With Christmas comes the turning of the sun, and the promise of a new year. Enjoy these traditional and vintage Norwegian Christmas cards - 24 in all.
In this advent calendar of images, you will find 24 examples of how artists and photographers have interpreted the spirit of the Norwegian Christmas.
The nisse, one of the most familiar creatures of Scandinavian folklore, is a frequent guest in many of the pictures. It is a being with roots stretching far back into the depths of history, long before the introduction of Christianity, which took place around the turn of the second millennium AD.
1 December
The joyful spirit of Christmas. | Artist: Wilhelm Larsen – Damm nb.no cc pdm.
2 December
Christmas at Finse, Ulvik, Hordaland, Norway in 1913. | Photo: Anders Beer Wilse – Alex Vincent nb.no cc pdm.
3 December
Off to Christmas celebrations. | Artist: Wilhelm Larsen – Damm nb.no cc pdm.
4 December
Father brings home the Christmas tree. | Artist: Jenny Nystrøm – Mittet & Co. AS nb.no cc pdm.
5 December
Wedding celebrations at Christmas. | Artist: Wilhelm Larsen – Damm nb.no cc pdm.
6 December
Two nisse-men playing cards at Christmas. | Artist: Nils Bergslien – H. Abel nb.no cc pdm.
7 December
Norway at Christmas. | Photoartist unknown – Henriksen & Steen nb.no cc pdm.
8 December
After Christmas porridge and beer, it is time for a good nisse-sleep. | Artist: Julius Holck – Fredrikson, John, Bog & Kunstforlag nb.no cc pdm.
9 December
Christmas celebrations. | Artist: Othar Holmboe – J. H. Küenholdt A/S nb.no cc pdm.
10 December
A nisse and a pig – both wanting the Christmas apple. | Artist: Jenny Nystrøm – H. Abel nb.no cc pdm.
11 December
Christmas presents from afar. | Artist: Othar Holmboe – J. H. Küenholdt A/S nb.no cc pdm.
12 December
Two nisse-men wishing you a merry, merry Christmas. | Artist: Christian Magnus – Eberh. B. Oppi kunstforlag nb.no cc pdm.
13 December
Singing around the Christmas tree. | Artist: Othar Holmboe – J. H. Küenholdt A/S nb.no cc pdm.
14 December
Merry Christmas from Norway. | Artist unknown – nb.no cc pdm.
15 December
Bringing the Christmas porridge to the nisse-family in the barn. | Artist: Oscar Lærum – Fredrikson, John, Bog & Kunstforlag nb.no cc pdm.
16 December
Christmas play. | Artist: Gudmund Stenersen – Mittet & Co. AS nb.no cc pdm.
17 December
A good old Christmas nisse-party. | Artist: Thorvald Rasmussen – Mittet & Roloff nb.no cc pdm.
18 December
Christmas means extra food for everyone. | Artist: Gudmund Stenersen – Mittet & Co. AS nb.no cc pdm.
19 December
The barn-gnomes (nisse) are playing. | Artist: Halfdan Gran – Prospekt nb.no cc pdm.
20 December
Christmas greetings from a mountain farm. | Artist: Anders Beer Wilse – nb.no cc pdm.
21 December
A nisse in the cowshed. | Artist: Halfdan Gran – Prospekt nb.no cc pdm.
22 December
A nisse is getting a Christmas ride with a witch. | Artist: Gustav Lærum – Eberh. B. Oppi kunstforlag nb.no cc pdm.
23 December
Reading from the Bible at Christmas. | Artist: Jenny Nystrøm – Mittet & Co. AS nb.no cc pdm.
24 December
The nisse-family coming out from the barn to get their Christmas porridge. | Artist: Othar Holmboe – Damm cc pdm.
In the old farming society, nature dictated the flow of the working year. And farmworkers could only leave their jobs on 2 specific days during the year.
Whether it be on a rainy day – or a beautiful summer’s day like this one – the coastal paths take us through some pleasing stretches of Norwegian scenery.
When I was a boy, it was the workhorse that pulled the heaviest weight in agricultural life. And this had been the reality for as long as anyone could remember.
Klippfisk – or klipfish – is fish preserved through salting and drying. Since the early 1700s, the Norwegians have been large-scale klippfisk producers and exporters.
For thousands of years, milk from the domesticated animals has had a dominant position in the Norwegian diet. People used milk from the cow, the reindeer, the sheep and the goat.
Do you know the name of Norway’s capital city? Test yourself, friends, and family in this 10 multiple-choice questions quiz vol. 1. See the correct answer below each photo.
Oslo is the capital city of Norway. It was founded in AD 1048 by the Viking king Harald Hardråde. Historically, the city is also known as Christiania or Kristiania.
Bergen is Norway’s second-largest city and one of the country’s oldest urban locations. The first post-viking king, Olav Kyrre, gave it market-town-status around AD 1070.
