theNorwegiaNamerican GodGod Jul!Jul!

“Glædelig Jul,” a postcard with art by Danish artist Olaf August Hermansen, depicts a julenek, a sheaf of wheat left out for the birds at Christmastime. Image courtesy of Nasjonalbiblioteket Traditions of Christmas past From feeding the birds to trick-or-treating, our ancestors knew how to celebrate jul aMy Boxrud Norwegian-American Historical Association

Eating lutefisk and lefse, making sand- Many priests in the 1700s denounced still practiced widely in both rural and urban community rested on the quality of the beer it bakkels and rosettes, and opening gifts on the tradition as a pagan custom, which has areas in Norway, it is not widely seen in the produced, and brewing became an important Christmas Eve instead of Christmas Day: led to speculation that the Christmas sheaf United States. part of Christmas preparations. (For more on These are all holiday traditions still practiced tradition goes back to pre-Christian times. Yule ale, see “Skål for jul!” by Judith Gabriel in many Norwegian-American families. But In the folk tradition, the sheaf was said to Christmas brewing Vinje on page C4.) over the years, other immigrant yuletide tra- predict the following year’s harvest. If many Since Viking times, beer has played an The Norwegian website, Ølakademiet. ditions have fallen by the wayside. Sharing birds flocked to the sheaf, it predicted a good important role in Norwegian celebrations. no, (Beer Academy) describes Christmas a bundle of grain with the birds, brewing harvest, but if few birds came and ate only a And while there may not seem to be an ob- beer as it was made “in the old days” as “full Christmas beer, and Christmas masquerad- little, famine or a bad harvest was in store. vious connection between brewing beer and of malt flavor and not too bitter.” On the or - ing are, for most Norwegian-American fami- Over time, the custom became a popular the religious holiday of Christmas, there is a ganization’s blog, Bjarte Lie Brewmaster ad- lies, lost traditions of past generations. motif in works of art as part of an idealized long-standing association in Norway, stretch- vises: “Christmas beer should be both sweet Norwegian Christmas, particularly during ing back to early Christian laws. Stokker and strong!” In some areas, juniper was used A Feast for the birds the mid-1800s. In Keeping Christmas: Yule- writes that King Haakon the Good moved the as an ingredient for bitterness, and blueber- A popular Norwegian tradition with an tide Traditions in Norway and the New Land mid-winter jól festival to coincide with the ries for sweetness. unknown origin is the sharing of a julenek, (Minnesota Historical Society Press, 2001), Christian celebration of Christmas in the 10th Norwegians were a superstitious lot, or bundle of grain, as a Christmas feast for Kathleen Stokker writes that “The julenek century. He also mandated that every peasant and brewing was no exception. They fol- the birds. The first written reference to the has become a symbol of Christmas gener- brew a supply of beer for the occasion. Medi- lowed careful rituals to ensure the strength tradition is in 1753, when a prominent cler- osity and commonly appears on Norwegian eval laws upheld the custom and imposed stiff and quality of the beer, including consecrat- gyman, Erik Pontappidan, described it as the Christmas cards, wrapping paper, and gift fines on any landowner who didn’t brew an ing the brewing vessel with hot steel or a “Norwegian peasant’s hospitality extending tags.” ample amount for the celebration. The local burning branch, protecting the vessel with a to the birds which he invites to be his guests This custom of providing the birds a priests enforced these laws, going from farm knife or a piece of steel, and screaming at the by placing an unthreshed sheaf of grain on a special meal at Christmas time carried over to farm to inspect and test the quality of the pole against the barn door.” to the new land. But while the tradition is beer. In time, a farm’s reputation within the See > tRAdItIoNS, page C6 C2 • December 15, 2017 Christmas theNorwegiaNamerican On lefse and her spirit The best holiday traditions bind loved ones together, and making lefse is no different

aaron B. skogEn Orlando, Fla.

As a child, I would gleefully look for- ward to what felt like a national holiday here in the Midwest, the deer-hunting season opener. It was on this weekend that friends and family would descend on our house and my grandparents in southern Minnesota to embark on gathering game for the coming year. I would sit around the table and listen to the elders talk about one that got away, the turkeys they saw, or some such thing. While the hunt provided meat for our family for months, the weekend was also about kinship. This same weekend, all of my aunts and many female cousins would gather at my grandmother Ella’s house and make lefse. Yup, the guys did their thing and the ladies did theirs. The women, under the strict guidance of Ella, made enough lefse to give each her kids (five) and each of her grand- children’s families (18) enough lefse to make it through the holidays. At age 9, I was old enough; I was al- lowed to participate in this most hallowed weekend. Not as a mere tablemate but as a fellow hunter. In my young mind, this was the gateway. I was becoming a man. Somewhere along the line, I stopped Photo: Shutterstock hunting deer with a firearm. I was still very avid outdoors but enjoyed big-game hunting by archery. As the annual big weekend ap- She told me, “Aaron, you’re going to start my arm. I looked down at her hand, her skin that day. Each time, grandma would hold my proached, I found myself wondering how to by learning how to cook a batch. Tomorrow, that showed her age and years of farm labor. hand and weigh the lard and flour. True to her spend time with family. I had always wanted I will move you to rolling, and the next day, Yet there was an insurmountable strength word, the next day I joined the team in the to learn how to make what all the people you will learn to fry.” I simply said “Yes there in that small and fragile-looking hand. basement and spent it splitting the batch of in the river bottom called “Ella’s Lefse.” I ma’am; where do I start?” When her hand reached mine, she cupped dough into four “logs,” then portioning each was a little nervous (or perhaps intimidated) I may have gotten ahead of myself. it firmly in hers and made a gentlelog upand into 12 pieces and rolling one of those at the thought of spending a weekend im- While I doubt any of you reading this in The down motion. out to about 18 to 20 inches in diameter. mersed with this group of women, but I had Norwegian American don’t know what lefse She was weighing the lard! Grandma Ella would stop by and “feel” a gut feeling I needed to learn. is, the non-Norwegian visitors to your home She told me I did not have enough. So how thick our rounds were after rolling them One morning I called up Grandma. over the holidays need to know lefse is a tra- I dipped the spoon again, bringing out more. out. She liked them thin, and thankfully I had “Grandma, I know this is the ladies’ week- ditional Norwegian soft flatbread. The sort The pattern repeated. This time, my hand a knack for rolling them nearly thin enough end, but would you be willing to take a guy most commonly made now uses potatoes, holding the spoon, her hand holding mine, to read a newspaper through. The last day, I into the group and teach me how to make flour, and milk; we refer to this as she “potato weighed the lard. “Too much!” she said. learned the art of frying the lefse. I burned a lefse?” She was elated. Dear Reader, un- lefse.” However, the recipe from my grand- And so it went until I was able to draw out the few, but with the help of Grandmother and derstand that she was a reserved and proper mother’s family uses lard, milk, and flour. “precise” amount. I added it to the pot. I slow- one of my aunts, I quickly got the hang of it. (read: stoic) Norwegian woman. I saw her She contrasted it with potato lefse by calling ly stirred, waiting for the mixture to come to I had passed. My grandmother, satisfied with get excited only a few times in my life. Sure, it “milk lefse.” In my humble opinion, milk a light boil, as the lard melted into the milk. my progress, left me alone with the whole she always had a warm smile, but to see real lefse is better in that it can be made thinner I was then instructed to take a two-cup group the next year, only pulling a round off excitement was rare, and she was excited. and holds its moisture better, but then again, sifter and fill it heaping full of flour. I sifted a griddle to taste-test a few times a day. Early one Saturday morning in Novem- I am biased. The earliest lefse in Norway the flour into a large brown pottery bowl. A few years later, in 2008, two days af- ber, while the rest of the guys went out on did not contain potatoes. This “traditional” Three times I filled the sifter and emptied it ter Mother’s Day, my grandmother passed the annual hunt, I arrived at my grandmoth- method was carried back here to America by into the bowl. Each time, Grandma would away. On the day of her funeral at a country er’s house to learn to make lefse. The house my grandmother’s parents. take my hand and “weigh” the flour. I wouldchurch in southern Minnesota, an old apple had been converted to a mini-factory, with Anyway, Grandma instructed me to guess it was about eight cups, but again, it tree back on the farm bloomed for the first the implicit intent to make as much lefse as place the milk in a large pot on the stove and was all by feel. We used my eyes and her possible in a few days. My aunts and cous- turn the burner on a low-medium setting. hand to guide my brain and muscles to the See > LEFSE, page C7 ins greeted me at the door with hugs and She then showed me a large spoon. Another proper proportion. The boiling milk and lard the warmest welcome a guy could ask for. important note: my grandmother didn’t mea- mixture was added to the bowl and then we Aaron Skogen is an ac- My grandmother, about 84 at the time, also sure anything! At this point in her life, she mixed it together. The hot mixture was then complished senior opera- greeted me with open arms. was legally blind. So she did everything, pressed down into the bowl to push out the tions leader with experi- She whispered in my ear as she hugged including baking, by feel. She placed the air, covered with saran wrap and a towel, and ence across the operations, me “Oh, Aaron, I am so glad you came. You spoon in my hand and instructed me to fillplaced it outside to cool. CPG, supply chain, and are the first of the boys to learn how.” She full, rounded, heaping—“but not too much.” While the houseful of my aunts and engineering disciplines. then proceeded to pat me on the cheek and So I dipped the spoon in the lard and cousins worked, rolling, frying, and packag- His most important roles, put me straight to work. (I later learned that pulled out a big spoonful. Just as I was about ing, I spent the day in the kitchen, my only those of a loving father and I was the only male in the entire family to to put the lard in the pot, she stopped me. She job making the batch on the stove and mix- husband, provide plenty of material for him to learn my grandmother’s art of making lefse). stood alongside me and ran her hand down ing it with the flour. I think I made 20 batches share through his writing.

God Jul og Godt God Jul og Godt God Jul og Godt Merry God Jul og Godt Nyttår! Nyttår! Nyttår! Christmas! Nyttår! Magne & From all of us at Berit Nes The NA Odd, Helga, Martha Oliver H. Simonson Kae Ellingsen Edmonds, Wash. Happy holidays! & Ingrid Moen Marysville, Wash. Springfield, Ore. theNorwegiaNamerican Christmas December 15, 2017 • C3 Vintage postcards still spread cheer The modern Christmas card has nothing on these colorful old season’s greetings

cynthia ElycE ruBin Orlando, Fla.

Today the postcard is mostly a memento or souvenir of a vacation, but early on, the postcard was a modern form of communica- tion allowing people to share impressions and special occasions, not unlike email or Twitter. A European import that crossed the At- lantic in 1893, postcards became popular when postal regulations in 1898 granted the same mailing privileges for privately printed cards as for government-issued postals. After the Rural Free Delivery system was estab- lished, the law was changed in 1907 to allow a personal message on the postcard’s back. This became the rule all over the globe, and Norway was no exception. Mailing a post- card cost little in the early 1900s, so partici- pation in postcard mania soared. The number of global publishing com- panies, both large and small, that issued postcards pre-World War I, ran into thou- sands. Commercial suppliers sold millions of mass-produced color postcards that came off huge printing presses. The fever for sending postcards was quickly followed by a collect- ing epidemic. Throughout America, people assembled postcards in albums, a popular Images courtesy of Cynthia Rubin parlor entertainment for the armchair viewer Vintage postcards from Norway show a variety of scenes, perhaps the most perplexing of them being Boston’s Leif Erikson statue (below right). Cards often and a common household fixture. So it is portrayed traditions, snowy scenes, and julenissen. not surprising that today we find hundreds, even thousands, of examples. We find them in antique shops, at flea markets, and - hid den away in family papers. While its history transforms the postcard into an art form that records and preserves cultural memory, it is also a source for colorful graphics. By the beginning of the 20th century, most families in America and Norway ex- changed gifts, decorated trees, and sent post- cards at Christmas. Norwegian postcards were sent to families in America, and Ameri- can postcards were distributed to Norwegian Americans. Often, the text was in Norwe- gian, but if the back of the postcard was in English or the stamp was American, it was probably produced for Norwegians in the American market. Also, jobbers in Norwe- gian-American communities imported post- cards from Norway. Many of the postcards from that time illustrate turn-of-the-century traditions, in- cluding the julenek, the bundle of grains that is put out to provide food for birds. Family life was important, as well as religion and winter wilderness. The stave church, the me- American flags draped over its pedestal, is statue was moved and the pedestal was of baking powder. However, suffice it to say dieval wooden architectural masterpiece that a bit of a mystery. Why would Boston have changed. No records indicate when that that the statue today stands erect in down- mixes Christian and Viking symbols, was a a Leif Erikson statue, you might ask, and happened. Inspiration for the statue alleg- town Boston in an area that was once the noteworthy motif. In addition, the gnome- why would it be used as a Christmas card? edly began with violinist Ole Bull, enthusi- bastion of the Proper Bostonian. like fjøsnisse wearing red hats that in Nor- Unveiled in 1887, Erikson stands atop a astic purveyor of Norse culture, and friend The Christmas postcard was the wegian folklore were the tiny beings that pedestal inscribed with cryptic rune letters of Henry Wadsworth Longfellow. Both are 280-character message of its day. Most can brought good fortune to farm and family as in a stance that looks more like a classic Ro- said to have discussed the idea over dinner be appreciated today for their artistic beauty long as they were happy, were also a theme. man gladiator than a war-faring Nordic ad- in Longfellow’s home. The story of the stat- alone. However, each postcard tells a story One of my favorite Christmas postcard venturer. In an early photo, Erikson stands ue’s eventual installation takes many turns as it conveys good wishes, and many illus- examples, Boston’s Leif Erikson statue above a dragon-headed boat in a basin that in a long and circuitous journey that even trate the same traditions that we continue to shown with both the Norwegian and the is partially a fountain. At some point, the involves the improbable culinary ingredient honor.

God Jul og Merry Christmas Have a happy & Godt Nyttår Happy New Year responsible holiday! Karin og Thomas Reistad Jorunn og Helge Johansen Old Ballard Liquor Co. Whiting, N.J. Tacoma, Wash. Seattle, Wash. (206) 858-8010 C4 • December 15, 2017 Christmas theNorwegiaNamerican

Skål for jul! Yule ale: a tradition older than Christmas But beer and ale were not so ominous. Great fun is associated with the brew. There’s judith gaBriEl vinjE another connection with Jul. Some say the Los Angeles term stems from the old Norwegian word ylir, which translates into the “person who Beer is the oldest and most widely con- organizes fun parties.” It was ale that livened sumed alcoholic beverage in the world. And up the guests, loosened their tongues, and it just might be the root of the festival season helped make the darkness of winter bearable. known as jul (yule, jøl). In fact, it was absolutely required that In ancient days, all the peasants in everybody had to make ale for the Yule Norway would travel to the local heathen season. According to written sources from temple, bringing along food and beer for a the Sagas, it was mandatory for farmers to feast. Everyone was expected to take part have a beer-drinking party with at least three in the drinking of ale. The first toast was to farmers attending, or at least to make enough be made to Odin, then the other gods. Ad- brew for three drinkers, even if the farmer ditional toasts were drunk to the memory of was going to be alone. After the Christian- the departed. ization of the Norse, it was the church that The tradition of brewing Christmas insisted each household produce yule ale. beer and drinking in honor of the old gods And a farmer could be fined if their beer- bar remained in the time following Christianiza- rel was empty. tion. There was once actually a law requiring everyone to brew lots of it, and to make it Mandatory brew strong enough. The tradition of brewing Yule ale and With the passage of time, people were to drinking in honor of the old gods remained in drink in honor of Christ and the Virgin Mary Photo: Judith Gabriel Vinje the time following Christianization, with the instead of the old gods. But the role of ale in The symbol for jul on an old primstav is the drinking horn. So hoist a brew this Christmas. It’s tradition! law requiring people to brew enough, as well jul has been paramount since ancient days. as to brew it strong enough, but people were now to drink in honor of Christ and the Vir- Viking Age brewing without a brewhouse—the bryggehus. Peas- season. On the old wooden calendar stick gin Mary instead of the old gods. Beer has a long history in Norway, go- ants mainly made a malty juleøl, a dark beer known as the primstav, replete with carved Speaking of the church, another major ing back at least 1,000 years to long before brewed traditionally for the Christmas sea- symbols for annual holidays and other im- figure enters into the jul/ale picture. In entic- Christianity was slowly imposed on the son, a variety still in vogue as the season’s portant occasions, it is the drinking horn ing the peasants away from their attachment country. Brewing experts think that surviv- signature brew. that signifies Christmas. Some stick- calen to Odin and the old religion, it was declared ing ale brewing practices in rural western The first of the season’s brewing would dars also depicted an upside-down drinking that December 21 would be celebrated as the Norway today may actually be Viking Age be laid out or poured on a stone for the Vettir horn for Jan. 13, symbolizing that the juleøl Feast of St. Thomas the Apostle. techniques. and nisser, the local gnomes and spirits. should be finished by then. The day was particularly important be- The making of the brew was the big- So pronounced was the tradition of Yule cause all brewing and Christmas prepara- gest task of the early winter season. Until Ale and “drinking Jul” that the drinking horn Sorcery and magic tions were required to be completed by St. about 200 years ago, no farm was complete became the most important symbol of the Some clues are contained within the Thomas Day, which happened to coincide word itself. To the Norse, it’s øl. In old Eng- with the Winter Solstice. So connected was lish, “ale” is ealu. In proto-Germanic, the the saint with ale that long ago he acquired ancient root language, it was alu, a term that the nickname “Thomas the Brewer.” (In the held connotations of sorcery, magic, and in- biblical sense, he was known as “Doubting God jul og godt nyttår toxication. Thomas.”) Ale played a part in religious rites as In old Norway, the “peace of Christmas” ønskes dere alle well as in the telling of Norse myth. It was began on St. Thomas Day. Norwegians would not just a matter involving thirsty earthlings. visit each other on that day to sample one an- The 12th century Icelandic poem Álvissmal other’s Christmas ale. (St. Thomas, alas, has fra Embla Losje #2! says, “Ale it is called among men, but among since had his day moved to July 3 and is no the gods, beer.” longer is associated with Yule drinking.) Jul is a period of time stretching from So as you hoist your own brew this mid-November to mid-January, with Christ- Christmas season, make sure to leave some mas and the week before New Year as the for the nisser and know that that dark frothy highlight. Jul was once the name of that mug means it’s that time of year again. In the month in the old Germanic calendar. old days, those were the nights that Odin— While many think jul comes from an Jólnir—himself might be soaring through old term for wheel, and that the wheel is the skies with his spooky consort known as symbolic of the changing of seasons and the the Wild Hunt. Perhaps they were out look- completion of the year, others think it may ing for a nightcap! Or perhaps they’d already have other connotations. had one too many. So stay warm. Hoist that brew! God jul beer for odin and good øl. Many history buffs insist it was all about Odin, and that old juløl has become just yule. And beer is at the bottom of it all, the root of the season as well as a toast to the gods. Minneapolis-born Judith For one thing, among Odin’s many Gabriel Vinje has been a names is Jølnir. It sounds a lot like yule and journalist for nearly 50 years, including a stint as a lot like ale. Could the two be connected? a war correspondent. Now According to a skaldic poem from the Viking Varmeste Julehilsener a Los Angeles resident, she Age, Odin was considered the “protector of started writing for Norway fra Den Norske Glee Club of Minneapolis beer,” which was first made by two dwarves Times in 1998, and has out of the god Kvasir’s blood, which they been with the paper through its merges and Member Chorus of the Norwegian Singers Association of America mixed with honey. changes. An active member of Sons of Norway, Kvasir’s head had been chopped off in a Edvard Grieg Lodge, Glendale Calif., she is For more information, contact Herb Nelson feud. The head was taken to Odin, who sang also a member of Ravens of Odin, a Viking re- Phone: (651) 587-4819 | Email: [email protected] charms over it and gave it back the power of enactment group on the West Coast, and writes speech. Its wisdom became Odin’s wisdom, frequently about Viking Age subjects for sev- On the web: www.norwegiangleeclub.com and poetry was referred to as Kvasir’s blood. eral publications. theNorwegiaNamerican Christmas December 15, 2017 • C5 Spiders, missing branches, and joy A holiday tale of one family’s adventure in cutting their own Christmas tree

Eric stavnEy Seattle

About four years ago my family decided to get a real Christmas tree the old way—cut- ting it down ourselves. And I don’t mean at a Christmas tree farm either, but in a national forest. The four of us, my wife and I and my “kids,” Carl and Linnea (16 and 14 respec- tively), eagerly packed ourselves into the car decked out in our hats, mittens, scarves, and heavy coats, and drove out of town, past the corner Christmas tree lots and the big box stores. But it was hardly 15 minutes into the ride when we realized our mistake and pulled over. There ensued a flurry of hats, mittens, scarves, and coats flying high over the back seat because we were all dying of heat exhaustion and the windows were fog- ging up. Somehow in our eagerness we for- got it would take an hour and a half to drive up to the Mount Baker-Snoqualmie National Forest. We bought our $10 permit from the Ver- lot Ranger Station for a 12 foot-or-less tree— Photo: Pexels a real steal if you ask me. And there’s some- Are you my Christmas tree? Though wild trees can be imperfect, there is something special about cutting your own. thing noble about helping the U.S. Forest Ser- vice thin the forest, so the remaining trees can grow big without so much competition. ate non-committal remarks, like “Yes, there through the passenger compartment, and out ever, next year…” And I cut them off. I said, The map they gave us showed where it is,” and “Uh, huh. Okay.” And that’s about the other side, since I didn’t have a roof rack. “Wait. Let’s not talk about next year. This is different species could be cut, and up we what we all said visiting each other’s trees. I remember us arriving home with cricks in our tree this year, and it gave its life for our went on winding forest roads, some with But we finally did decide, and got down on our necks from hunching over to keep the Christmas. Think of that instead.” spectacular drop-offs just a few feet away, to hands and knees in the snow and pulled out ropes across the ceiling from tangling in our The next year we went to a Christmas- the place where there was supposed to be a our bow saw. We’ve cut down many small hair. And this time we kept our hats and coats tree lot in town, letting others cut the thing stand of Abies procera. Although we’ve had trees with the saw, and aside from getting on because we couldn’t close the windows down and shield us from the long trip, the Douglas fir trees in the past, because they’re needles down your neck and wet pants, cut- all the way. mess, and the mild guilt. more affordable, we’d decided to be snobs ting the tree is all of 15 strokes back and At home we got the tree up into the living But we hold on to the memory of that that year and go for the best: noble fir. forth. Getting it out is a bit harder, especial- room, picked off the spiders and dead twigs, frigid mountain air, the smell of the needles, We pulled off the road, spotted the flag- ly if you don’t realize you have to carry it and put on ornaments, strings of Norwegian and being surrounded by hundreds of living ging that delineated the cutting area and butt­end first. So we all grabbed on and wentflags, and red lights. We put a bowl of risgrøttrees. Even though our tree was a bit ugly burst from the car scattering into the brush crashing out through the brush onto the road, under it for the nisse, as is our tradition. and full of spiders, what we remember more full of 8- to 12-foot trees. We wallowed to where we dropped our tree. We stood there admiring it, until some- is how much it meant to have a tree we chose our knees in the snow, but barely noticed it. Then there was this silence among us, one said, “Yes, this is a beautiful tree. How- and cut ourselves. It soon became apparent that everyone had because I think we all felt badly. We’d culled their own idea of what made the perfect tree; this furry green beast from the herd, joyfully shouts of “This is IT!” and “No, you’ve GOT rushed it out of the forest, and here now was to see this one!” went on for 20 minutes. Af- its carcass. Then the silence continued when ter a shouted conference, we decided to be Linnea picked it up and twirled it slowly gracious and visit each other’s tree, with Carl around, and we realized it was missing a going first. bunch of branches on one side. It was kind Carl shouted, “Okay people, it’s just of ugly, a Charlie Brown kind of Christmas right over here next to the clump of trees tree. But there was no way we were going that…uh…” and his voice trailed off when to kill another one. My wife broke the si- Custom jewelry in he realized the futility of his directions. How lence, finally, saying, “Don’t worry, we’ll were we going to find each other? Then just put that side towards the wall, and no silver and gold someone hit on the idea of shaking the tree, one will know.” A gentle sigh of relief went and soon we found Carl by looking for the all around. featuring wiggling treetop leader he was shaking. We strapped the tree to the top of the When we got there, we made appropri- car, running ropes through the side windows, Norwegian filigree, Nordic designs and Did you know... Scandinavian • Print ads in this paper start at just $38 per ad • Web ads start at just $225 per month gemstones by • Newsletter ads are just $50 per week • You can reach a targeted audience and Debra Carus support the nation’s only Norwegian paper Can you afford not to advertise? Elentari-handverk.com Email [email protected] or call [email protected] 206.218.8828 to get your custom 971-221-8151 advertising proposal! C6 • December 15, 2017 Christmas theNorwegiaNamerican Bygone customs of Christmas past

< tRAdItIoNS From page C1 yeast to “startle” it into action. uninvited guests attempting to go unrecog- Norwegian immigrants continued the nized by their hosts. practice of brewing when they left the old Oscar Hertsgaard’s memories of jule- country, and some maintained the folk be- bukking in his hometown of Kindred, North liefs of their Norwegian ancestors, accord- Dakota, during the 1880s and 1890s, are ing to Stokker. But the landscape of home found in the archives of the Norwegian- brewing changed with the advent of Prohi- American Historical Association: “At no bition in 1920, banning the manufacture, other time of the year did sociability take sale, and transportation of alcohol, including over like Christmas. It might border on the beer made at home. While Prohibition was hilarious when big and small groups would repealed in 1933, the legislation left out the set out on what was called ‘julebukk’ parties. home-brewing of beer, which remained ille- Both men and women would dress up in all gal on a federal level until 1979. sorts of disguises, like a bunch of buffoons. “Prohibition wiped out most beer They would pile into bobsleds and drive styles,” says Randy Clay, co-founder of Im- from one farm to another to do their stunts minent Brewing in Northfield, Minn. “As of entertaining, dancing, and joking and try- with a lot of obscure beer styles, it’s up to the ing to keep everyone from guessing ‘who’s home-brewing community and small craft who.’ Some kind of treats were expected at brewers to keep these alive or revive them.” each place, as a slight sign of appreciation.” Practices varied from place to place. Christmas Fooling Stokker writes that whole families or groups Maybe the most unusual bygone holiday of friends might participate together. Jule- tradition is to gå julebukk, or julebukking, as bukkers might seek out alcohol or avoid it it is often called in America. A julebukk is entirely. The outing may or may not include literally a “Christmas buck”—a male goat. singing or instrumental music, and groups The name’s pre-Christian roots may refer to might visit a whole neighborhood or only a a goat that was slaughtered for the jól cel- few close friends. ebration, or the goats in Norse mythology The widespread practice of julebukking that pulled the chariot for the God Thor. The came to an end in most Norwegian-Ameri- custom is also known as Christmas fool- can communities in the late 1930s or early ing, masquerading, or mumming. Imagine ’40s. Reasons for its demise, according to Christmas trick-or-treating for entire fami- Stokker, include increased mobility, caus- lies, or groups of adults, with the disguised, ing neighborhoods to be less homogeneous;

Vesterheim’s Folk Art School

Kuksa Carving: Image courtesy of Nasjonalbiblioteket Traditional Scandinavian Drinking Cup “Godt Nytaar!” (Happy new year!) a postcard with art by Andreas Bloch, depicts the custom of jule- bukking, something like trick-or-treating at Christmas. with Alexander Yerks February 26-28 or March 2-4, 2018 Register now at vesterheim.org. a trend toward more standardized lifestyles;of Petersburg, Ala., and Vesterheim Norwe- a growing suspicion of strangers; cars andgian-American Museum and Heritage Center tractors replacing the horse and sleigh (the in Decorah, Iowa, include the custom in their The kuksa is an old-style wooden cup made to traditional mode of transportation for jule- annual Christmas celebrations each year. travel far and wide and be at the ready! bukking); and the end of Prohibition, which Alexander Yerks is a fantastic, internationally- eliminated alcohol as a motivating force be- Amy Boxrud is director of the Norwegian- known carving teacher from upstate New York. hind the custom. American Historical Association in North- While the tradition may be faded, it field, Minn. (naha.stolaf.edu). hasn’t disappeared completely. What began The National Norwegian-American as a custom for individuals and families has A version of this article first appeared in the Vesterheim Museum & Heritage Center been revived by communities and cultural Dec. 14, 2015, issue ofSouthern Minnesota 502 W. Water St., Decorah, Iowa • 563-382-9681 • vesterheim.org groups. The Norwegian-American hotspots Scene.

God Jul og Godt Nyttår! Find us online: www.marinamarket.com

Largest selection of specialty Scandinavian Thank you for a foods in the Puget Sound and on the Internet wonderful year Nøkkelost: $14.99 / pound! MARINA MARKET God Jul! 18882 Front Street, Poulsbo, WA 98370 Phone: (888) 728-0837 Fax: (360) 779-4315 Email: [email protected] On the web: www.marinamarket.com theNorwegiaNamerican Christmas December 15, 2017 • C7

Weaving heart baskets Maine Nordmenn Julefest

On Tuesday, Nov. 14, 2017, the Milford, Penn., Garden Club held its monthly meeting. Sixty members were present. The program was learning how to make the traditional Norwegian Past president Herb Hoppe, his granddaughters, and the Pepperkaker Boy take a break after Christmas baskets used to decorate Christmas trees. These small baskets can hold nuts, the St. Lucia pageant at Maine Nordmenn’s annual Julefest. cookies, candy, and other treats. Making these baskets for the first time can be quite a learning experience and very challenging. Everyone enjoyed this activity. Submitted by Ellie Andrews

Submitted by Anne Demuth

< LEFSE From page C2 Stensland Books time in my life. I have a hard time not believ- es in and the one in which I had mixed my Books with a Norwegian Flair by Doris Stensland ing that was my grandmother sending us her first. I was overcome with tears as I held that farewell. The early Norse believed the apple bowl in my hands. blossom symbolized rebirth and I cannot I still make lefse around the holidays, imagine a more appropriate symbolism. mixed in an old brown pottery bowl. Each Later that year, the whole family gath- time I do, I feel the physical presence of my ered again for Christmas in Grandma’s grandmother at my side. Her hand cupping house. It was still joyous, yet we all felt a hint mine, helping me weigh the ingredients. of sorrow. We all missed her. After all, she Our deceased loved ones remain pres- had been the matriarch for many years. My ent in our lives in many ways: in what we aunts approached me with a present. I found learned, in our traditions, and in the way they this odd, as we did not regularly exchange made us feel. gifts. This gathering was always about bring- Sometimes, when we need them most, Haul the Water, ole’s Promise the Music Man ing the family together to celebrate Christ- they still hold our hands. Haul the Wood From Norway mas and our family. Nevertheless, I opened About Norwegian sweethearts A sequel to Haul the Water, The life of a musician from Norway who pioneered in South Dakota Haul the Wood who brought music to the Dakota the gift and inside found my Grandmother’s This story is dedicated to my grandmother, in the 1870s prairies at the turn of the century. brown pottery lefse bowl. It was the bowl my Ella Loretta Skogen (1913-2008). Thanks for grandmother had mixed thousands of batch- being my teacher, Grandma. I love you. For ordering or information: view website www.stenslandbooks.com or order through Amazon.com

Leif erikson Lodge 2-001, sons of norway Culture, entertainment, and fun for young and old! General meetings: 7:30 p.m. every second Wednesday of the month at Leif Erikson Lodge, except July and August. God jul og godt nyttår! • Jan. 10, Installation of Officers • Jan. 27 Crab feed for scholarships. • Scholarship applications are now available on our website at: lelodge. sharepoint.com/Pages/ChildrensEvents.aspx. They are due March 30, 2018!

For more info: (206) 783-1274 • www.leiferiksonlodge.com Leif erikson HaLL, 2245 n.w. 57tH st., seattLe, wa 98107 C8 • December 15, 2017 Christmas theNorwegiaNamerican No more lords-a-leaping? The Twelve New Days of Christmas christinE FostEr MEloni Washington, D.C.

Bonnie Fite has always liked to the music. She said it was quite the traditional carol “The Twelve a challenge! Days of Christmas,” but she de- After the success of her book, cided to write a new version with Fite took an additional step. She a focus on the biblical story of the wrote a bilingual musical based on first Christmas. the book, with some carols in Eng- Her lavishly illustrated chil- lish and others in Norwegian. She dren’s book was published by then formed a Christmas children’s Profound Promises in 2001. A pro- choir (Julebarnekor) to perform this fessional CD was added in 2002, musical, which debuted at the an- the day to buy snacks and treats. Al- making it a gift set. nual Norwegian Holiday Festival in though the book cost $22, she was Each page follows the same Fairfax, Va., on Dec. 3, 2016. so honored that he chose to buy her format. An introduction to a Bibli- This newly formed choir had book that she said, “For you, Gun- cal character related to the Christ- two other engagements during the nar, of course it will buy a book.” mas story begins each day. The 2016 holidays. They performed in After she autographed it, he tucked President’s Park South on the El- character on the first day is Baby it under his arm and walked away, Jesus, on the second day Two lipse in Washington, D.C. The choir wearing a proud smile. Earthly Parents (Mary and Joseph), also performed at the Norwegian After Høstfest, she stopped to on the third day Three Wise Men, church service at Emanuel Lutheran and so on. Then a relevant Biblical Church in Bethesda, Md. see the replica of the magnificent Gol Stave Church. As she sat in verse is given, followed by a short Fite had the privilege of work- the sanctuary listening to someone lesson (an Advent devotional). In ing in the Author’s Corner at Høst- give the history of the church, she conclusion, children are asked two fest 2017 in Minot, N.D. Her favor- noticed the spectacular acoustics. thought-provoking questions. ite customer was 12-year-old Gun- Instantly, she envisioned a chil- Fite, a Norwegian American, nar. He wanted to buy the book and dren’s choir standing on the stage decided to have her new version of she told him to go ask his mother. He performing the song in Norwegian. the song translated into Norwegian. stood there thinking long and hard. Maybe, just maybe, it will happen She enlisted the help of Norwegian He then reached into his pocket and next year! Sissel Bakken, who first had to find pulled out a rolled-up $20 bill. He equivalent words in Norwegian placed it on the counter and asked, The giftset of The Twelve New Photo courtesy of bonnie Fite with the same number of syllables “Is this enough to buy a book?” She Bonnie Johnson Fite and Ellen Dockery stand in front of a stave church in Minot, Days of Christmas is available by as the English and then apply them knew it was his spending money for N.D. What better place could there be for a Julebarnkor performance? calling (703) 449-7751.

from the Daughters of Norway

Uniting a sisterhood of women who wish to preserve Norwegian heritage.

join us at daughtersofnorway.org theNorwegiaNamerican Christmas December 15, 2017 • C9 Santa will not retire Age won’t keep Julenissen from his work tovE andErsson Oslo, Norway

“My goal is to answer 25 percent of the for retirement. But the municipality decided incoming letters,” Santa says. Behind the to keep the Santa, who has been a popular Santa beard is Tom Kristiansen, 72, tourism figure all over the world for years. manager and Santa of the Norwegian Christ- But what happens when Norway’s first mas town of Drøbak. Father Christmas employed by the munici- Kristiansen is the first Santa on the pality does retire? “Today’s Santa hopes to Frogn Municipality payroll in Drøbak, a continue a long time, of course, as long as town of about 15,000 inhabitants. Surround- the municipality rules do not force him to ed by 200,000 letters from all over the world, retire,” answers Kristiansen, who is already Santa starts working at 7:00 in the morning. two years on “overtime.” “Dear Santa. I wish for a new aunt for Retirement because of age ought to be Christmas. The one I have is awful! Ciao, unheard of, he argues. But the city’s Head Silvia, Italy.” of Culture Pål Mørk says it continues to be “Dear Santa Claus. Will you give Tony under debate, as it has to do with the munici- Blair a stomachache this Christmas and pality employment protection. make sure he gets a horrible year? Bernhard, England.” History “May I get a girlfriend?” Drøbak is a town of historical interest; All kinds of letters from all ages reach this is where the German ship Blücher was the tiny post office by the harbor next to the sunk during the German attack on Norway Lutefisk Museum. He’s been receiving these on the morning of April 9, 1940. The ship letters for nearly 25 years. In 2012, he even transported German soldiers passing Oscars- received the King’s Medal of Merit for his borg Fortress, and the sinking of the ship de- role as Santa, as well as his position as tour- layed the German invasion and allowed the Photo: © Åsmund Lindal / visitdrobak.no ism manager. government, parliament, and royal family to Santa holds his bag of postcards and letters from all over the world in Drøbak, Norway. But there have been tough times for evacuate to England. The fortress is located Norway’s Santa Claus too. During a finan- five minutes by ferry from Santa’s post -of cial crisis, the budget had no money for post- fice, with hotels, spas, and even an opera the Christmas House, called Tregaardens Visit www.julehus.no to learn more about the age. A private donation saved his job. each year. Julehus. This year Drøbak will publish a Christmas House. The Tourist Information A few years ago, Kristiansen also began The Christmas House, a chapel from book about Santa, a proof of his existence. Office is open on weekdays all year round; to worry he would be forced to retire as a po- 1877, was sold to Eva and Willy Johansen in “The Santa of Drøbak exists until prov- visit www.visitdrobak.no for more informa- litical party had suggested 70 as a proper age 1986. Two years later they officially opened en otherwise,” says Mørk. tion about the town.

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Photo by lyashenko the american C10 • December 15, 2017 Fiction NorwegiaN A Child’s Christmas Prize fiction by Larrie Wanberg

Christmas when I was But when the leaves fell from the a home. I’ve cared for a family of At four years old, my par- trees and the grass was brown, nisser in this box.” ents told me a story from Nor- the windbreak became as barren People at the table began way about a family of elves—we as the prairie and the fields. smiling. called them nisser—who would As the weather turned cold “I’ve kept it a secret because play tricks on people, sometimes that winter, I sneaked the fam- …” I stopped when a few at the hiding things that were mysteri- ily of nisser into the house and table began to chuckle. I heard a ously missing. hid them in a shoebox under my muffled word like “dreamer.” The nisser, I was told, were bed. I punched some holes in it I took a breath and contin- living under the red granary on for air, made a door on one side, ued with renewed energy. our Dakota farm. We lived many and added some drawings on it “The nisser are my friends.” miles from town. We had no with crayons. My cousins giggled out loud with close neighbors. Farmers during Early in the morning of shades of embarrassment. that time—when our country Christmas Eve, my parents told My mother nodded her head was very poor—left the home- me that we would be joining the toward me with encouragement. steads of their fathers who had uncles and two cousins in town Holding my chin up, I took come from Norway in search of for church that day, followed by the cover off of the empty box free land. a traditional Norwegian dinner and lifted up the shoebox to eye Old-country tradition was and the sharing of gifts. I gath- level to show the open area to the part of our family life. As a Nor- ered up the nisse family and took table. wegian tradition at Christmas, the shoebox with me. The crayon accents that were children would leave a small bowl At dinner, a festive table apparent on the outer sides of the of porridge by the front door as awaited our family group with box were also decorating the in- a gift for the nisser. Lo and be- meatballs, some strange fish, side. hold, the little elves would party lefse with cinnamon and sugar, On the bottom of the shoe- around the dish at night and eat mashed potatoes, and vegeta- box were stick-figure drawings all the porridge before dawn. bles—a feast that I’ll always re- of nisser with tasseled caps and On Christmas Eve, after member. pointed shoes. Some were young hearing the elf story, I left a small My cousins and I were re- and some were old with beards— bowl of porridge at the door for minded of the tradition of a a family. the nisser. In turn, they left me single almond being mixed in the “My nisse friends are cared a small marzipan candy, molded porridge. A lucky finder would for in this shoebox. It’s a family like a little pig with a tiny red rib- win the marzipan pig on the ta- home for them,” I said with de- bon around its neck. It was such a ble. termination. “There’s room for nice gift. I nibbled on it for days, However, this year the table all of you in my house!” relishing what a prize it was. prize of the marzipan pig would Then it was quiet. I enjoyed this story so much go to whoever made the most My uncle at the head of the that I decided to make friends creative gift to give to someone table stood up from his chair, with the nisse family on our else. picked up the marzipan pig with Photos: Lars Wanberg farm. I’d feed them rice kernels When it was time for me to the red ribbon, and handed it to Nisser in their natural habitat. every day through the winter describe my gift, I began to speak me. and spring. By summer, they excitedly about Christmas. “You get the Christmas trusted me and we played hide- “I’ve a secret to share,” I said prize,” he said, “for your gift of Features Editor Larrie Wanberg writes an original children’s story every and-go-seek in the high grass by hesitantly. “Never told anyone, caring.” Christmas for the holiday edition. The roots of this story date back to the granary. They would jump not even my parents.” And there were hugs all 1976 when, as founder of the Academy of Child Ecology for expatriate for joy when discovered by their I left the room for a moment around and some cream cake, families in Stavanger, Norway, he wrote, “A child’s creative imagination red stocking caps showing above to bring the shoebox to the table. too. is nature’s highest form of energy—a universal energy ... both costless and the grass or through a tiny bush. “This box,” I said slowly, “is priceless ... capable of changing the world.” theNorwegiaNamerican December 15, 2017 • C11 A monthly feature to share Brought to you by with kids and grandkids BarnebladBarneblad Heidi Håvan Grosch Christmas ornaments to make and share

There are many traditional things to make at Christmas. Many families make flatbread and lefse. Others bake many different kinds of cookies. Still others put lights in their windows. Making things by yourself is a big part of Christmas. here are a couple of ideas of things you can make to hang on your Christmas tree or to give as a present to someone else to hang on their Christmas tree.

Norwegian (or Danish) Christmas woven (or pleated) hearts One thing that is easy to do is to make woven or pleated hearts. You can make them out of paper or fabric. If you use fabric, it is good to iron some backing onto it so it is a little stiffer. It is hard to say who made the first woven or pleated heart, but there are some in museums that go back to the 1800s. Many of these can be found in Denmark at places like the hans Christian Andersen Museum in Odense and the National Museum of Denmark in Copenhagen. They aren’t too hard to make, even thought they look very complicated. You cut two oblong pieces of fabric or paper, fold them in half, and cut those halved into thirds. Weave the two pieces together and you have a heart that you can hang on your Christmas tree or fill with candy. You can even use these hearts for valentine’s Day!

There are many websites that give very good directions and include pictures. Here are four of them: • www.dltk-holidays.com/valentines/mwoven.htm • www.haabet.dk/users/julehjerter/making.html • gingerbreadsnowflakes.com/node/28/ • mylittlenorway.com/2011/12/norwegian-christmas-heart-baskets

Photos: Heidi Håvan Grosch Woven heart baskets (left) and beaded stars or snowflakes (below) are easy to make for your own tree or to give as a gift.

Beaded snowflakes Another good Christmas ornament to make is a beaded snowflake. You can use any size beads you have. If you use pipe cleaners, they are easy to make no matter how small you are. If you are a bit bigger, you can try making them with wire. Start with three pieces of wire, or three pieces of a pipe cleaner. Make a loop at one end of the wire or pipe cleaner, and string on your beads. When you have three wires or pipe cleaners full of beads, re- member to bend the other end so the beads don’t fall off, bend the three together in the middle to make a star or snowflake. It is a good idea to leave a little room in your string of beads so there is room to bend the three together. You can also take your three pieces of wire or pipe cleaner and bend them together first to make a star or snowflake. String your beads on afterwards. We did this project at the local World Children’s Day in September in Levanger, Norway, and it was very popular.

There are good directions on the web for these, as well: If you make a Christmas heart or snowflake star, why don’t you take a pic- • www.happinessishomemade.net/kids-christmas-craft-beaded- ture of it on your Christmas tree and send it into The Norwegian American? snowflake-ornaments It would be fun to see your Christmas creativity in action! • www.youtube.com/watch?v=i9mmfSWhYmE God jul! the american C12 • December 15, 2017 Travel NorwegiaN Where does Santa live, anyway? From Finland to Norway to Alaska, the home of Santa Claus can make a fun family visit

Molly jonEs The Norwegian American

So your little ones want to visit Santa— and not the one with the fake beard at the closest mall. But where exactly does he live? Is it the North Pole? Or Finland? Or maybe even Norway? It turns out that all of these destinations claim to be the home of Santa Claus—or Joulupukki or Julenissen, that is. Which one you choose to visit (and there are others too!) will of course depend on how far you are willing to travel and how much time you have. For the most immersive and extravagant experience, the Santa Claus Vil- lage in Rovaniemi, Finland, is likely the way to go. For a quick day trip while in Norway, Julehus in Drøbak, Norway, is a great choice. If your kids are adamant about visiting the “North Pole” or you want to stay a bit closer, be sure to look into the Santa Claus House in North Pole, Alaska. Whichever destination you choose, you can be sure you’ll add some magic to your child’s holiday experience! Photos: (above) Amy Meredith / Flickr, (above right) flightlog / Wikimedia, (right) Frogn kommune / Flickr Santa Claus Village in Rovaniemi, Finland Above: Santa looms larger than life in North The Santa Claus Village in Rovaniemi, Pole, Alaska. Finland, is easily the top Santa destination in Above right: Finland’s home of Santa Claus is a Scandinavia, welcoming hundreds of thou- winter wonderland. sands of visitors every year. There’s no doubt Right: Drøbak’s Julehus is lit up for the season. that its location all the way north in the snowy Arctic Circle certainly adds to its charm! At this magical village, you have the op- portunity to meet Santa at the Santa Claus Of- Julehus in drøbak, Norway fice every day of the year. At the Santa Claus In Norway, the legend is that Julenis- Main Post Office, you can either write your sen was born in Drøbak several hundred own letters to your friends or order special years ago. The town, located about 20 miles Santa Claus letters, which are sent before south of Oslo, is therefore referred to as Christmas with a special postmark. At Christ- “The Christmas Town.” In fact, any mail ad- mas House you can have your picture taken dressed to Julenissen from Norway without with the man himself and take a look at a fas- any other address is automatically sent to cinating exhibit on the Christmas traditions of Drøbak. An official nisse traffic sign in the Finland and cultures around the world. city even warns travelers to “look up for nis- During the winter season, visitors are sen.” also invited to travel underneath the Arctic Brought to life by Eva-Irene and Willy Circle, deep inside the ground, to visit San- Johansen in 1988, Tregaarden’s Julehuset hour, making the visit to Julenissen a simple lie Miller in 1952 and served as the town’s ta’s home cavern at SantaPark. Here families offers everything you could need for Christ- day trip from the capital. first post office for almost two decades. can spend the day with friendly elves, go mas—decorations, candles and candlesticks, Over time, canned goods and other necessi- to elf school, eat gingerbread cookies, and tablecloths and napkins, and more—and it is Santa Claus House in North Pole, Alaska ties were gradually replaced with Christmas much more. open year round. In the post office, you can Okay, so it’s not the actual North Pole, merchandise as the destination grew in pop- Rovaniemi is about 500 miles north of buy Christmas cards to send to your friends but it’s probably as close as you’ll get! In ularity. Millions of visitors from around the Helsinki, and there are many options to trav- and family and have them stamped with the Alaska’s own North Pole, you can visit world have visited Santa Claus House, one el between the cities by car, train, or plane. special nisse stamp. Santa, meet his team of reindeer, and see of the top attractions in Interior Alaska. For unique accommodations, check out In November and December, Santa is the world’s largest Santa—standing proud at Just 15 miles east of Fairbanks, you Kakslauttanen Arctic Resort, where you can available to visit at the tourist office in the50 feet tall. You can also send personalized won’t have any trouble getting to Santa either sleep in a real igloo made entirely of main harbor. Here you will also find a- perpostmarked letters from Santa here and shop Claus House. Note that while the attraction snow and ice or a luxury modern glass struc- manent exhibit with around 250,000 letters for all kinds of goodies, from gifts and col- is normally open all year round, it will be ture offering incredible views of the Arctic sent to Julenissen from all around the world. lectibles to fudge, classic toys, and exclusive closed from Jan. 1 to April 30, 2018, due to sky. Also located right by the village, the The best part about Norway’s Christmas merchandise. expansion and remodeling. Sounds like next Santa Claus Holiday Village offers charming Town? It’s easy to get to. Just take the Route The Santa Claus House originally year’s holiday season may be just the right hotel-quality apartments. 500 bus from Oslo and you’ll be there in an opened as a trading post by Con and Nel- time to check it out!

June 23 - August 3, 2018 Photo: UiO, Mantas Grigaliunas

Open Mon - Sat 9:30am - 5pm 2709 SAN PABLO AVENUE BERKELEY, CALIFORNIA 94702 510.705.1932 email [email protected] uio.no/summerschool ∙ [email protected] ∙ (800) 639-0058 the american NorwegiaN Travel December 15, 2017 • C13 Skiing in Norway: Get the best of the white stuff in Norway

david nikEl Trondheim, Norway

Breathtaking natural scenery, challeng- ing mountainous terrain, gentle slopes for families, and guaranteed snow at many re- sorts: A ski trip to Norway is a great choice for winter sports fans, and it’s about to get even better. While not as commercial as some of Eu- rope’s more famous skiing countries, Nor- way’s resorts nevertheless offer world-class slopes and accommodations.

The benefits of skiing in Norway First things first, Norway enjoys a long winter season from early November until April in most of the resorts. Slopes are gen- erally quieter with shorter queues than in the more famous resorts. Even during the holi- day periods, the country’s biggest resorts are surprisingly quiet and very family friendly. And, of course, Norway also offers a whole heap of benefits beyond the slopes, from the incredible natural beauty of the fjords to the fascinating range of UNESCO World Heritage sites. Photo courtesy of Hafjell Alpine Center If you’re travelling with your family, Norway has some of the most acccessible—and beautiful—skiing in the world. Norway as a ski destination is hard to beat. Norwegian society prioritizes children, so all vacation facilities are well prepared to lanes. Frustrating queues should be kept to Cross-country trails around the country Norwegian Trekking Association (www.dnt. welcome families, with most ski resorts of- a minimum with modern ski lifts that will Norway is known as a ski-loving coun- no) to learn about the trails and process for fering great facilities for budding young ski- move up to 5,000 people per hour. try, but it’s the cross-country variety that re- staying in the cabins. ers. Norwegians are, after all, born with skis Managing Director Bård Windigstad ally gets the nation’s juices flowing. During Last but not least, complete your Nor- on their feet! Norwegian resorts also offer a explains that top athletes will not be given the winter, visitors will find groomed trails wegian skiing vacation with a trip to the wide variety of other winter activities, from priority in the hall: “Everyone who plays that crisscross the entire country. These are nation’s most famous sporting arena. Over- dog sledding to ice climbing, so there are tennis, for example, on a hobby basis knows prepared and maintained by a horde of will- looking the city, Oslo’s Holmenkollen arena plenty of options to add some variety into how hard it can be to secure time. Many ing volunteers, such is the love that Norwe- features a beautiful world-class ski jump, bi- your itinerary. indoor courts are fully booked by clubs, so gians have for their national sport. athlon and cross-country ski arena, ski simu- most of the available capacity is given to the A diverse range of cabins can be found lator, and the national ski museum. the best ski resorts most dedicated. It is difficult to just meet up across the trails, varying from fully staffed Norway’s largest skiing area is just a with a friend and play a couple of matches. accommodations with hot meals to unstaffed David Nikel is a freelance two-hour drive northeast of the Oslo Airport. When the ski hall is completed, we will wooden huts designed purely for shelter. writer based in Norway. Trysil offers three children’s areas, two snow turn this approach on its head. The ski slope During the winter months, it’s fairly He runs the popular www. parks, and a total of 68 slopes in operation must always be ready for visitors, regardless easy and cheap to rent cross-country skis, lifeinnorway.net website during peak season. of skill level. It will be a natural retreat for bindings, and boots from ski resorts and and podcast and is the au- The mountainous resort at Hemsedal families with children, friends, businesses sports stores in most major towns. Those thor of the Moon Norway is another favorite among Oslo residents. A and tourists.” interested in arranging their own multi-day guidebook, available now three-hour drive northwest of the capital, the cross-country vacation should contact the in all good bookstores. family-friendly resort has a high standard of accommodation and a real alpine feel, thanks to its location, which offers guaranteed snow December through April every year. Roam with Moon & The Norwegian American The best choice for those reliant on pub- We can’t decide! Which ot these finalists do you think should win a copy of Moon Norway? lic transport is Hafjell, which has its own railway station on the Oslo-to-Trondheim line. The self-contained village has every- thing you need for a complete vacation but #2 is also just 20 minutes away from Norway’s winter sports capital, Lillehammer. More adventurous skiers should head north to the city of Narvik. The Narvikfjellet resort is a haven for off-piste fans with spec- tacular views, Scandinavia’s largest vertical drop, and the chance to ski from mountain- top down almost to fjord level. A trip here can be combined with a northern lights safari or a road trip on the Lofoten islands.

An exciting new venue from 2019 The world’s largest indoor ski center is set to open near Oslo in 2019, bringing year- round skiing to the Norwegian capital. #1 #3 Under its roof, SNØ at Lørenskog Win- ter Park will offer a 505-meter-long alpine slope, a terrain park, and a 2-kilometer Vote by emailing [email protected] cross-country skiing loop with four parallel the american C14 • December 15, 2017 Taste of Norway NorwegiaN A cozy, creamy tradition: Rice porridge for Christmas Eve

daytona strong Taste of Norway Editor

Christmas dinner always concluded with riskrem at my paternal grandparents’ house. Perched above a Seattle neighbor- hood known for its community display of Christmas lights—and decorated with plenty of lights and tinsel itself—my grandparents’ home shone with all the warmth and light I associated with the holiday, mingled with the smells of their traditional Norwegian Christ- mas feast. As much as I loved the meal it- self, one of my favorite parts was when my grandmother brought out the bowl of chilled riskrem—a rice porridge with whipped cream folded in—and a pitcher of deeply colored raspberry sauce to pour over it. I loved letting that sweet-tart sauce pool around the base of the riskrem in my bowl, a contrast in color, flavor, and texture. While I grew up eating this always in riskrem form, I’ve decided to embrace the tradition of the porridge as well. Riskrem, after all, is simply rice porridge with whipped cream folded in. At its simplest, the porridge consists of rice cooked with wa- ter and milk, and maybe a pinch of salt. Some recipes sweeten it slightly, and I’ve also seen recipes with vanilla, cardamom, or cinnamon added. As I’m making this with Christmas in essential elements, and I find that this recipe Photos: daytona Strong Daytona Strong is The Nor- mind, a time when everything should be as doesn’t need much more. Risgrøt is delicious on its own, but you can also wegian American’s Taste of special as can be, I’ve added a touch of sugar. I While I’m using the Norwegian name fold in a little whipped cream to turn it into Norway Editor. She writes also add a vanilla bean, and, taking a cue from for this, the tradition of serving rice porridge Riskrem. Either way, be sure to prepare a special about her family’s Norwe- Magnus Nilsson’s The Nordic Cookbook, a at Christmastime spans the Nordic countries. surprise for the person who gets the almond in gian heritage through the their bowl! cinnamon stick while the porridge simmers. If The tradition of hiding an almond inside var- lens of food at her Scandi- navian food blog, www.out- you prefer to leave those out, that’s just fine. ies a little, with whoever finds the almond ei- As for the topping, recipes in general ther winning a prize, or in parts of Sweden side-oslo.com. Find her on Facebook (www.facebook.com/OutsideOslo), call for a pat of butter and a sprinkling of cin- and Finland, a foretelling that they will marry Twitter (@daytonastrong), Pinterest (@dayton- namon and sugar. Some people serve it with before the next Christmas. astrong), and Instagram (@daytonastrong). cordial soup or milk, and others add raisins or And, of course, if you’d like, you can al- berries on top. I keep mine simple with cinna- ways fold in some whipped cream sweetened mon, sugar, and butter. It’s hard to beat those with sugar to make it into riskrem. Scandinavian Rice Porridge (Risgrøt฀/฀Risengrøt)

As with any traditional dish, recipes and preparations vary. I’m providing this recipe as a guide—please be sure to adjust the sweetness and the quantity of milk to your taste. That said, one of the biggest decisions to make for risgrøt is the type of rice to choose. I’ve seen recipes with short-, medium-, or long-grain. I’ve always used short-grain for my riskrem, so that’s what I’m using here as well. Specifically, I use arborio, an Italian short­ grain rice. I’ve also seen a recipe calling for sushi rice. Also, some recipes take place entirely on the stovetop, with boiling the rice in water and then adding the milk and simmering until the milk is absorbed—either adding the milk all at once or in small quantities at a time, much like risotto—while other recipes finish the por- ridge in the oven. I’m keeping it simple and adding all the milk at once, and completing the recipe on the stovetop. Risgrøt shouldn’t be fussy. But you’ll still want to stir it regularly to keep it from sticking to the bottom of the pot.

3⁄4 cup arborio rice for serving: 1½ cups water 4 thin slices of cold butter ½ tsp. salt 2 tsps. ground cinnamon 3 cups whole milk 2 tbsps. granulated sugar for serving 2 tbsps. sugar 1 whole blanched almond 1 vanilla bean, cut lengthwise and seeds scraped out, both pod and seeds reserved cinnamon stick

In a medium pot, bring rice, water, and salt to a boil. Lower heat and maintain a good simmer, uncovered, until the rice absorbs the water, stirring regularly so the rice doesn’t stick. Add the milk, sugar, vanilla seeds and pod, and cinnamon stick, and stir in. Continue to simmer, covered, and stirring regularly, until the milk is absorbed and rice is tender, about a half an hour or so, checking regularly and adding more milk as needed. Remove vanilla pod and cinnamon stick. Taste and add additional sugar if desired. Trans- fer porridge to a serving dish or to four bowls, tucking a single whole almond somewhere inside one of the servings. Sprinkle with additional sugar and ground cinnamon and top with a pat of cold butter. the american NorwegiaN Taste of Norway December 15, 2017 • C15 Norwegian Christmas calls for almonds These mandelstenger may become one of your seven types of Christmas cookies

sunny gandara Arctic Grub

A little over four years ago when I de- cided to go vegan for the animals, I remem- ber thinking to myself: “Christmas will nev- er be the same.” I was convinced that when I made the conscious choice to give up meat, fish, dairy, and eggs, there would be nothing left to eat in the Norwegian cuisine. The hor- ror of giving up all the delightful Norwegian cookies we make every year felt real. But boy, was I wrong. Little did I know that vegans are super creative, and that in- cludes Norwegian vegans! I’ve been follow- ing the super talented blogger and now cook- book author, Mari Hult from Vegetarbloggen (vegetarbloggen.no) for a while now. Her recipe for mandelstenger, literally translated as “almond sticks,” was my inspiration for today’s piece. (Spoiler alert: they turned out amazingly good, so get excited.) The vegan movement is growing in Norway, as people are getting increasingly aware that their meat- and dairy-heavy diets may not be the healthiest choice. Heart dis- ease, cancer, and obesity have risen dramati- cally in Norway as in the rest of the western world, and processed and fast food is plen- tiful everywhere. That is not to say every choice we make has to be 100% healthy, but Photos: Sunny Gandara overall, if we choose to be more conscious Even vegans can enjoy the sweet flavors of Christmas with these almond cookies. about what we put in our bodies, our health will benefit as a result. But back to Christmas. I realize a lot of Super quick to make and requiring few I hope you will enjoy these as much as my readers are very fond of the classic, Nor- ingredients, mandelstenger have become a I do; they will most definitely continue to be wegian recipes of old times such as krumka- favorite for many Norwegians. Even though part of my Christmas cookie baking tradition ker (still wildly popular in Norway), sand- it may be considered a “modern” recipe, this going forward. kaker, fattigmann and goro (not so much), cookie has existed for a long time in Nor- sirupssnipper, and more. Regardless, Nor- way’s cuisine in different versions and was Sunny Hjorthol Gandara wegians are known to go a little nuts (no pun considered one of the “seven types of cook- was raised in Norway and intended) with baking cookies during this ies” made for Christmas by many. I write attended college in the U.S. holiday. Seven kinds are still the norm in more about the “syv slags kaker” in my blog, She is a trained chef, a certi- many households. Arctic Grub (and The Norwegian American fied wine and spirits educa- So what kind of cookies do Norwegians also covered the topic last Christmas: www. tor, a trained health coach, like to make and eat in 2017? In addition to norwegianamerican.com/featured/seven- and holds a certificate in today’s cookie, others include brune pin- cookies-for-christmas). plant-based nutrition. She ner (very similar to mandelstenger), kokos- You can make this recipe gluten free ran her own catering company, Fork and Glass, makroner, mandelflarn, julekaker/julemenn, simply by omitting the all­purpose flour andfor five years, and today works for herself as a pepperkaker, smultringer, hjortetakk, and substituting either gluten­free flour or corn- vegan food and chef consultant and life coach for risboller, to name a few. I’ve also seen the starch; the flour simply works as a binder forwomen. Find her on Facebook (forkandglass) or influence of American and other internation- the batter. on her blog, Arctic Grub (arcticgrub.com). al pastries in Norwegian households, as my fellow countrymen have embraced the love for brownies, muffins, and biscotti. Almonds are a typical Norwegian ingre- Mandelstenger dient in pastries and other dishes. I like to think of almonds being as popular as peanut 7 oz. whole almonds (I used the brand Kite Hill, which butter is in the United States; you see them 3 oz. vegan butter is deliciously creamy and tangy) included in a large variety of baked goods. 6 oz. sugar 4 tbsps. all­purpose flour (sub gf There is a dish called “brente mandler,” i.e. 3 tbsps. soy yogurt plus extra for flour or cornstarch if gluten free) burnt almonds, which is popular to serve this brushing on top of batter 1 tsp. baking powder time of year, perfect with a glass of gløgg (mulled wine). An almond is also placed in Preheat the oven to 350°F. Line a cookie sheet with parchment paper. the porridge—risgrøt—served during Christ- Set aside 10 to 15 whole almonds and roughly chop them up. These are to be mas, and the lucky person who gets it in his sprinkled on top of the cake batter. or her bowl, will get something special as a Grind the remaining almonds in a high-powered blender or food processor into a surprise—often a marzipan pig, which itself mealy flour. will be made of almonds. Whip the butter and sugar until light and fluffy. Add in the soy yogurt. Add the Almonds brings me to my recipe. Man- ground almond meal, all­purpose flour, and baking powder. Stir until just combined. delstenger are soft and chewy on the inside Press the dough onto the parchment paper into a large square—the batter should and crispy on the outside and are almost like be about ¼-inch thick. Spread a little soy yogurt on top and sprinkle with the remaining candy, they’re so good. They are very similar almonds. to the better-known kransekake, as the base Bake for about 15 minutes on the bottom shelf, then remove from oven. Slice into for the dough is ground almonds. I’ve also about 2 x 4-inch pieces using a pizza cutter while the dough is still soft. seen versions of this called “heksefinger” Makes about 20 pieces. (witch fingers!) and “Finnish bread.” Explore life. Explore taste.

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