightings of a rare bird called the Snowy Owl. These snow-white birds stand 2 feet tall with a 5-foot wingspan and are normally seen in their normal wintering grounds on the Arctic tundra and not in the U.S. An Ornithologist has reported that as many as 100 snowy owls have been reported in Wisconsin this winter. Normally no more than a dozen are spotted from coast to coast.

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The reason? Climate change may be responsible. These birds normally feed on lemmings.When the little rodent can’t find food, it moves to better feeding areas and the snowy owls have to find them or find another food source for themselves..

Lemmings are 90% of the snowy owl’s diet and weigh about 1-4 ozs, the size of a little guinea -pig.They do not hibernate through the harsh winters, but burrow through the snow and eat the grass, grubs and larvae while living in tunnels under the snow. Warmer winters result in increased periods of freezing and thawing, making the snow freeze at ground level, reducing access to their food and living habitat.

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When the lemmings are abundant, they are hard to miss. Norwegians have had to use snowplows to clear the squashed rodents off their roads. Sometimes their strong biological drive causes them to migrate in large groups as they swim to cross a body of water in search of a new habitat. So, the hungry snowy owl has come to feast on our mice and field rodents for winter food.

This temperature graph shows the average 20-yr high-low temperatures. The trend shows a spike in temperature action since the mid-80's as the Arctic ice melts.

We may not be the only creatures affected by "climate change". It affects the habits of the birds, the fish, and even lemmings. Not to mention the bank accounts of people who sell snow-blowers and skis.

It's a Princess!

Once again, Scandinavian bloodlines have been extended with the birth of a future ruler! This time in Denmark. Denmark's royal palace has announced that French-born Princess Marie has given birth to her second child, a girl. Due to Danish tradition, the child's name is not revealed until the christening ceremony.

The mother of the new princess is Royal Highness Princess Marie of Denmark, Countess of Monpezat.The proud father is His Royal Highness Prince Joachim Holger Waldemar Christian, Prince of Denmark. The Prince is the second son of HM Queen Margrethe II and HRH Prince Consort Henrik, and the new-born princess becomes tenth in line to the throne.

Marie Cavallier was born in Paris, France , later moving to Switzerland where she attended boarding school. After graduating, She then enrolled at Babson College in Wellesley, Massachusetts and Geneva, Switzerland to study international business and economics. While on a Switzerland outing in 2005, she was noticed by Prince Joachim. After their courtship, Joachim and Marie married in May 2008. Marie gave up her French citizenship and converted to Lutheranism. The newborn is the couple's second child.

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The 42 year-old prince has two sons from a previous marriage with Hong Kong-born Alexandra Manley. The couple divorced in 2005, the first Royal split in 160 years in Europe's oldest monarchy.

Prince Joachim has a lengthy military record, beginning in 1987 while serving as a Platoon Commander of a tank squadron, rising in the ranks to commander in the Prince's Own Regiment, and remains active in the defense reserve at HQ Danish Division.

--------------------- The happy grandmother is HM Queen Margrethe II who, on January 14, 2012 celebrated her 40th year on the throne. As Queen, she serves as the Colonel-in-Chief of the Princess of Wales Royal Regiment. Other than that, the Danish Queen's duties are to represent the Kingdom abroad and to be a unifying figurehead of Denmark. As an unelected public official, she takes no part in politics . Although she has the right, she opts not to vote in order to avoid partisanship.The Queen and Prince Consort Henrik have two children and eight grandchildren.

The Royal Family of Norway descends from Frederick VIII of Denmark, Queen Margrethe II's great-grandfather Haakon VII of Norway.

Mother and daughter are reported to be doing well!

A Winter Vacation

Here in the Midwest , we have been waiting for winter. It finally arrived with a blanket of snow that should stay for some time! Now, skiiers and winter enthusiasts can finally get their activities underway. However, there are some who would rather not have winter arrive at all, and have become immigrants to warmer climates. For these people, winter is vacationtime. --------------------------- Most American vacationers choose to visit their ancestral roots in the summer or fall. There are very few Power-Point presentations of “Our Visit To Scandinavia In January”. Possibly cheaper? Less tourist-congestion with cheaper travel rates? Consider this four day winter Scandinavian experience doing something other than skiing:

Your plane lands in Tromsø where you will be driven to your fjord hotel to enjoy your dinner and, later, head for the glass-fronted sauna overlooking the fjord. After a good night’s sleep and breakfast, you board a fjord icebreaker on a Northern Lights hunt while enjoying the on-board hospitality of food and drink.

Tromsø has earned the reputation for being one of the best places in the world to view the Northern Lights. Stops will be made to visit small villages that welcome the winter visitors. That night, the famous show of lights is enjoyed.

Your next day will find you driven to remote Camp Tamok, on your way to a camp famous for Huskies waiting for you to lie back on the blanketed sled where anxious happy sled-dogs are waiting to get under way to help you enjoy a 16 kilometer safari, and what a view!

You will thrill to the course that follows the steep sided valley formed by the spectacular coastal mountain scenery.

The next day after breakfast, you have to choose whether to extend your visit to the winter shopping centers or elect to be transported back to Tromsø for your flight home.

---------------------- Or...Perhaps you wish to experience a winter adventure of life inside the Arctic Circle, assisting the Sami people of Finnmark on their annual reindeer migration. This opportunity is rare. The Sami have for years shunned interaction with outsiders. Many attempts have been made in the past to eradicate them and their 4,000- year-old culture.Taking part in the reindeeer migrations means eating, sleeping and living like a Sami person. You will become part of a journey which runs deep into the bloodlines of these people, dating back thousands of years.

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The journey begins in Kirkenes, northern Norway, close to the Russian border. Here, you will be trained in the working methods of the Sami people as they escort their reindeer from their winter grounds to the summer grazing area.

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You live close to the reindeer, assisting the sami in herding by sled or skidoo, moving and sleeping when they do, your direct participation will be required at all times.You will sleep in a lavvu ( Sami tent) and gain insight into Saami cooking, done over an open fire.This means long hours and little sleep for up to five days.

You will probably spend the night popping out to watch the northern lights flash over the wild and remote area where a night is said to be a unique and special experience not soon forgotten.

Tourism in Norwegian Lapland has become a main source of employment and income, replacing traditional industries such as forestry.

When the herd stops, it’s time to say goodbye.

Adjø!

Long Live The King And Queen!

Unless you live in an area populated by Scandinavians, you probably were not aware of the royal visit of King Harald and Queen Sonja of Norway as they visited the United States last October. The Norwegian Royal Couple made stops in the Midwest and New York City as they toured several Wisconsin and Minnesota colleges of Scandinavian backgrounds. In the fall/winter issue of News of Norway, a sampling of their visit was published.

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Excited and enthusiastic crowds greeted the couple as they arrived at the various

destinations.

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Augsburg College in Minneapolis, Luther College in Decorah, Iowa and St. Olaf College in Northfield, Minnesota have close ties to Scandinavian heritage and were honored by visits of the Royal Couple. Speaking to the citizens and students, here are portions of the King's speeches.

"My personal bonds to the United States have developed since my early childhood, when I spent five years here with my mother and two sisters during World War II. I have visited regularly since then, and my fascination and admiration for this beautiful and complex country is still growing.."

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" Norwegians who came to America have made an extraordinary impact in the process of building this country, and your history is full of examples of dedicated people who have left "footprints on the sand of time". You have been contributing to all aspects of American society, in a number of areas – like education, politics and business life. Every one of you should be proud of what you have accomplished in this great country...."

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"We are gathered here tonight to celebrate what it means to be Norwegian and what it means to be American. There is something special about each and every one of you, a reflection of your combined Norwegian and American heritages. I wish you all the very best in preserving these values as well as taking care of the pride and awareness of your Norwegian ancestry. I am confident that these special bonds of friendship will stay alive in the future." ----------------------------------------

At their St. Olaf College visit, the King and Queen sat in on a "Beginning Norwegian" language class. In this photo, the king apparently had some humorous reply.

(Perhaps, they thought his accent was funny?!)

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Their Majesties King Harald V and Queen Sonja were in the United States October 13-22, 2011. In Minnesota and Iowa, the Royal Couple met with representatives from the state governments and visited Norwegian-American environs and institutions. In New York, the King and Queen were among the Honorary guests at the American Scandinavian Foundation’s Centennial Ball celebrating 150 years of cultural exchange and close relationship of the United States with our Scandinavian neighbors.

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A full report of their USA visit is available online at norway.org/royalvisit2011.