Week 4: Norway module
Welcome! Velkommen!
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We have begun diving deeper into cultures around the world. This week it is time to dive deeper and engage with another of our very own 4-H countries: Norway!
Our hope is for you to gain a better understanding of Norway’s rich culture and lifestyle right from your very own home. There is so much of Norwegian culture to explore that will hopefully leave you with better insight into this vibrant global culture than you did before. Of course, every country’s culture is complicated and diverse--there is no way that we can cover it all during this module. Hopefully, this module will inspire you to seek out even more information about Norway!
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Where is Norway?
Norway's Location:​
Located in Northern Europe.
Is a Baltic Country - neighbors the Baltic Sea!
Right next to Sweden and above Denmark.
Fast Facts about Norway
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Oslo is the capital of Norway
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The Nobel Peace Prize is awarded in Oslo
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Norway introduced salmon sushi to Japan in the 1980s
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Skiing was invented in Norway
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Norway has a volcano!
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Viking means “pirate raid” → The word comes from the Old Norse language that was spoken in Scandinavia during the Viking Age. Vikings were based in Scandinavia, which includes Norway!
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Fjords! A fjord is a deep, narrow and elongated sea or lake drain, with steep land on three sides. Watch the video below to see and learn more!
Fast Facts about Norway
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Oslo is the capital of Norway
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The Nobel Peace Prize is awarded in Oslo
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Norway introduced salmon sushi to Japan in the 1980s
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Skiing was invented in Norway
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Norway has a volcano!
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Viking means “pirate raid” → The word comes from the Old Norse language that was spoken in Scandinavia during the Viking Age. Vikings were based in Scandinavia, which includes Norway!
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Fjords! A fjord is a deep, narrow and elongated sea or lake drain, with steep land on three sides. Watch the video below to see and learn more!
Norwegian Landscape
​So much of the Norwegian landscape is influenced by the Sea - glaciers, fjords, coastline, and islands. Norway is also a very rural country with lots of farmland. There is not much Urban living in Norway, mainly just in Oslo, the capital of Norway.
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Oslo
Glaciers and Fjords
Farmland
Islands
Coastline
Oslo
Norwegian Language
Formation/Origin of Norwegian Language
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There are 2 versions of the Norwegian language. Both, Bokmål and Nynorsk, are used normally in Norway, taught in school, used in News.
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Bokmål is used most commonly throughout the country as a whole.
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Nynorsk is very common in more rural areas.
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Descended from the Vikings when they were based in the Nordic countries during the Viking Age.
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29 letters - English alphabet with 3 extra letters.
Basic Words and Phrases
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Hi → Hei
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How are you? → Hvordan har du det?
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Where are you from? → Hvor er du fra?
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Food → Mat
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Morning → Morgen
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Goodnight → God natt
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Please → Vær så snill
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Thank you → Takk skal du ha
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Goodbye → Ha det
Typical Traditions and Customs
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Syttende Mai (Independence Day) - May 17th. Like our 4th of July! Stoughton, WI currently hosts the 2nd largest Syttende Mai celebration in the world. Stoughton was founded by immigrant Norwegians in the 1800s and has been very Norwegian ever since! The 1st is in Oslo, Norway. It’s a 3 day-long celebration! There’s food stands, two parades, craft fairs and quilt shows, a strong man competition, and other more Norwegian festivities! Each Syttenda Mai, we elect a King and Queen (usually an older couple who has lived in Stoughton for a while and has made an impact on the community) and a prince and princess (they are usually in 3rd-5th grade and they have to apply). They attend events throughout the weekend and are a part of the parades. Very similar celebrations are held in Oslo and around Norway.
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Sankthansaften (Midsummers Eve) - June 23rd. Celebrating the Summer Solstice! There is a big bonfire the night of Midsummers Eve and the next day they remember John the Baptist’s birthday and the Midsummer day. A long time ago, people believed that witches were very strong on Midsummer’s Eve since that is when days begin to get shorter. People would gather herbs and make a bonfire to keep the witches away. This was the origin of the Midsummer’s Eve bonfire.
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Olsok (St. Olaf’s Day) - July 29th. Recognizing King Olaf on the day he died in 1040 during the Battle of Stiklestad. He helped establish Christianity in Norway. He is known in Norway as the Eternal King. They will fly the Norway flag to remember him.
Typical Norwegian Homes
4 Things in Every Norwegian Home:
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MoccaMaster Coffee Maker - French Press Style. Norwegians LOVE coffee! Used as a way to socialize with friends and family or guests. Every year, Norwegians get through nearly 10 kilos of coffee beans each. The world average is 1.3 kilos per person. It is their way to say “Welcome” and you would most likely be greeted with coffee when entering their home. Coffee is the official drink of Norway!
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Tripp Trapp Chair - Adjustable for children as they grow.
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Posters of their children and family.
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Green Plants. Norwegians love nature and having those elements in their home.
MoccaMaster
Tripp Trapp Chair
Typical Home Features and Looks​
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Homes in Norway are rarely brick. They are large wooden homes in the countryside.
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Bright colors are commonly on the exterior of wooden homes, like red, yellow, blue, or green.
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Boundaries are not common and houses can be very close together when they are not on farmland.
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Must have a chimney and open fireplace by law.
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Newer homes are very modern and mostly black or white.
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Interiors are very modern
Traditional Homes
Modern Homes and Interior
Traditional Norwegian Dance and Music
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Traditional dances are normally referred to as Bygdedans (village or regional dance).
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Lots of different kinds of dances known as “Norwegian Dances.” (The most traditional ones that other Norwegians would know is the “Halling” it’s an all guys dance, and “Little Man” which has spinning lifts! Some other random names are “Linden”, “Norwegian Weaving”, and “Scandinavian Square”!
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When dancing, dancers where bunads - the traditional dress and outfit of Norway.
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The Stoughton High School Norwegian Dancers is a touring dance group. It’s an extracurricular activity at school and has been around for 60+ years. Many of the dancers now have had parents and/or grandparents as dancers too. There are 60+ shows a year and 4 of them are over the Syttenda Mai weekend. In the past, dancers have toured in San Diego, Seattle, and Norway. Dancers wear bunads. Each district of Norway has its own bunad design and dancers had to memorize each district's bunad. There are a women’s dress and men’s vest and pants for each district. We also had to wear Norwegian jewelry and underclothes so Norwegian earrings, pins, white blouses, white underskirts, tights, and bloomers. They memorize 45+ dances and songs and during each performance, our director called them out at random. They have no clue which dances we were doing until it was announced.
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Traditional Dance - Stoughton Norwegian Dancers
Traditional Dance
Folk Music
Bunads
Norway Food Culture
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They LOVE frozen pizza! Grandiosa is the #1 frozen pizza brand. They go through 5.3 billion pizzas a year!
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Diet is heavy on seafood and fish.
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Prominent traditional favorites include:
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Rokelaks (smoked salmon), orret (trout), sild (herring), lutefisk (stockfish, lye, and water)
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Lefse (soft, flat potato bread), flatbrod (dried, crispy thin bread), cakes, waffles, biscuits
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Farikal (mutton stew with cabbage and potatoes), kjottkakaer (meat cakes with sauce)
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Ribbe (roasted pork belly with sauerkraut and boiled potatoes), potatoes with everything
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Brunost or geitost (sweet, brown, caramelized goat cheese)
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Offal (liver, tongue and other organ meats)
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Eating in homes with family and friends, face-to-face over large tables is customary.
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Hospitality and a warm welcome over shared foods and drinks are always appropriate.
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Norwegians eat three to four daily meals, the most substantial of which is a hot, evening dinner (middag) with family.
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Breakfast (frokost) and lunch (lunsj) are often light and cold.
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The fourth meal or supper (kveldsmat) is supplemental and smaller, enjoyed late at night, and often a simple sandwich or snack.
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Lutefisk
Frozen Pizza
Lefse
Now Let's Do Some Projects!
There are a lot of different ways to experience Norwegian culture in your own home. Consider trying one of the following project ideas!
Cooking
It is often said that food is a universal language. Why not try cooking some Norwegian dishes yourself? Make sure to ask for permission before using kitchen knives and the stovetop. These are great to make as a whole family!
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Lefse → A traditional flatbread.
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Krumkake → Common Sweet Dessert Dish.
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Kumla → Tender Potato Dumplings.
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Kransekake → a traditional Nordic dessert consisting of a number of concentric cake rings which are usually shaped into a large cone or a tower.
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Fiskesuppe → a popular Norwegian fish soup characterized by its creamy texture and buttery flavor.
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Sodd → Norway's national dish which usually consists of diced mutton, meatballs (made with beef, lamb or mutton), carrots, and potatoes served in a clear broth.
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Lutefisk → Dried white fish.
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Activities
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City Research
Choose a Norwegian city or village and learn about it. You can choose any city, such as the larger city, Oslo, or one of the many others along the coastline -- Hammerfest, Kirkenes, Bergen, etc. You can even find out if Wisconsin has any Norwegian sister cities (such as Madison - Oslo, La Crosse - Førde, Stoughton - Gjøvik, and more...). Can you find the answers to the following questions?
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Where is it located in Norway?
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City population?
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What are the main industries?
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Does it have any famous regional products?
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Is it known for a particular dish?
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Are there any local sports teams?
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What is their bunad design?
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Are there any local sites of interest?
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How do you think it might be different from your hometown?
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In what ways could it be similar to your hometown?
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Try using Google Maps street view to take a closer look! Have fun learning about a new locale, and maybe you can add it to your future travel list.
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Language
From an English-speaking American's point of view, Norwegian can seem like an incredibly challenging language to learn. However, it can be done! It requires some diligence and practice, but luckily we live in an age of vast resources. Free apps like Duolingo, websites like Babbel, and books from your local library (check your library's website or ask a librarian for help if you don't see a book on the shelves) are all wonderful places to start.
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Even if you don't see yourself becoming fluent in Norwegian, it is still rewarding and relatively easy to learn how to speak a few words. There are many great online tutorials for learning to speak. You can find them on Youtube or at Babbel mentioned above. Give it a shot, and see if you can learn to say some of the words below!
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Hi → Hei
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How are you? → Hvordan har du det?
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Where are you from? → Hvor er du fra?
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Food → Mat
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Morning → God Morgen
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Goodnight → God natt
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Where are you from? → Hvor er du fra?
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Please → Vær så snill
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Thank you → Takk skal du ha
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Goodbye → Ha det
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Goodbye, for now, → Farvel for nå
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You could even try to say your favorite phrase! What would you like to say in Norwegian?
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Thank You for joining us this week! Farvel for nå!
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Hopefully, you have learned a little bit more about life in Norway. It is a beautiful and complex country, and this module only scratches the surface.
