The Latest Number One

The latest poll is out. Who is number one?

Where would one find the best country in the world in which to live? There are many ‘rating sources’ with different criteria centered for a variety of age and personal interests. One reputable ‘rating group’ is The Economist Intelligence Unit which provides analysis and forecasts on more than 200 countries and key industries, including technology, finance and energy.

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The Economist Intelligence Unit, or EIU is a British business  providing services through research and analysis, such as monthly country reports, five-year country economic forecasts, country risk service reports, and industry reports.
NBC News used the latest EIU report to interview residents  in the latest “number one country”, unfortunately, the country chosen was not The United States Of America .

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The country determined to be the “Best Country In Which To Live”  was, once again, Norway.

 Norway has been rated “number one” by the EIU six years running and NBC reporters visited Norway to discover how they are achieving this feat. Keeping in mind, these ratings vary due to criteria and the rating-center’s results.Nevertheless, Norway consistently winds up in the top five in most rankings, sharing honors with their Scandinavian neighbors Sweden and Denmark, year after year.
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One of the NBC team’s interviews included that of two 18 yr-old Oslo residents. When asked if they planned to vote in their elections, they thought the question to be strange. Eighteen yr-old  Norwegian Aurora Aven stated ”It would seem very strange not to vote. It’s, like, a normal thing.” Norwegians are automatically registered to vote and  78% did vote in the last election. (The US percentage was twenty percent lower). They went on to say “ Norway has  a good system. No one feels left out and everyone knows their voice will be heard.”

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There are eight political parties in Norway’s legislature and debate is much milder than that in the US. To get anything done, they must utilize more cooperation than confrontation. Interviewees mentioned that the political members are not known to be of big personalities with high incomes. Taxes are nationally known to be very high, but residents do not object, knowing that their comfortable living standard, health care and education is, and will be available free of charge aided by the fact that Norway’s oil industry has provided a $880 million dollar ‘ Piggy Bank’ for Norway residents.
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Money does not seem to be a big issue for Norwegians. Money can’t  ‘buy a political job.’ One resident stated " In Norway we try to keep it so the politicians don't earn that much money. They do it because they care about the country and the future." 

      When asked about their opinion of America, most are aware of the musical entertainment industry and the US being a world leader as being very important, but worried about current American conditions that are causing concern to Europeans.
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Norway is famous for its economic practices, plus the residents are well-cared for with

emphasis on family-friendly policies. It is a well known fact that even fathers can take up to 12 weeks paid leave during the first three years after a new baby’s arrival. Norway’s residents are very aware of  outside areas. Tourists find that Norwegian youth can speak very good English! ( Americans, as a whole, are not known to reciprocate.)

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While Norway, Sweden  and Denmark are often found in the top 10 “Best countries”, The United States is not to be found in that category! In this EIU survey of 167 countries, the USA was ranked 24th. In this survey, the NBC staff found that the United States had been downgraded to being a “Flawed Democracy”.

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                       The latest EIU index as stated in the explanation:   
“Full democracies are nations where civil liberties and basic political freedoms are not only respected, but also reinforced by a political culture conducive to the thriving of democratic principles. These nations have a valid system of governmental checks and balances, independent judiciary whose decisions are enforced, governments which function adequately, and media which is diverse and independent.                                                                                                These nations have only limited problems in democratic functioning.”

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“A flawed democracy is a country with free elections but weighed down by weak governance, an underdeveloped political culture and low levels of political participation” according to the EIU. "Trust in political institutions is an essential component of well-functioning democracies.Jan 25, 2017.”

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   The US middle-ranking shared ratings with Columbia, a country of decades-long violence and violations of human rights, although making progress since 2002.  Also Argentina ,whose residents have struggled with military dictatorships, as well as India which is the world’s largest democracy  with a population expected to overtake China’s in 2028 to become the world’s most populous nation, but also tackling social and economic problems.

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In comparison of these issues, Norway is fortunate in their social, economic and political positions. Residents are content enjoying their national pride corruption free, lack of pollution, low crime rate which explains how Norway can deserve their title of “The Best Country In Which To Live.”

     

      

What Is That Noise?

We are in the middle of February and the snowcover in our Wisconsin area is unusually low. Ice-fishermen are kept aware of unsafe ice conditions on their favorite fishing lakes.

 Weather forecasters are not mentioning snow and it appears that winter is on the wane. It’s been an unusual winter. Years ago, snow drifts along country roads reached the roadside telephone wires at this time of the year. Winter nights were cold enough that outdoors listeners would hear the sound of trees cracking in the night. Things seem to be changing. Cold, clear wintery nights were full of bright stars and an occasional display of Northern Lights, a sight currently very rare in our area.

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Scandinavian winter-nights are nationally known for their almost-routine displays of brilliant color as tourist cameras record waves of Aurora Borealis, or Northern Lights as they flash across the sky. It is often said that the northern parts of Norway is the best places in the world to see the northern lights. The lights can be just as visible from destinations outside of Norway, but few countries can rival the vast selection of tours, cruises, restaurants and hotels which all play an important part in this arctic experience. This is an important part of winter activities in long, cold and dark winter nights.

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'Aurora Borealis', means 'dawn of the north'.  In Roman myths, Aurora was the goddess of the dawn.  Many cultural groups have legends about the lights. In medieval times, these strange light-displays were seen as warnings of war or famine.

The Menominee Indians of Wisconsin believed that the lights indicated the location of giants who were the spirits of great hunters and fishermen. The Inuit of Alaska believed that the lights were the spirits of the animals they hunted Other aboriginal peoples believed that the lights were the spirits of their people.

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Iceland turned off the street lights in its capital city, one November night between 10pm until midnight  to allow people to view a spectacular Northern Lights display.

Reykjavik residents were asked to darken their homes  and drivers were informed to take extreme care while on the roads.

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One visitor strolling on a quiet, cold and clear Scandinavian winter night was hearing strange crackling sounds. Believing it was from powerlines, he found the sound continued as he walked away. Looking up into the dark skies, he noticed the flashing waves of color and realized that the crackling sounds were coming in the waves of the northern lights.Witnesses say the sounds are comparable to radio static, like a faint crackling,  or hissing heard for a few minutes during a strong display. These weird sounds were long considered folklore, but scientists have now found otherwise. Finnish scientists have not only shown that they really happen and now know why..

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Charged particles are constantly streaming from the sun in the solar wind, and auroras occur when these particles interact with Earth's magnetic field. The sounds can be created when a layer of warm air  interacts with a layer of cold air near the Earth’s surface. Electrical charges then build up in the warm layer of air while opposite charges build in the cold layer. These visible displays appear as  disturbances resulting in  electrical discharges creating sounds we normally hear in thunderstorms.

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Currently, in “The North Land”, January temperatures in Norway average between 21 ° and 37 °F and areas north of the Arctic Circle rarely see the sun rise, due to the natural phenomenon of the polar night. January and February temperatures in this area can drop to 5 °F. The lowest winter temperatures in Iceland are usually somewhere between -13 and-22 °F, although the lowest temperature ever recorded on Iceland was -39 °F

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Scientists estimate that ,should the current rate of climate change continue, Greenland's ice sheet, which contains

Norway in winter

630,000 cubic miles of ice could melt and cause global sea level to rise by 23 ft These ice-sheets and glaciers will be most affected by climate change. The temperatures from the year 2000 to the present have caused several very large glaciers that had long been stable, to begin to melt away.

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The climate of the Arctic is characterized by long, cold winters and short, cool summers., but all regions experience extremes of solar radiation in both summer and winter. Some parts of the Arctic are covered by ice ,whether it is sea ice, glacial ice, or snow year-round.

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  If ‘climate change’ is factual and continues, the lack of  ice and snow cover could change temperatures to a time when nature’s wonders will be known only  as “Back in the day” and seen only in the videos recorded by the tourists now enjoying the sights we take for granted. Just long, dark winter nights.

 Those strange noises caused by those Northern Lights may be history.

Sweden vs Mars?

It's time for a treat! What's there to eat?

"Hey, Sven. Got a spare M and M?"

It’s doubtful that there’s anyone in the United States unaware of the candy with the initial
"m” on the piece or on the pack.Every US candy lover knows about the famous candy, but few pay any attention to the letter stamped on each piece.

 Is it “M”. or.”m”..“M and M” or even “m and m”?

 Who cares? It’s one of America’s favorite candy.

Forrest Mars invented the recipe for “m and m”s chocolate during the Spanish Civil War. Mars noticed soldiers eating pieces of chocolate covered with a hard sugary coating in their daily mess-kit. He realized that the coating prevented the candy from melting in the hot sun. After the war, Forrest began producing the now-famous condiment and received a patent for his manufacturing process on March 3, 1941. The candy became famous and popular world wide, except in selected companies due to their existing and similar product. The countries not interested were Finland, Norway and Sweden because these countries were happily consuming their own sugary condiment and didn’t appreciate any competition. For this reason, The US company Mars did not attempt to promote their popular 'm and m' product and honored their “No sale”agreement in 1989. All went well until the agreement lapsed. Not being renewed, Mars decided to introduce m and ms to Swedish candy lovers.

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All this time, Marabou, a Swedish candymaker owned by Mondelez had been  satisfying Swedish candy-lovers

since the 1950s with their chocolate product they had been selling in Europe using the brand name “m”.

The resulting competition became too much, as well as confusing shoppers because both the US and Swedish company was using the same letter “m” for their trademark. Swedes always enjoy their chocolate and there was bound to be a problem.Americans are noted for being “No.1” in candy consumption, but Sweden is in the top ten.

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“En familj på 4 personer konsumerar 1,2 kilo godis i veckan!.”

 For those of you  who do not speak Swedish, the English translation reads “A family of four consumes 1.2 kilograms of candy a week.”

"Swedes eat on average 16 kilos of candy per person a year" according to the Board of Agriculture. For those who do not use metrics: That’s a lot!  And the amount consumed creates other problems. All this sugar causes tooth decay! It’s claimed that Swedes ‘have the biggest sweet tooth around’ and Swedish authorities attempted to slow the sugar consumption urging consumers to ease their daily sweets urges .

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They introduced  "lördagsgodis” (Saturday candy) , a ritual of choosing (and eating) 'pick 'n mix' candy to encourage “Candy eating only on weekends", hoping this might ease the daily habit. Swedish kids loved the Saturday ritual of unlimited candy! Once a week, Swedes were given a free pass to indulge in all the gummies, chocolates, and salty licorice their Nordic hearts desired. However, the kids', and adults’ daily habit did not go away.                    Candy sales soared.

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When the US Mars company, and “m and ms began to be too much for the Swedish Marabou-Martinez company, Mars was called into court and was forced to stop selling their “m and m” product, due to their very similar trademark of the single lower-class “m” ,  claiming the Swedes had a patent on the “m” trademark.

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In Swedish, there is something called“smågodisätande”( Loosely translated: candy snacking ). All food stores usually have a whole wall lined with “pick-and-choose yourself” bulk candy. A favorite snack is “pastelifiskar”, a fish-shaped chewy wine pastel fish offered in several colors. By the way, candy, is called 'godis' in Swedish.

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Despite all the Swedish candies, Mars believed there was a market for their m and m product  and countersued for the right to sell their product. Finally the Swedish Supreme Court worked out a compromise  both companies accepted. The Swedish product would retain the lower case "m" while Mars candies would be required to change their products to be marked with the UPPER case "M" and both companies were in business. "M and M" was now saleable in Sweden and quickly accepted.

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 Back home, here in the USA,The American company Nabisco took notice and decided to create a “Limited Edition” of a possible product to lure  American candy-eaters to mimic the Swedish candy-habit

and decided to cash in on the Swedish fish motif . Nabisco was successful with their Oreo Cookie product and decided to produce a ”Limited Edition” product based on the Swedish fish idea here in the USA. They called their new offering “The Fish Oreo” using the very popular chocolate covers, and instead of the usual minty filling, Nabisco substituted a red filling that had a hint of fish added.
 The Swedish Fish Oreo after-taste gave tasters an unusual and apparently unexpectedly annoying taste experience.

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Several reviews were not favorable and the new product was not a great success. However, Nabisco’s ”Fish Oreo” is available in select USA stores and can be ordered on-line today! A spokesperson  for Mars felt that there never was  confusion between the two “m” products. Marabou was a peanut candy while America’s M “melted in your mouth”. At the latest report,  Swedish candy shoppers can pick up both "M and M"s  and their own “m” candies from their stores. Probably, not side-by-side!    

Sweet!

Winter Has Arrived

"Baby, It's Cold Outside" 

"Back in the day", this was the theme of a familiar ballad sung by a suitor to his date while urging her to stay indoors. It was winter time.

Winter has arrived. It came in January this year bringing Helena, who  arrived on-board The Polar Express, using the common PolarVortex on the track of the well-known Northwesterly Jetstream. This usually occurs in our northerly areas and usually brings trouble.

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Helena is a winter storm expected to dump a few feet of snow with temperatures that can dive to dangerous levels. Pieces of this constant-coldpolar vortex have again escaped from the Arctic region depositing frigid air that will put 25 million Americans under windchill conditions of below zero conditions. Wind blasts will cause temperatures to plunge 20 to 45 degrees for a week before it moves on to the eastern USA. If its cold here, it must be really frigid in Norway!

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According to Judah Cohen, the director of Seasonal Forecasting, an Atmospheric  Research center in the US, “Siberia is the refrigerator of the Northern Hemisphere where air masses area become chilled.”  Early in the
calendar year, the air from Siberia is always chilled by the snow-covered area  and later exported by the circling jet stream over the United States. At times, this frigid jetstream enters areas of low pressure and sags southernly, bringing unusual snowfalls and chilling temperatures.
So, one might expect that this airflow must do the same to the Scandinavian countries.

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Norway is thought to be a cold, wet country with the same latitude as our Alaska, Greenland and also Siberia. However, the Atlantic Ocean has it’s own currents working. Norway has a pleasant climate caused by warm ocean

Gulf Stream Atlantic path.

waters  that actually originate in the Gulf of Mexico! This water flows northerly up to the ‘Northland’ becoming known as The Gulf Stream of warm water/air currents.Eastern Atlantic waters are warmer! Norway has a friendlier climate  along the east coast of Norway! The coldest areas in their winters are often inland or far to the north in Norway. While all may see snow, Polar Expresses are rare. ‘Mean’ (average) temperatures in winter months are above freezing along the coast up to the Lofodten area (Northland). The coldest area, the “Finnmark Plateau” has average monthly temperatures around -15°s. .

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As of January 6th, 2017, ( today) the eastern city of Bergen has a temperature of 6° while Oslo thermometers on the southwestern side  read 3°. By Saturday, Oslo’s weekend temperature was expected to drop to -6°. That looks cold as we would expect, but wait! Their temps are registered “Celsius”. We use “Fahrenheit”! There IS a difference!

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Bergen’s 6° C  would be our 43° F !. Oslo’s 3° would be our 37° F. It would drop all the way down to..21° on our scale. That's not very cold. I guess     it all depends on how you look at it.

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Anders Celsius

This Celsius/Fahrenheit thing is strange.Celsius, also known as 'centigrade', is a scale and a unit of measurement for temperature used by most countries in the world. It is named after the Swedish astronomer Anders Celsius(1701–1744), who developed a  temperature scale.In the Fahrenheit scale, water boils at 212 degrees. and the freezing point at 32.

Daniel Fahrenheit

 It was developed by Daniel Gabriel Fahrenheit, a German-born scientist who lived and worked primarily in the Netherlands.The common feeling about 'Celsius' is that it is a scientific scale whereas 'Fahrenheit' is a human scale. In Fahrenheit 0° means it’s cold out and 100° is pretty hot! In ‘Celsius’ 0° is chilly while 100° in not survivable!  0° C is 32°F   0°F= -17.77778°C!   ( Boiling water)
 If one is a weather forecaster,  a conversion can be used quickly.

To convert 20 degrees Celsius to degrees Fahrenheit: Use the easy formula

                                                     T(°F) = 20°C × 9/5 + 32 = 68 °F

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Traffic pileup in Southern US

But, even reading in Celsius, winter weather may be ‘cold’. Sweden is forecasted to have  it’s coldest winter in years with piles of snow and low temperatures  according to a three-month forecast from the Danish Meteorology Institute. They expect a weak jetstream which will bring in high pressure and cooler temperatures. Those unruly jet-streams can cause European weather problems very much like ours in the USA, but they still are on the warmer side of the ocean!

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AS we speak, Helena is  'doing a number' down south. Traffic accidents and winter deaths are piling up as thestorm moves to the East.  Winter Storm Watchers have been experiencing unusual conditions in Alabama and North Carolina as winter storm Helena brings ice, sleet and heavy snow to people who may not even own a shovel.



Maybe Norway weather isn’t so bad after all!
 

On Dasher! On Prancer, On....

                                                 
                                                        “On Dasher, On Prancer..On.."  

Santa has left the area!

The Winter Solstice has  past, and Santa helped us celebrate  his annual visit..with a few problems. His usual route over the USA had to be changed due to current situations that have recently been discovered. Due to an anonymous tweet, it was found that Santa may have a problem with his herd of reindeer.. Questions have arisen as to his possible ‘mixed herd’. With  solutions pending, according to rumors, Santa did not have clearance to fly over one of our USA states.State residents had questioned the deer names “Dancer”, “Prancer”, “Cupid” did not seem to be masculine names. “Are Santa’s reindeer male or female?” was questioned..”Are they mixed??”

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  So, maybe, Rudolf is really a lady deer! And, thinking about those names is interesting.

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Every one of Santa’s team has a great head of antlers and it has been assumed that all are male. Research has shown that adult male reindeer shed their antlers in November or early December. (Santa’s team has antlers)...Further research finds that female reindeer ALSO have antlers!! Who knew? It may be true that Santa
has some female deer in line and this could create a problem in our ’state in question”. ( It’s been a tough year!)....

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Adult reindeer of both sexes are capable of growing horns, or antlers. Males use theirs

primarily as weapons to fight their opponents but also to rub trees and plow snow to get to scarce winter food. As the snow melts, and mating season is completed in December, the antlers are less useful and are shed. So, Santa’s reindeer should be antlerless as they fly by... Arctic females of the species seem to be able to grow a lighter set of antlers, again using them to dig for food and also ward off their female intruders. Deer with stronger and more prominent antlers will probably be the domineering members of the herd. Other females seem not to ‘put in the effort’ and don’t have any antler growth. Males shed their head ornaments when conditions improve while the ladies keep their antlers until spring or early summer after calving..

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  Apparently, Santa had female reindeer in the herd. The tweet went on to say “ He had to have a female in the team. Who else would be able to guide a fat old man with a bunch of male deer around the world without getting lost?” Makes sense.

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Any any rate,  from the Norwegian point of view, the “Dark Time” or Winter Part 1 is past. Christmas has marked the end of part one and “After Christmas” begins Winter Part 2’. Daylight, when available, becomes a bit 'less dark'. Happier days ahead.

 This is the time of year when Norwegians take to the great outdoors, skiing, drink coffee, enjoy nature and generally be really Norwegian.

   Enjoy!

It's Coming..Soon!

Candle number two has been  lit! These candles officially start the Christmas season, the first Sunday in December. The season happily known as Advent.

.On the first Sunday of Advent – four weeks before Christmas – people light the first candle in the Advent season, a special event eagerly awaited. Each Sunday until Christmas, a candle is lit (and blown out after a while), until all four candles are alight.Advent is a season observed in many Western Christian churches as a time of preparation for the celebration of the Nativity of Jesus at Christmas. The term is a version of the Latin word meaning "coming". Another  interpretation of Advent comes from the Latin word for “arrival” — adventus — which means non-Christians can celebrate it simply as a fun countdown to Christmas.

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Daylight hours have become shorter, making the darkness set in much earlier and artificial lights are switched on to compensate. December brings a time for  hope. Winter solstice in December marks the longest ‘dark nights’ of the year and we begin to look forward to the cycle reversing. Christmas spirit begins early.
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After our thanksgiving holiday, shoppers have  been visiting stores that have long been displaying brightly arranged items for gifts while Christmas music has been heard everywhere.Traditional winter clothing, foods, Christmas Trees and everything for everyone is being purchased for the annual festivities we know as The Christmas Season.

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Many of our annual shopping and celebrations are, pretty much, repetitious annual events. Our church activities, home visits, and foods are much the same every year. In spite of this , we eagerly

A Nativity Scene, wood carved selling for $20,0003.00.

continue the ‘spirit of the season’, sometimes having little idea of ‘why’, outside of our spiritual beliefs and The Nativity of Jesus’ birth. For most, this is sufficient and, as most would say, is this is          “ The Reason For The Season”.

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 Pre-Christian people had other reasons. One, being the desire for survival.Where did our “routine practices” come from? Why are outdoor trees brought inside? Why do we put up wreathes and why do we call it  the “The Jul”? And then there’s ‘Christmas ham’?? We just had turkey...

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Some of our seasonal “needs” have some ancient history. Our ancestors, in earlier days believed the sun had a lot to do with their survival. The darkness often brought danger and some thought the sun was being withheld for an unknown reason.They took action to remedy the situation.

At Midwinter, or Solstice, the Vikings honored their Asa Gods with religious rituals and feasting. They sacrificed a wild boar to' Frey', the God of Fertility and Farming, to assure a good growing season in the coming year. The meat was then cooked and eaten at the feast. Winter solstice ham! This is the origin of today's Christmas ham in Scandinavia.
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Then, some believed the sun was a huge wheel that rolled out of sight. To honor the gods,they fashioned a giant Sunwheel, which was put on fire and rolled down a hill to entice the Sun to return. This could be the origin of the Christmas wreath. We don’t fire it up, but we often set it ablaze with colorful lights and display them in many windows.

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Now there’s this “Yule log”. Most US people don’t even have a Yulelog, but some do, and  have a table display of a short wooden branch with candles placed in drilled holes. No real reason except for more candle-light. This log, in Viking days, was the heat supply in dark nights.Today, it's known as a decoration or a cheese log rolled in nuts.

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And why do we chop down a perfectly shaped tree and bring it into out home?
It’s bound with strings of lights, tinsel, and decorative objects. Later, in the season, it’s ‘roots’ are covered with fake snow displaying brightly wrapped boxes that are coveted by children of all ages.

Even our Christmas tree goes back to Pre-Christian times. The Vikings decorated evergreen trees with pieces of food and clothes, small statues of the Gods, carved runes, etc., to entice the tree spirits to come back in the spring. Christmas wasn't celebrated in Norway until about 1000 or 1100, when Christianity first came to the area.
 In earlier times, it was a celebration of the end of the harvest.By ancient law, the work of autumn was to be completed in November and it was time to celebrate.

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No celebration was complete without the traditional brew.
Glögg is a Scandinavian Christmas drink. Recipes vary widely, but all

use wine or port as a base with the addition of mulling spices, sugar and usually other liquors such as brandy or vodka. Beer production was made mandatory.  The brew played a big part of the farmer’s life. The time  of celebration has varied. According to written sources such as one law issued by an annual parliamentary assembly which took place on the west coast of Norway sometime approximately 900 to 1300 AD in medieval Norway beer brewing was mentioned.

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By law, it was mandatory for farmers to have a beer drinking party with at least three farmers attending. If a farmer was so far away from his neighbors that this was difficult, he still had to brew as much beer as if he had been taking part of such a party. The beer should be ready by the first of November. and failure to do so meant the possibility of losing ownership of the farm.
 Ancient sagas note that Vikings were huge beer drinkers. They would even stop mid-battle for a beer break to drink huge quantities of beer, and then rejoin the battle, probably with a lot more gusto!

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 The drinking of ale was particularly important to several seasonal religious festivals and these festivals continued to be celebrated after the introduction of Christianity, although under new names. Jul or jol is the term used for the Christmas holiday season in Scandinavia and parts of Scotland. Originally, "jul" was the

name of a month in the old Germanic calendar. The concept of "jul" was
a period of time rather than a specific event prevailing in Scandinavia. In modern times, "Jul" is a general time stretching from mid-November to mid-January, with Christmas and the week up to New Year as the highlight. The modern English yule and yuletide derive from this term. Some modern customs have survived, although we may have altered the significance.

 The long winter’s darkness is made brighter and the people rejoice as the Christmas Season begins..