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LIFE IN NORWAY

Ten aspects of Norwegian culture foreigners need to embrace

Agnes Erickson sets out 10 Norwegian customs and cultural habits that you might want to adopt.

Ten aspects of Norwegian culture foreigners need to embrace
Photo: Simon Williams on Unsplash

Love of nature

Simply put, the rumour you’ve heard about Norwegians being in love with nature is absolutely true. Of course that doesn’t mean everyone, but enough to confidently state that if you are living in Norway, it would be beneficial to find one or more outdoor activities you enjoy.  Norwegians have adopted an expression, friluftsliv, meaning outdoor life, and it comes up a lot. There are even preschools around the country that have ensure children spend 90percent of their time outdoors. Yes, even during the winter time with below zero temperatures. A Norwegian’s love for the outdoors starts young, and their appreciation for nature arguably keeps growing throughout adulthood.

Children as front and center 

Tough love isn’t a popular term here in Norway when it comes to raising children. In fact, you could say that children are put on a bit of a pedestal. The signs are everywhere. Work-family life balance became a strong part of Norwegian society when more mothers began to enter the workforce. The government gives parents monthly stipends per child in an effort to make sure their kids have the necessities. Full time childcare is affordable, averaging around 3,000 kroner a month, or 350 US dollars per child. Medical care is extremely inexpensive and you don’t have to start scrimping and saving for their college funds if they choose to attend a university in Norway. Even Prime Minister Erna Solberg went public in 2018 and asked Norwegians to have more children.

Quiet in public places 

You might have already noticed or will quickly notice after arriving in Norway that Norwegian society as a whole is on the quieter side. They speak in hushed tones on subways, buses, and on the street . With bars being the exception to the rule, it’s not very often you will hear a Norwegian being loud in a public space. 

“I was visiting my sister for a week in Oslo and she kept telling me to keep it down on the subway,” says Annie Andersson, 27. “It was confusing. At home in the States, it feels like no one cares if they are overheard on the streets or in a bus. It’s like everyone in Oslo knew to immediately lower their voice or stop talking when they stepped out into the streets.”

It’s no secret that Norwegians like their serenity. Perhaps it’s all that time they spend roaming the mountains. Whatever the case, if you’re looking to adopt a few pieces of their culture in an effort to blend in, this one would be a great start.

Traditional eating habits…it’s not all about the fish

Traditional meals in Norway are not all about the boiled cod, and lutefisk. In fact, they have adopted some more international flavours as a part of their weekly menu. If you ever hear someone mentioning taco fredag, or taco Friday, it is a well known expression used to tell others they are going to eat tacos on Friday evenings. Just how popular is this newer tradition? According to one survey, 12.6 percent of Norwegians choose this Mexican inspired dish to kick off their weekends. Though tacos on Fridays do have a bit of competition with pizza. In 2017, 13,5 percent of Norwegians reported eating pizza for dinner on Fridays making it (just barely) the most popular Friday evening meal.

A lot of grocery stores have taken notice and for their customers convenience made their own “taco sections” in a specific aisle containing most of the ingredients you would need to make a Norwegian-style taco. Pizzas are often homemade or ordered as take-away from a restaurant. 

Waiting all week to eat candy or desserts on Saturdays is surprisingly still a tradition in Norway: lørdagsgodt, or Saturday’s candy. Of course, there are exceptions like celebrating a birthday at the preschool where children will be allowed to eat cake or popsicles in the middle of the week (although some preschools request that parents bring fruit instead). Yes, this old school tradition of waiting until the weekend to indulge in desserts and sweets is mostly for kids, but a lot of adults still choose to follow this rule as well. 

Other popular eating habits include kjøttfri mandager, meat-free Mondays, and fisketirsdager, fish Tuesdays. 

The dugnad

Sure, people groan when they see an email inviting them to their neighbourhood dugnad. But the idea is to contribute and work together, and participation percentages are normally high.The dugnad is unpaid communal work that gathers people to do different tasks in an effort to accomplish the same goal. A dugnad can be done on both small and large scales. Neighbourhoods, apartment buildings, and schools around Norway will likely host a dugnad once a year, and ask residents to help out with manual labor in an effort to clean up common areas. Typical tasks at a dugnad would be painting, raking leaves, sweeping, planting flowers, or cleaning out gutters. 

On a larger scale, you might have heard the word recently in the news. At the beginning of the pandemic, Prime Minister Erna Solberg asked everyone living in Norway to contribute to a national dugnad by staying at home and social distancing. 

Janteloven

Putting it simply, Janteloven is a belief about society Norwegians (and most other Scandinavian countries) have. It is an understanding that you put society before the individual and not boast about personal gain. It would explain why multi-millionaires in this country often own just one sensible looking vehicle and park it outside of their humble looking houses. A lot of Norwegians aren’t flashy with their success in this country, and that is largely due to Janteloven

Work hierarchy 

A boss’s relationship to his or her employees in Norway might surprise you. Typically, work culture is considered a flat structure, making those higher in the chain of command harder to spot. Head teachers in schools are called by their first name and generally wear the same types of clothes the teachers wear. There is a lack of formality here that can often catch a foreigner off guard. Employees are encouraged to speak up and share their ideas or problems they are facing with their work with both their colleagues and superiors.

Work-life balance is heavily promoted, so if you need to leave early to pick up your child from school, or for a personal appointment, most places of work are incredibly flexible and will allow you to do this with no issue. 

Vorspiel/Nachspiel 

Vorspiel is a Norwegian (originally German) word for ‘pre-party’ and Nachspiel means ‘after-party’. Norwegians love a good gathering. And they have managed to normalise a way in their culture to both start them early, and keep them going after the original event. It is very common for a Norwegian to host a Vorspiel in their home for friends they were planning on meeting in the city later that same evening. It’s typically a laid back affair with drinks and good conversation. Then the gathering in the city takes place and suddenly they are planning an after-party with the same group and a few others. It’s not considered rude to turn down a pre-party invitation. Nor is it expected for you to join the after-party. 

A lot of the times there will be an event invite sent out and a person will respond that while they may not make it to the main event, they would love to come to the Vorspiel or Nachspiel if they happen to take place. Both are considered to be more spontaneous gatherings with very little or zero planning beforehand.  

The 17th of May

And speaking of parties, the 17th of May, or “National Day” is likely a day where you will find the biggest one you’ve come across since moving to Norway. Norwegians love their country. Most are in agreement that they hit the ultimate jackpot by discovering oil offshores in 1969 and are incredibly proud of the way the government has created a safe and flourishing economy with these extra funds. If you are in doubt then just ask a local. The 17th of May is a time when residents share their highest gratitude towards living in a country like Norway. Bunads, the traditional ceremonial costumes are worn by many. Both small towns and big cities host parades the children can walk in while playing in the corps or singing the national anthem. Ice cream and hot dogs are consumed by the kilo and residents traditionally start their days with champagne breakfasts. 

Cabin life

Owning or visiting a cabin multiple times throughout the year is very common in Norway. The history of staying in a cabin goes deep into Norwegian culture of loving nature. Many families built cabins along the sea, or in the mountains, to visit with their families back in the day when international travel was only for the wealthy. ‘Escaping’ to a cabin is now a preferred activity during weekends and on public holidays. It’s quite common to get stuck in a large amount of traffic early on Friday afternoons as many residents are leaving work as soon as possible to get to their cabins in good time. 

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For members

OSLO

Everything you need to know about Oslo’s public transport network

Buses, trams, ferries and a metro system all make up Oslo's public transport system. Here's what you need to know to get about the Norwegian capital.

Everything you need to know about Oslo's public transport network

Being the Norwegian capital, it’s no surprise that Oslo has a robust public transport network. You can use a public transport ticket for everything from ferries and buses to trams and trains.

One company, Ruter, handles public transport for the city and the surrounding Akershus area.

Thankfully, you’ll only need a single app or travel card to get around the city. This applies to the different forms of public transport, too. You can go from a bus to a tram to a ferry without having to use a different app or purchase a different kind of ticket.

The Ruter app is the only place to buy tickets digitally, and it is available in English. This app also has integrated map features so you can find the best way to get where you need to be and what zones your ticket will cover.

When it comes to the zones themselves, there are five. The cost of a ticket increases as you travel across zones. However, the main thing to know is that zone one covers the entirety of Oslo itself, and the other zones extend into the surrounding areas of Oslo.

Furthermore, some sections of the public transport network, such as the metro, only operate in zone one, so you don’t need to worry when buying tickets.

Tickets

Ruter offers tickets for single journeys, 24 hours, a week, 30 days, or a year. For those commuting inside and out of Oslo, you can add additional zones to the ticket.

The single ticket currently costs 42 kroner for an adult travelling in one zone . There is a flexible scheme currently in place which makes single tickets cheaper the more frequently you buy them.

This discount resets every 30 days. There are also discounts for children, pensioners, and those in the Norwegian Armed Forces.

A single ticket is valid for 60 minutes and allows unlimited transfers. The ticket duration is extended for every extra zone one travels through. For example, this is handy if you are taking a regional train from the airport to the city centre.

Meanwhile, a 24-hour ticket costs 127 kroner, a monthly ticket is 897 kroner (but will soon be reduced), and an annual ticket is 8,996 kroner. The longer the duration of the ticket, the more money you will save.

Those caught travelling without a ticket will typically be fined 1,470 kroner, or 1,200 kroner if the fine is paid on the spot.

The different transport options

There are two kinds of buses in Oslo: the red ones that operate solely in the city and the green ones that shuttle people in and out of the greater Oslo region.

You can get on the red buses at any of the doors, and some of the green ones need you to show your ticket at the front door.

Buses don’t operate 24/7. However, some of the most important routes will have a nighttime schedule.

There are also six tram lines in Oslo, with around 99 stops and 130,000 daily passengers. The trams are suitable for those with mobility issues as the doors open at pavement level. Most lines remain within Oslo, but line 13 ends in Bekkestua in Bærum, one of the municipalities that borders Oslo.

Oslo’s metro, or T-bane, is popular with both commuters and leisure travellers. There are five metro lines, and all lines converge in the city centre via a shared tunnel. The metro line is particularly good at connecting the city to its forested areas, with plenty of hikes and trails branching off from metro stops.

Passenger ferries connect the city to the islands in the Oslofjord. These ferries are a stone’s throw from Oslo town hall at Aker Brygge. There are also commuter ferries connecting Oslo and towns like Nessoden and Drøbak.

Several commuter train lines exist in Norway. In recent years, these have been plagued by punctuality issues.

Regional trains in Norway carry the R designation (the R11, for example), and you can use Ruter tickets for this. An example is using a Ruter ticket to take the cheaper regional trains from the airport to Oslo rather than the express service.

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