Christmas traditions in Norway are not so different from what we are accustomed to in the United States. We eat feast food. We celebrate with family. We exchange gifts. We play Christmas music. We decorate Christmas trees. There is a "Santa Claus", a magical character called Julenissen, who also dresses in red, has a white beard and delivers gifts to children everywhere. But there are some differences, too . . .
It is hard to express what it is like this time of year with the sun so low. For me, the short, lowly sunlit days added to the Christmas warmth.
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| The sun is just cresting the road at 12:20 PM on December 24, 2011! |
One of the starkest differences between our two traditions is the trip to the cemetery to place Christmas wreaths and light candles on loved-ones' graves. Tove and I went to the cemetery in the middle of the day on Christmas Eve day to visit her grandmother's and father's graves. We brought wreaths and candles and twine to tie down the wreaths so that they would not blow away.
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| The cemetery |
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| Due to the mild Autumn, the heather we planted in September was still doing fine! |
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| All of the stores sell the special candle lanterns |
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| Note the low sunlight at 1:30PM. |
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| We met Tove's brother, Gunnar, in the cemetery parking lot. He had placed the lantern on the right. |
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| Many people had already placed wreaths and candles. |
I like the tradition. It helps us to remember family members who have passed on.
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