D ECEMBER 2017 IBSEN COURIER S ONS OF NORWAY Henrik Ibsen Lodge No. 3-393 Meetings every 3rd New Year’s Friday of the month at God Jul og Eve at LoV St. Mark’s Church, 754 Flyer Montauk Hwy, Islip, NY Godt Nyttår page 3 FRA PRESIDENTEN: I hope you all had a very nice Thanksgiving Day, turkey or ham— whatever you would have preferred. Regarding Margaret and I, we spent our day with our youngest son Paul and his wife Catherine. I was going to start this Newsleter input yesterday, however the house boiler piping sprang a water leak, drip-drip, water on the floor. Paul came to the rescue and by the late afernoon we were back to normal. Saturday, December 9 at 1:00 pm is our annual Children’s Christmas Party under the arrangement of Cindy and Darlene— thank you very much. At the last meeting we decided to have our Christmas dinner at Carrabba’s Restaurant, located in Central Islip. I have booked a table for sixteen Wednesday December 13 at 5:30 pm. You do know who the sixteen are, however if any additional members want to participate with us, do give me a call at 516-420-0658. We have also been invited to Lindberg Lodge December 2, starting at noon, and also to Norden Lodge December 3 also starting at noon. The charges are $10 and $35 respectively. The Lindberg Lodge is located at King of Kings Lutheran Church, Melville and the Norden Christmas Party at Parkside Manor, 24A Main St Huntington. The Annual Cod Fish Dinner that Peconic Lodge arranged up to two years ago, will now be a Zone 1 arrangement. This dinner will be held next year Mach 10, 2018. Earlier in November I had received a leter from Torun Reduta regarding cookies for the upcoming Third District Convention in June 2018. We have three volunteers: Lise, Bete and Vera, I thank all three of you. More about this in the coming months. In the coming year Henrik Ibsen will be responsible for arranging the 2018 Zone 1 Bowling. I proposed we combine our annual Odd Gabrielsen Bowling with the Zone bowling in February/March time frame, maybe we could be able to occupy all of the bowling lanes. There will not be any regular December meeting in December 2017, however, we will have a grand time at Carrabba”s Restaurant December 13 at 5:30 pm. For all you other members that cannot meet with us on Dec. 13, have a very nice Christmas and a Happy New Year. Next meeting: January 19, 2018 at 6:30 pm. Fraternally, The mission of Sons of Norway is to promote and to preserve the heritage and culture of Norway; to celebrate our relationship with other Nordic Countries, and provide quality insurance and financial Asbjørn products to our members. H ENRIK IBSEN LODGE 3-393 |DECEMBER 2017 1! D ECEMBER 2017 MONTHLY ANNOUNCEMENTS Please be advised: Sunshine Commitee Did you know? The LAST DAY to submit You can view all 3rd district N/A newsletters at information to be included in www.3dsofn.org. Our newsletter is available The Ibsen Courier is the 25th of online at www.llund.com/ each month. newsletters/. COURIER BOOSTERS Anyone with ideas for monthly social activities, please contact Darlene Kern L. & M. Lund: 11/2017 Bette & Dave Stahl: 12/2017 (631-666-7668). Grace Schumacher: 11/2017 Marie Von Seggern: 12/2017 For ideas regarding cultural activities, please contact Asbjørn Lageraæn. Asbjørn Lageraaen: 11/2017 Margaret Lageraaen: 11/2017 December Cake Committee: Darlene Kern & Cindy Biancospino To support The Ibsen Courier, please send a check (“Henrik Ibsen Lodge”) or cash ($12) to our Financial Secretary: Cynthia Biancospino, 179 Studley St., Brentwood, NY, 11717 December Lodge Birthdays Tone Iren Gabrielsen 6 Gratulerer Shirley Gatland 26 med dagen! H ENRIK IBSEN LODGE 3-393 |DECEMBER 2017 !2 D ECEMBER 2017 LODGE CALENDAR L ODGE BUSINESS/SOCIAL CALENDAR 2017 Date Event Details DECEMBER 9 Children’s Jultrefest see page 9 DECEMBER 13 Adult Jultrefest Carrabba’s Italian Grill on Carlton Ave, 5:30PM DECEMBER 15 No Business Meeting JANUARY 19 First Lodge Meeting of 2018 at the Land of the Vikings… Join us to Bring in 2018 in 1950’s Style Buffet Dinner Champagne Toast at Midnight Come and Rock the night away with music by DJ Dave Dress in 50’s style and get a free beer at our beautiful Viking Ship Bar. The fun starts at 7:00 PM Dinner and Dancing for $30.00 plus tax and gratuities Reservations by December 20th are a must! There could be an activities fee up to $10.00 for overnight guests. For more information or to make reservations, contact Bev at (570) 461-3500 or [email protected] H ENRIK IBSEN LODGE 3-393 | DECEMBER 2017 !3 D ECEMBER 2017 CULTURE CORNER WITH ASBJØRN SOMETHING FROM THE NORWEGIAN “JUL” Julebukk Dressing up as a Yule goat became part of the Christmas festivities. Supposedly the Norse God Thor would travel from house to house during the winter solstice disguised with goat skins. This tradition continued after Christianity took hold, with people wearing masks and costumes to go julebukk, which is similar to going trick-or-treat on Halloween. Neighbors and relatives would answer their doors desperately trying to determine who was behind the masks. Once revealed, julebukkers would be asked inside for a special treat. Today this tradition is most commonly compared to Christmas caroling from door to door. This tradition typically occurs between Christmas Day and New Year’s Day. Juleøl Brewing juleøl (Christmas beer) was a long-held holiday activity. The Vikings and old Norse prized their beer and kept plenty on hand during the holiday season. The symbol of the cross was often used during the process to protect or bless the brew. Sometimes crossed straws in the container or a cross of tar painted on or under each container would serve as enough to protect the special beer. In most districts, the brewer—usually the master or matron of the household—worked alone and started two to three weeks before Christmas on a night with a full moon. The process had to be completed by St. Thomas Day (December 21) or winter solstice because brewing at the turning of the sun was considered to be tricky. NORWEGIAN AQUAVIT IS EXTREMELY WELL-TRAVELED Denmark and Sweden consider aquavit a clear spirit, but in Norway, there’s a strong tradition of cask- aging. Norwegian aquavit matures in sherry oak casks that give the spirit a golden color and full-bodied character with hints of vanilla. Linie Aquavit is one of Norway’s most famous because of its unique aging process that was accidentally discovered in the early 19th century. Linie means “line,” as its oak barrels are loaded onto ships that cross the equator twice, supposedly enhancing the spirit’s flavor and smoothness due to the barrels’ constant rolling on the ocean and temperature fluctuations. H ENRIK IBSEN LODGE 3-393 | DECEMBER 2017 !4 D ECEMBER 2017 ZONE CALENDAR Z ONE CALENDAR 2017 Date/Time Theme/Event Details JANUARY 14 Not a Zone event: Nansen Lodge holds their 80th Anniversary at their lodge in Staten Island. A flyer is being prepared. It would be good to show our support with a Henrik Ibsen table at their event. MARCH 10 Zone Cod Fish Dinner St. James Lutheran Church TBD SPRING 2018 Zone Bowling will join Henrik Ibsen more to follow Bowling for Fun in the Spring TBD FALL 2018 Scanfest Bus is pending more to follow TBD 2018 Scholarship play is still being discussed AT LAND OF THE VIKINGS - MAKE RESERVATIONS WITH BEV (570) 461-3500 OR [email protected] DECEMBER 30 — JAN 1 New Year's Eve Party see flyer on page 3 Question: What would you like to see the Zone offer as an activity? Please bring it up during the Zone Report at the next lodge meeting. Remember it’s your Zone— Only you can make the Zone strong. Atend as many activities and events as possible. Your Lodge representatives to the Zone, Asbjørn, Helen & Ken H ENRIK IBSEN LODGE 3-393 | DECEMBER 2017 5! D ECEMBER 2017 Year's end is neither an end nor a beginning but a going on, with all the wisdom that experience can instill in us. Cheers to a new year and another chance for us to get it right. Oprah Winfrey This is my last Christmas season as 3D President and it has been a fun and at times wild ride. We as a District have accomplished so much this year, some of it behind the scenes. Some things we see front and center in your wonderful lodge newsletters. I love reading Publication of District 3, them so keep them coming! Sons of Norway I see so much opportunity for us to grow and htp://www.3dsofn.org Mary B. Andersen, President strengthen our fraternal connections. To be sure, we will change. I see change in the lodge calendars, the things we do and try. We are beginning to do things just a little different, we may make some tweaks here and there, but we still hold onto our core values and traditions. I can’t wait to join in the singing of the lutefisk song at my lodge’s lutefisk and meatball dinner, it is hilarious. I also can’t wait to dance around the Christmas tree at our Jultrefest. Keeping our customs and traditions alive will always be central to who we are. Yet, we Norwegians are an adventurous lot willing to try new things and it is this adventurous spirit that will keep us going for many years to come.