God Jul Fra Norge

I must apologise, it's been way too long since I've written anything! Between the Norwegian Classes, the Barnahagen and Saturday Social Studies, I've barely had time to breathe!

I had been asked to a small article to write on the Norwegian Christmas traditions.  The only thing was... I didn't actually live the Norwegian Christmas... as yet.  Now, I realise that the article I wrote was a little bit wrong.

There are many interesting things here in Norway, especially when it comes to the Christmas Season.

Norway has a very christian foundation.  That does not mean that most people here actually practice the religion.  They are born into a church of Norway. Pretty much everyone is baptised and confirmation is part of the school as opposed to the church.

For Christmas, it starts with the Advent Calendar. They celebrate the 4 Sundays before Christmas by lighting 1 candle each Sunday. They have special songs that are sung when they light the candles, some for children and some for adults. It is usually a purple affair. All the stores and candles are in purple. Advent Calendars are very popular and unlike America or Trinidad, there are alot of handmade things. The Candles are normally displayed in fancy arrangements, arched candle sticks etc. Also, it is popular to put a star or an electric candle set in the window. I'm not too sure if anyone know why they did the candle things, but I read once about a German custom of encouraging children to put a candle in their window to remind passers-by of the light of Jesus Christ. So maybe that tradition was just handed over?



On December 13th, they celebrate Santa Lucia Day.  This is usually celebrated in the barnehagen or schools.  Lucky for me, I got to see it. It is a very adorable little celebration. A young girl is chosen to be the Santa Lucia, who has a crown of candles (fake of course) on her head followed by a few other chidren with fake candles in their hands. At least 30 something years ago they used to use real candles. My husband remembers real candles I can only imagine that being the Santa Lucia was not really an honour when they used real candles.  I mean can you really imagine having hot  wax fall on you everytime you moved your head? ... yea I couldn't either ...
But however, the Lucicatta is the BOMB!!! Its a bread made with safron and cinniman. It was sooo good.  Usually, the little children walking around in line carry these goodies in baskets to give out to people. I had one of these things and I was hooked. I was determined to try it at home. The recipe, I found out, called for safron. Now, norway is all .... ehem ... cosmopolitan... it like to think ... but I could not find safron powder ANYWHERE! I used a substitute that was not so great. So, of course Jaemie with her fass self and domesticated mind, decided to try the bread - needless to say, I couldn't really eat it .. it is now my permanent Christmas decoration ... (or a weapon against intruders... which ever is needed more).
So that one didn't come out so great, but I have tried the brun pinner and a nøtteroser, peppakake, and kakemann and I have one more to do. I'm pretty proud of all the baking I've done for this Christmas. It's the first time that I have had a my own family (only husband right now) and its been great! I think I've spent more time in the kitchen this year than I have for years before I was married.  But I love to bake .... and I guess I'm just revisiting that love that once blew up in a cloud of fire and smoke when I was younger... making pholorie for my brothers and threw water into a pot of  hot oil .... on fire... .... yea ..... I MUST have panicked!
Any ways, they have a big thing with peppakake which is like spiced cookies or what we call ginger cookies. They make houses with it, they make christmas decorations, advent calendars, the list goes on and on and on ... Its a great way to start off Christmas I must admit... it made me want to eat everything in site .. because ... well .. everything WAS edible! ... but that sounds worse than a Trini Chrismtas huh?? ... well.... give me  a chance to continue with Even MORE Christmas stuff!!!....
To be continued.... whey yuh say??

What the ????? huh?

With my mouth open wide one morning when I had first arrived in Norway, I stared at the radio and could not believe what was coming out of it....
Lots of swear words!
You've heard about the"Radio Version" of songs, the only thing is that if you never buy the CD, the Radio Version IS the version of the song to you. Back in Trinidad the entire country would be up in roars if any parent heard swear words platantly sung on the radio.... whether or not they were a swearing parent
There does not seem to be such radio cencoring here in Norway (or I think the greater Europe). Sexual Images are displayed on Television quite normally, Music is blaring with swear words that you perhaps would not want your kid hearing just ... on a day to day basis.
If it's one thing that still jars me here its the ease with which these swear words can be on normal radio stations.  How is it that going to a new language makes the things that are unacceptable in your own country somehow seem acceptable.
I remember in University hearing Jamaican swear words just didn't seem bad .. it seemed .... well ... u know ... funny ... I mean ... when u break it down it was like ... cloth Whaaat?? ... seriously???? okay.
 And here my husband and I had a talk and he actually didn't realise what we considered to be the REALLY bad swear word ... WAS the bad swear word ... He always thought it was the other way around. Now this does seem a little interesting enough ... but considering that there are words in the Norwegian language like Dirty - skitne .... n.b ... "sk" in Norwegian is prounced as "sh".  It is a fitting description for Dirty in the english language though. (When I learnt that word I was giggling so much). But there are other examples of words in norwegian that have the sh... word ...
Even the F word is an easy word to accidentaly use.  One of my neighbour's kids says the f word for frosk .. which means frog ... and its supposed to be funny.

Television Ratings on Television are not the same as in Trinidad or USA for that matter. There are rating for under 10 etc  and some of the shows seem to be more like over 16 to me.  But then again, the kids here seem to grow up faster than the ones in Trindad.  I mean 8 and 10 year olds are traipsing all over the road playing on bikes alone. Ok Ok Ok ... that is the 'its not safe in Trinidad' Jaemie talking ... but still! I would prefer they be at someone's house quite frankly.
The other day we had a family over. It was wonderful to have people over and kids playing and making a whole lotta noise. Of course once the grown ups wanted to talk for a bit the TV was a great silencer. However, after a while, my husband said ' Is this still the Kids channel? There is a whole lotta swearing going on'
I couldn't believe that it was still the same channel. I couldn't operate the remote control when I first came and I was sure they didn't change it either. Ah yes .... it was the hip hopish like show about young teenagers .... a kind of ragga ragga show we would call it. But if 7 pm they are showing swearing on TV what hope do you have of encouraging your kids to NOT use that sort of language here? It seems almost impossible.  Admittantly, I was a bit of a swearing kid.  If I got really mad it used to make me feel better.  Simply because of the naugtiness of it all.  But as I got older, I realised that it really didn't make me feel better, or even better about myself. And all that with NO big setta swearing around me! So Oh Lorrdie helo meh chirren!
Even Advertiements are in the Openness with nudity. An Axe commercial that would not have flown in Trinidad with near nudity at the end of it ( u know the one where the robot changes the man all the time??) was a shock for me to see on tv!  Sometimes it feels like there is so much nudity in the simplist things on shows or movies. Things that show women top bare that seem pointless to show;scenes that I think if they were played in the US would be left out. We get it.... they made whoppie.

So, now instead of listening to pop music songs on the radio, I watch the videos, since the video stations are MTV and VH1, still american, so no swearing there!!! And when I do listen to the radio, if i want to hear english songs I can sing to, I can't listen to the Radio Norge Norwegian version on 97!
But its not so much me that I am worrying about now, but the kids ...   Can you tell I'm now in the kiddie mode?? Good grief! Parents must worry sooo much !!!!
Whey yuh say?