Norway: Facts & Stats

CULTURE

Traditions:

Norwegians have an egalitarian outlook. The concept of Jante Law is in many areas and fields still today strong in Norway. Any form of elitism is likely to meet strong criticism. Norwegians generally express themselves in very modest terms, especially when it comes to compliments and praises. They are "scrupulous about honesty in communication, often to the point of pointing out the negatives in their own proposals in greater detail than the positives."

There is a strong drive for more individualist values. During the 20th century, these have taken over from the more collectivist tradition. Notably there is very strong support for tolerance toward same-sex relationships compared to most European countries, and Norwegians are often thought of (and most Norwegians think of their country) as a country with little xenophobia.

The combination of embracing capitalist values and the Norwegian agrarian modesty has produced an atmosphere that encourages hard work and honesty. Norway generally has low corruption.

Environmentalism and animal protection are important values in Norway.

Celebrations:

Norwegians celebrate their national day on May 17, dedicated to the Constitution of Norway. Many people wear bunad (traditional costumes) and most participate in or watch the Norwegian Constitution Day parade that day, consisting mostly of children, through the cities and towns. The national romanticist author Henrik Wergeland was the founder of the 17 May parade.

Common Christian holidays are also celebrated, the most important being Christmas (called Jul in Norway after the pagan and early Viking winter solstice) and Easter (Påske).

Jonsok (St. John's Passing), or St. Hans (St. John's Day), i.e. 24 June, is also a commonly revered holiday. It marks midsummer and the beginning of summer vacation, and is often celebrated by lighting bonfires the evening before.

Alcohol:

You must be at least 18 years old to purchase beer/wine and 20 years old to purchase spirits (alcohol levels of 22% and above) in Norway.

Technically, drinking in public is prohibited. This law is very strict, and even encompasses your own balcony, if other people can see you. Luckily, the law is very seldom enforced (I've never heard of anyone being fined in their own balcony, for instance), and Norwegians indeed do drink in parks.

In Norway, all alcohol with a volume percentage of under 4,75% can be sold at regular shops. This means you can get decent beer all over the place. The price varies, but imported beer is usually expensive (except Danish/Dutch beers brewed in Norway on licence like Heineken and Carlsberg). Shopping hours for beer are very strict: The sale stops at 8PM (20.00) every weekday, and at 6PM (18.00) every day before holidays (incl Sundays). Since the sale is decided in the local council, it may vary, but this is the latest times decided by law. This means the beer will have to be PAID before this time. If it's not paid, the person behind the counter will take your beer, and tell you "Sorry pal, too late!". On Sunday, you can't buy alcohol anywhere except bars/pubs/restaurants.

Sports and Hobbies:

In most parts of Norway there is no shortage of ice during winter - and ice skating is a quite popular activity. Ice skating was originally a means of transportation for the Scandinavians, who have been using skates for over 1000 years - but by the 18th century ice skating was also considered a sport and recreational activity.

Norway is known as the cradle of skiing - a rock carving depicting a skier, found on the island of Rødøy in the north of Norway, shows that skis were used here as far back as 4000 years ago. "Ski" is actually a Norwegian word, meaning "a split piece of wood" - and (many) Norwegians claim they were born with skis on.

Norway's fjords are a paradise for fishing fans. The long rivers with a good salmon resources, but also other types of fish are to be found in the northern part of the country.The fjord lakes located on the fjord arms and valleys are offering good opportunities for inland fishing and also good stocks of trout and char.

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