In recent years, among our compatriots, interest in the countries of Northern Europe has increased. Travel agents noted that demand for trips to Denmark and Norway increased by almost twenty percent. Which, however, is not surprising, given the ancient history and the unusual harsh beauty of the nature of these places. Each such trip brings a lot of impressions, incomparable with traveling to hot exotic countries. Given this interest, we dedicated our article to Norway. The history, culture and customs of this northern beauty are very interesting and unusual. You will learn about some of them today.
Culture of Norway: Formation
Those who have visited Norway at least once have remained forever in love with this northernmost of all European states. In this country, the traditions of the Vikings, the medieval customs of the various peoples of Europe and the life of simple peasant families, which later earned their living with blood, were mixed. We can say that the culture of Norway has become a kind of cocktail, which was formed over several centuries under the influence of different nationalities and historical periods. We will talk about this in the next section of the article.
Norwegian culture: briefly on the main
First of all, the Norwegians are associated in many people with the brave and ferocious Vikings, who were their ancestors. These people left an inheritance in the form of folklore, which reflects all their campaigns and exploits. Thanks to this, modern Norwegians have acquired such features as self-control, honesty, dignity and courage. They were extolled in legends and tales, eventually becoming part of the culture of Norway.
The difficult and harsh everyday life of the Norwegians, as well as long winter nights contributed to the desire of ordinary people to somehow decorate their life. Therefore, Norwegian culture is characterized by artistic crafts that are reflected in blacksmithing and jewelry, the manufacture of clothing and the construction of houses. All this represents the real cultural heritage of the country, which is now carefully protected and exhibited in museum displays.
It is impossible to talk about the culture and customs of Norway without mentioning the gastronomic preferences of the locals. Most of the dishes that are considered traditional (they are prepared by the Norwegians every day and on holidays) were invented in ancient times, when the diet was extremely poor, and it was very difficult to diversify it.
I would especially like to highlight literature in Norwegian culture. Initially, it was formed on the basis of Scandinavian poetry, and later received a new impetus for development in connection with the arrival of Christian priests in the northern lands. Now it is a rare alloy of literary works created under the influence of ancient Norwegian legends, Danish tales and philosophical texts of famous theologians.
Of course, in a nutshell it’s hard to talk about what Norway really is. We will tell you more about the culture and traditions of this harsh country in this article.
Handicrafts
Blacksmithing was a very revered occupation among Norwegians. Village masters competed in the ability to create real objects of art from iron, which were then passed down from generation to generation and became real guardians of the family hearth. The special pride of any home was knife cuttings, grips, boilers, and many other household items.
Incredibly beautiful products came out of the hands of Norwegian jewelers. Silver was valued the most, so it was precisely such jewelry that was stored in large numbers in every family. For example, a forged silver headdress was an indispensable wedding attribute. He was passed from mother to daughter and carefully kept, even the distressing situation in the family could not make a woman part with this thing.
Since the beginning of the eighteenth century, a special direction has emerged in the culture of the Norwegians - painting on wood. She began to decorate numerous household utensils, furniture and walls of houses. Now, such Norwegian cultural monuments are bought up by local residents by museum workers for a lot of money.
Construction
A feature of the culture of Norway can be considered structures made of wood. The architects were able to create unusual houses with a large number of outbuildings that looked like real settlements for several families. Such groups are called "proud", each can include up to twenty buildings. Today, there are few proud people in the country, so they are carefully guarded by the state.
It is interesting that the Norwegian apartment building with an average income reached three floors in height. The first one necessarily had a fireplace, a kitchen, an entrance hall and a living room. The rest were set aside for the bedrooms. For cooking in the summer, washing clothes and storing equipment, separate buildings were set up on tall wooden posts.
Most often, these buildings were painted in bright colors, which added variety to the gray peasant everyday life. Favorite shades were blue, green and red, combined with white cornices and platbands. Against the background of the usually gloomy Norwegian sky, such houses looked cheerful and bright.
Norwegian cuisine
As we already mentioned, the cuisine of the inhabitants of Norway was formed under the influence of many centuries of struggle for the crop. The harsh climate did not allow to harvest a good crop, often in the season it was not possible to get a sufficient amount of vegetables that would be enough for one family even for several autumn months. Therefore, almost all dishes were prepared from fish, milk and seafood.
The Norwegians have a special attitude to baking. It was quite difficult to grow bread in these places, so it is still customary to cook several flour dishes for many holidays. After all, before they were available only on rare holidays, when the whole large family gathered at one table.
The northern climate has caused almost all Norwegian food to be very heavy for the stomach. Otherwise, the body will not be enough calories during the long and cold winters. Most often, meat dried and stewed in butter was prepared. Hard varieties of cheeses, especially goats, were also popular among peasants and wealthy Norwegians. Naturally, every day, fish was cooked in different ways - stewed, boiled, dried, smoked, fried, and even in the form of a creamy soup. Until now, most Norwegian dishes are based on the diet of their ancestors.
Norwegians and nature
It is interesting how closely the modern habits of the inhabitants of the country are associated with ancient beliefs and customs. Everyone who visited Norway noticed that all kinds of sports and outdoor games are very popular among the population. It seems that every Norwegian after the weekend seeks to share with his colleagues stories about how much time he spent in nature. Want to know what this is connected with?
Everything is simple. Every day, the Norwegians fought with the vagaries of nature. They were forced to offer her sacrifices in the form of sweat and health in order to get their meager harvest, and the northern nature of the climate forced them to defend themselves from various disasters all the time. This gave rise to an incredible respect for nature, it was perceived as a kind of deity with whom it was necessary to maintain constant contact.
This reverence turned into a necessity, and later the desire to often be outdoors. By the way, it is worth saying that today the Norwegians are considered one of the healthiest nations in Europe.
Art of Norway
Literature is a serious passion for Norwegians. Many of the inhabitants of the country can recite the works of famous poets by heart, and almost every Norwegian will gladly share with you the ancient legends and legends of his people. This folklore is collected by ethnographers and is considered the property of Norway. The fact that three descendants of the Vikings became winners of the Nobel Prize can tell about the significance of literature for the country.
Residents of the country are very drawn to music in all its manifestations - from folk motifs to frequently held jazz festivals. Many Norwegians play violin and guitar very well. Among the composers, Edward Grieg, whose works are very close to the people of Norway, is most loved.
Religion
Religious beliefs are considered part of the culture of any country, so in our article we could not get around this topic. According to official figures, more than eighty-nine percent of Norwegians are Lutherans. But in reality, the situation looks a little different.
Initially, the Norwegians classified themselves as pagans, they created a fairly understandable pantheon of gods, which is the basis of German-Scandinavian mythology. These deities were stern, fair and desperately brave, like the Vikings themselves who gave birth to them. But Christian priests who came to the country began to actively plant their religion among local residents, eventually displacing the familiar cult of Odin. But in fact, most of the converts remained pagans in their hearts, which can be traced to our days.
Many modern traditions are rooted in those days when the ancestors of the Norwegians worshiped the ancient gods. For example, still unmarried women wear a small Torah hammer made of silver around their neck. It is believed that he protects their beauty and health, as well as attracts a fiancée.
