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..

Where did the day go?

 The clocks have been turned back one hour some time ago, but my body is still on the "Old Standard Time".

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Just like income tax, daylight saving time was originally introduced as a temporary measure during the First World War. In 1915, Imperial Germany began expirimenting with the clocks  in order to better fit the working day within available daylight hours — and possibly save some energy that would then be used to light factories at night. Britain noticed and its empire quickly followed suit.

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As days become shorter and temperatures drop, thoughts of winter creep into our minds. But when does winter really begin? Mother Nature cares little about the clock. Only the calendar and lack of sunshiny days.
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 A barely noticeable event called the Winter Solstice was noted in Wisconsin, USA Wednesday, December 21, 2015 at 4:44 AM Central Standard Time. While no one celebrated or even cared, these annual winter solstices supposedly mark the first day of winter. However, the official date for the first day of winter varies depending on  climate, and location.This ‘Solstice’ is the shortest day of the year in our Northern Hemisphere. From that day on, nights become longer!

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The term ‘solstice’ comes from the Latin word solstitium, meaning 'the Sun stands still'. The sun seems to stand still at the Tropic of Capricorn and then reverses it's direction. It's also common to call it the day the Sun turns around,  the first day of Astronomical Winter. The days begin to be noticeably shorter and, of course, the nights much longer. To offset this, we turn the clock back one hour! Winter is in the air.

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Here in the US, We are accustomed to four seasons: Spring, summer, autumn and winter. Residents of Tromsø ,Norway claim five seasons. They claim two winters! Part 1 and part 2.

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Winter part 1  is The Dark Time-In Norwegian -' mørketiden' – the dark time perfectly describes the first half of winter, which lasts roughly from October through early January. As the name suggests, it’s the darkest time of year. It’s still wet and often  stormy with frequent rains which tends to wash away any snow, but the darkness is eased by  lights on the city streets and later, Christmas lights in every Norwegian house. The bright Christmas lights bring joy accompanied with  gifts and happiness for upcoming times. Christmas lights bring joy to everyone!
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        Winter part 2 –
The White Winter After Christmas . Everyone’s mood improves. Snowfall is heavier and more frequent, so although the days are still

short, available light is reflected off the snow, giving the impression of a much lighter environment. It’s at this time of the year that Norwegians take to the great outdoors to go jogging on sticks (cross-country skiing), eat waffles, drink coffee, and generally be really Norwegian.

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Kari Leibowitz,  a PhD student at Stanford University,  spent August 2014 to June 2015 on a Fulbright

scholarship in  in northern Norway. Tromsø is so far north that from November to  January, the sun never climbs above the horizon. Leibowitz wanted to see if residents’ rates of seasonal depression increased during the dark winters. She discovered that "people view winter as something to be enjoyed, not something to be endured."She added "There’s a saying that there’s no such thing as bad weather, only bad clothing."

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Norwegians also have a word, koselig, that means a sense of coziness. People light candles as they drink warm beverages, and wrap in fuzzy blankets close to crackling fireplaces.Tromsø has plenty of festivals and community activities creating the sense that everyone was in it together.people are enamored with the sheer beauty of the season.Norway’s winter season’s scenery is not

necessarily the color of “white snow”. Deep in the winter in Norway, when the sun doesn’t rise above the horizon, several hours a day can still look like sunrise and sunset. Residents enjoy scenic colors that are incredibly beautiful while the light is soft and indirect.

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For those of us who are not so lucky to be enjoying The Nordland’s Winter Beauty, we tend to be happy when our snow is gone and spring warmth is back. Winter is long and some people really do enjoy it! Think positive. Apparently, we need to change our attitude!

A Mindset Shift?

Leibowitz. has some comments and suggestions:

"One of the things we do a lot of in the States is that we bond by complaining about the winter".
 She says: "It’s hard to have a positive wintertime mindset when we make small talk by being negative about the winter. Talk about ice skating, or building snowmen. Bundle up and go for a walk outside, knowing that

you’ll likely feel warmer and happier after a few minutes. Better yet, go with a friend. Social plans are a great reason to haul yourself out from under the covers”.( Maybe these people have an advantage: Small Norwegian communities are tightly knit, and strong social ties increase well-being everywhere).

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Some area of Scandinavia receive early snowfall, and snow causes upland roads to close while other roads remain open with limited plowing. Residents become accustomed to walking in snow and have, for generations, learned to adjust, dress accordingly, accept it, and enjoy the long snow season. Norwegian youth are skilled in skiing to school and home again.Snow is welcome and enjoyed by all.
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There has been a couple pair of cross-country skis in our Wisconsin attic that haven’t been used for some time, and we did enjoy getting out on ski trails ‘back in

the day!’. Now, getting older, it’s cribbage, dominoes and hot chocolate while we watch the snow fall in the yard. Leibowitz has a point. There are some good things about winter, but these Wisconsin winters can be “something else”!

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Personally,  I’ll have to work on that “Mind Shift”. But first, I’ve got to get my body to accept this “Daylight Savings” thing! We gained an hour, but I‘m still tired. The days are getting short.

Winter is coming! It’s time...

Just Another Habit!

Try as I may, I am unable to find any graphic of a Viking attacking while smoking. Even Columbus was never seen on his deck with a cigar.

But there was  a show of violence from  the famous ‘Berserkers” who must have been inhaling mushrooms or perhaps an herbal-type plant to increase their battle-courage. No tobacco from anyone!

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And speaking about Columbus, one can only imagine Christopher’s reaction when he was first offered the Indian greeter’s ‘peacepipe’ in 1492 after he  inhaled his first breath of tobacco. It might have caused glee to the welcoming group as Chris coughed at the new sensation. He was introduced to tobacco and later presented with a gift of tobacco leaf. The Indians knew about tobacco.As early as 1 B.C., it has been suspected that American Indians began using tobacco in many different ways, for example, religious and medicinal practices.It is believed that tobacco began growing in the Americas about 6,000 B.C.!

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Tobacco was a plant believed to be a cure-all, used to dress wounds, as well as a pain killer. Chewing tobacco was believed to relieve the pain of a toothache! Soon, sailors were taking tobacco back to Europe resulting in the plant being grown all over Europe.

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Cigarettes became popular  in WWI when soldiers brought it back to England from Russian and Turkish soldiers.

Cigarettes have become very popular amongst smokers since that time, but health issues, combined with the increased prices of the product to $5.50 per pack upwards to $12.85 has caused some to find alternatives. Smoke became a problem for non-smokers and smoking became banned in public places.

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Vipe-pens became  the rage for the ‘serious users’, but the tobacco was missing. To avoid the “Tobacco banned” problem, tobacco-users  turned to “No-smoke", but still  used "tobacco” products that remained legal to use. An alternate  to the cigarette was needed

   and the product came from Sweden.

Europe found chewing-tobacco to be the favorite habit-quencher. Sweden called it “Snus” (pronounced "snoose," like “loose”) which is a smokeless, moist powder tobacco concocted in Sweden. A little ‘pinch’  is placed under the top lip, and available in several flavors.There are not many things more Swedish than snus,  the popular tobacco product used by almost a quarter of the population. It's widespread use among Swedes is something of an oddity due to a EU ban preventing it from being exported to the rest of Europe.

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“Snus is more dangerous for blood health than what we previously thought. It looks worse than we believed.” researcher Eli-Anne Skaug of NTNU commented to Norway’s TV2. Swedes don’t like being told what to do when it comes to their peculiar tobacco habit, but they took the study in good humor. Uppsala county in central Sweden attempted to prevent council employees from coming into work smelling of it, however the council was forced to quickly backtrack when the proposal faced huge public opposition, including loud objections from the leader of the national Left party.

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Being unable to export their product to the US, an alternative was developed and the result became a hit in The New Country.

 Instead of “In the Mouth”, how about  “In the Nose”?

Luktsnus ("smelling snuff") in Swedish became “Snuff” (pronounced like ‘snuff’) in the USA. The the word "snuff" is often confusingly used in English to refer to both the nasal form and both the oral forms of snus and dipping ( lip) tobacco. Regardless, the US became an eager and important market. Americans have a choice!...

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In Norway in 2008, approximately 17% of adult men used snus daily or occasionally, while 4% of adult women used snus daily or occasionally. In secondary schools in 2000-2004, 21% of boys and 4% of girls used snus daily or occasionally. Many people both smoke and use snus.

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 But there is governmental opposition! In a drive towards a smoke-free society by 2035, the Norwegian Medical Association (NMA) is pressing the government to back its proposal for a ban on tobacco sales to citizens born after the year 2000.In Norway, snus has helped cut down on smoking . People there have either used it to help them quit cigarettes or as an alternative to cigarettes if they hadn’t successfully licked the tobacco habit completely.

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Marit Hermansen, the president of the NMA, told Norwegian newspaper Aftenposten that "access to cigarettes was not a basic human right".

"We have long had the policy of phasing out smoking by 2035. This is a measure to achieve this goal. We want a tobacco-free generation," she said.

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 The smoking-ban may be easier than phasing out the sniffing variety. Here, at home, Copenhagen is a popular brand of dipping tobacco made by the U.S. Smokeless Tobacco Company. It is available in mouth pouches, much like tea-bags, and there are different cuts of tobacco available at the check-out areas of our American  grocery-stores. Currently, while still popular with those craving smoke-free tobacco, warnings of health issues and cancer-causing have caused a decrease in the numbers of female users, but ‘habit-hooked’ users remain loyal to ‘their brand’.

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 But to be clear, when you request your snuff choice  at the check-out display, remember, snuff used in the nose is referred to as luktsnus ("smelling snuff"), while the moist form placed under the upper lip is simply called snus .

Snuff and snus are distinct products.Then, there’s choices of Wintergreen, cherry, mint, etc. from which to choose. Your cashier should be impressed.      Maybe not.

Bad habits are hard to break.

History Repeats Itself

 Something is happening in the Northland! Due to the mountainous terrain, settlements have always kept their particular practices with little regard to their neighbors across the fjords. Social  activities within the church are unusual with the exception of Christmas or weddings, etc. Norway is not known for religious attendance. Only a small percentage of the population attends services, although they are registered most often as Christian members at birth.

But there may be changes in the air.

Back in the Viking age, active raiders began finding areas they found desireable. Early explorers found one island to their liking.Iceland was still uninhabited long after the rest of Western Europe had been settled. Recorded settlements have  been found back in 874, although archaeological evidence indicates Gaelic monks had settled Iceland before that date.
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The land was settled quickly, mainly by Norwegians who may have been fleeing conflict or seeking new land to farm.  Towards the end of the tenth century, Christianity came to Iceland through the influence of the Norwegian king Olaf

Tryggvason. When the wily Vikings settled in, they decided  they would accept this “Christianity” thing and also keep their own pagan beliefs in their gods of Thor, Freda and the like.

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In time, Christianity overtook common beliefs and pagan practice became quietly practiced by the devout few. The Christians, mainly Lutheran and Catholic, became the norm, but the majority of the population was not responding well and the stories of Odin, Thor, and The Giants were still heard.

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Everyone of Scandinavian background knows of the incredibly strong Thor and his hammer Miollnir, that

was crafted by the dwarfs. He was the main defender of the gods against the giants. He was also the god of thunder, and  worshiped by seafarers who wore amulets of Thor’s hammer for good luck along with a dragon’s head on their ships to scare vicious seas-creatures. These items are sold today by visitors and tourists.

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 On land, dragon heads were mounted on high points of Norwegian stave churches to ward away the devil. These old stories and myths have not been forgotten.

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Some people think differently ‘Up North’.
Icelanders  and the Sami in Northern Norway have their own way of life and nature plays a large part in it.

Tree of Life

Sami, who had remained pagan long after the conversion of their neighbors see life as a circular process of life, death and rebirth and Vikings have tales of mythical gods that control nature. Sami beliefs and Viking myths are beginning to mesh as one. People have been talking about this!
                                            Now, This, just in!

       The latest News From Scandinavia reads:

 "Due to the resurgence of neo-paganism, Iceland is planning the construction of the first temple  to the Norse gods since the Viking Age.“A Norse temple for the 21st Century”. The planned Icelandic temple will be a domed, circular structure on a hillside overlooking Reykjavik, the Islandic capital . Worshippers will practice their belief called

                                  Ásatrúarfélagiðf "

The worship of Odin, Thor, Freya and the other gods of the old Norse pantheon has now become an officially recognized religion 973 years after Iceland’s official conversion to Christianity.In recent decades, membership in Ásatrú ( it’s shortened name)  has grown to about 2,400 in a country of only 330,000 — and has become the largest non-Christian religious community in Iceland.

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Followers are able to satisfy their spiritual needs within a framework that feels authentic ancestral identity, but at the same time, flexible enough to fit in with modern values and concerns. Not using a Bible or Koran, believers gain their knowledge in “The Edda”, the major source of ‘knowledge on Norse
Mythology’, written down in the 13th century as a collection of Old Norse poems from the Icelandic medieval manuscript “Codex Regius” (Royal Book)

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The Old Norse word Edda means “Great Grandmother”. It refers to the lore of the ancestors (or more literally, the ancestral mothers). In Asatru it is believed that we are not only the worshipers of the Gods but that we are spiritually and even physically related to them.

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 Included in rituals,Among accepted rituals,The Blót is the most common  within Asatru. In its simplest form, a blót is making a sacrifice to the Gods. In the old days this was done by feasting and drinking from an animal’s horn. Currently, the most common blót is an offering of mead or other alcoholic beverage to the deities.

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Sveinbjörn Beinteinsson

The leader and High Priest of Ásatrú, Sveinbjörn Beinteinsson, has been a sheep-farmer and writer of ‘rimur’, a form of epic poetry founded the association in 1972.Sveinbjörn is regarded with much respect and affection among  Ásatrú. Not only is  he a well- known rímur singer in Iceland with followers in Europe and North America, he sometimes performs at rock concerts and is the opening act in the film Rokk í Reykjavík.

          (This is for real!)

More, as details become available.