Norsk bokmål
ADVENT
Advent is the time to wait. The word Advent comes from “Adventus Domini”, which is Latin and means the coming of the Lord. This is the time to prepare for Christmas and the celebration of Jesus’ birth on earth.
Advent is always the last four Sundays before Christmas Day. During the Advent season, it is customary to light Advent candles at Sunday dinner. On a candlestick with 4 candles, a new candle is lit every Sunday until Christmas Day. Someone in the family likes to read the first verse of an Advent poem or we sing Advent verses together.
From the first of December until Christmas Eve, many people like to count down the days with an Advent calendar. Some people make their own calendar from an orange and fill it with 24 cloves. And every day a clove nail is pulled out until Christmas Eve. It has also become common in modern times to buy ready-made Advent calendars with 24 covers or packages that are opened from 1 December until Christmas Eve.
ADVENT POEM
by: Inger Hagerup
ADVENT SONG: LIGHT A CANDLE
By: Eivind Skeie
Translate: Sigvald Tveit
Light a candle
A light shall burn for this little earth
The bright heavenstar, where we and everyone lives
Must everyone share hope so that good things can happen
Must earth and heaven meet. A light is lit for that
CHRISTMAS COOKIES
Norwegians loves christmas cookies.
At Christmas it is customary to bake cookies.
Traditionally, 7 different types of Christmas cakes should be baked for Christmas.
Some typical Norwegian Christmas cakes are: Gingerbread, cake men, poor man, goro, berliner wreath, syrup snip, doughnut, shortbread, serinakake, krumkake, wreath bars, oat flakes, roasted almonds, toffee.
CHRISTMAS WORKSHOP
A cozy Christmas tradition in the Advent season is holding a Christmas workshop.
Especially pleasant time together with the children to make Christmas decorations and Christmas presents.
During such Christmas workshops, it is common to make Christmas chains, Santa Claus from the cardboard inside the toilet paper, Christmas hearts and Christmas candles. and more.
SAINT LUCIA DAY
Lucia Day is celebrated on 13 December. It is the day after the solstice from ancient times, which is the darkest day of the year.
Then you dress in white and go on parade. Those who go by parade like to bring lussekatt, which are a Christmas cake that is baked especially for Lucia Day.
Whoever goes to the front of the parade is called Lucia and gets an extra nice crown with lights on her head. It is common for the children to go on lucia parades, several schools and nurseries have a tradition of visiting homes for the elderly or nursing homes and handing out lussekatter.
SAINT LUCIA SONG *Translatet from Norwegain
Black descends the night
In the stable and living room
The sun has gone away,
The shadows threaten
Into our dark houses
Rises with lighted candles,
Santa Lucia, Santa Lucia
The night is dark and silent
Suddenly it rushes
In all the quiet rooms
As the wings rustle
Look, on our threshold stands
Dressed in white with light in hair
Santa Lucia, Santa Lucia
Darkness shall flee soon
From the valleys of the earth
So she admirably
Words to us speak
The day will be new again
Rise from red clouds
Santa Lucia, Santa Lucia
LUSSEKATT
On Lucia day, it is a tradition to bake “Lussekatter” (its a wheat pastry) .
The Lusskats are prepared according to the same principles as other yeast baked goods, they are also added with saffron, which gives a good taste and also gives the buns their characteristic light yellow colour.
