Norwegian Culture: 9 Fascinating Customs & Traditions
The quirks and charms of the culture of Norway are born from various sources: the land’s extreme geography (saw-toothed mountains, plunging fjords, long winters) as well as the past, particularly the Viking Age. Then there’s the Sami, the indigenous reindeer herders of the Arctic Circle, whose ancient culture has helped shape the culture of Norway as a whole.
The country can seem obsessed with its extraordinary past: the traditional dress, the fish fermented Viking-style, even the Norwegians living as actual Vikings in a village near Gervangen. But when you learn that Norwegians are also obsessed with taco trucks, you’ll understand that this is a complex culture much like any other, with an awareness of their rich cultural heritage balanced by an appealing openness to new things.
1: Norwegians Eat Pickled Herring for Breakfast
On a map, it’s Norway’s extraordinary wrinkled coastline, like a fan of old kelp, that makes the country instantly identifiable. Its relationship with the sea—from Viking longships to modern trawlers and the tiny seaside communities dotting its coastline—ensures that fish often takes center stage in Norwegian cuisine. At breakfast, that spotlight is shone upon the pickled herring.
If you had visited Norway in the 1800s, breakfast might have consisted of a bowl of porridge topped with a scattering of salted herring in place of raisins. The Norwegians have had such a long relationship with this particular fish that it’s even mentioned in the 13th-century Kings’ Saga manuscript. The export of herring in the 19th century was a major contributing factor in helping Norway evolve into a leading capitalist economy.
Viewed as an “everyday fish” in Norway, herring is often salted and pickled at home. With long, hard winters a way of life in a country that nudges into the Arctic Circle, pickling and other preservation methods are a tangy and delicious component of Norwegian culture. The pickling mix is typically sweet and sour, and the resultant strips of herring juicy and zesty in flavor.
At the sit-down breakfasts typical of Norwegian homes, the mason jar of herring will often be flanked by smoked salmon, caviar in a tube, and the block of beloved Brunost (brown cheese).
2: Norway is Home to One of Europe’s Oldest Musical Traditions
The Sami are Europe’s only indigenous people. Hardy survivors, they’ve herded reindeer within the Arctic Circle for thousands of years. In their culture, it’s not surprising to find children as young as six helping to control the huge, free-roaming herds.
Today, the Sami are both citizens of Norway and a separate people, with self-administration in Finnmark county and a parliament in their capital of Karasjok. Of the 50,000-strong population, only around 4% still actively pursue the herding way of life. Traditional yoiks, however, are a flourishing part of modern Sami and Norwegian culture. Read More…
