Christmas time in Norway

Norway is a small country with many different Christmas traditions in various parts of the country.

The food and eating habits are mostly connected to where you grow up and live; at the coast, up north, down south, inland or in the cities.
However, people are moving around, connect to other families and take their traditions with them or adopt to new through these migrations.

We live in Oslo, are perhaps more urban than average people, but when it is time for the holiday preparation, we more or less follow "Norwegian standards". We visit the Christmas market, enjoy the lighting in the streets and eat traditional Christmas dishes.

Most people participate in at least one "julebord" (as a brunch or as dinner) This photo shows the  brunch that was served at restaurant DS Louise and had all the Christmas dishes as a buffet.
Roasted pork ribs
Dried mutton ribs
Lye-fish
Fermented trout
Marinated Salmon
etc.

On the four Sundays before Christmas the Advent lights are lightened one by one and together with the red tulips and the Christmas table cloth every home (like ours) are prepared for the great holiday.

Then back to the food:

 Lye-fish from Cod (Lutefisk) is served with green mushy pea, potatoes and bacon butter. Pepper and Mustard, Beer and Aquavit. Lovely.

 Rakfisk (fermented trout) in Lefse (a traditional soft Norwegian flatbread) with Leak, Sour Cream and Beetroot. Beer and Aquavit. Great for special interested.

Simmered Nordic Cod with potatoes and carrot and melted butter. Red wine to cod of course.

 Pinnekjøtt (Dried mutton ribs) have during the last years been more and more popular in the cities. For me, borne at the north west coast of Norway, it has been my family´s traditional Christmas dinner in generations
It is served with grove spicy sausages, mushy sweeds (Kålrabi) and potatoes. Beer and Aquevit or a great Riesling.

Ribbe (steamed pork ribs) is more used in the eastern part of Norway but due to migration you can also be served this dich in families all over the country. Served with red cabbage or souerkraut, grove meat balls, sousages and potatoes. Beer and Aquavit, a great Riesling or full bodied red wine.

I do not like the cold winter, but for Christmas we all hope for the white snow falling down.

This photo is taken from our apartment windows, and I must admit that it looks beautiful

Then it is time to dress up before the great evening and family dinner, and maybe it looks a bit formal, but we like to celebrate this evening with style.

When it is time for the opening of the gifts, everybody gather around the Christmas tree. In our famliy with no Santa, every gift is unpacked one by one under the control of all guests. This image show the exsitement of the children when their mother open their gift to her. Will she be surprised, will she like it, or .... A mother is always a mother, so hugs are distributed.

Happy Holiday from Norway to all my blogger friends around the world.