It's Syttende Mai, and that means that Sons of Norway communities throughout North America and Norway are waving their Norwegian flags, hosting parades, church services and all manner of celebrations to commemorate Norway's constitution day.
This is a great day of unity and celebration for Norway, so please join me and all of Sons of Norway in saying Hurrah for Syttende Mai!
Showing posts with label Holidays. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Holidays. Show all posts
Tuesday, May 17, 2011
Friday, December 24, 2010
Getting into the spirit of Christmas!
In anticipation of all the festivities throughout the weekend, I give you two great videos to help get you in the spirit.
First is a video of Sissel Kjyrkebø singing "Hark the Herald Angels Sing" with the Mormon Tabernacle Choir.
Next is a video of Rick Steves' Christmas in Europe series, highlighting Christmas in Norway. Specifically in Drobak, Norway. Enjoy!
First is a video of Sissel Kjyrkebø singing "Hark the Herald Angels Sing" with the Mormon Tabernacle Choir.
Next is a video of Rick Steves' Christmas in Europe series, highlighting Christmas in Norway. Specifically in Drobak, Norway. Enjoy!
Tuesday, December 1, 2009
24 days til Christmas!
Greetings everyone! I hope you all survived the Thanksgiving holiday and family celebrations unscathed! With November out of the way, I'm willing to bet that lots of you have started putting up your Christmas decorations (shame on those of you who started before Thanksgiving!) at home. Well in celebration of the season, I want to point you to the My Little Norway blog. They have a great post about Christmas in Norway, which I think everyone ought to read!
Monday, May 25, 2009
Lodges in the News
It looks like this year's Syttende Mai celebrations were especially successful. There were parades, lodge events and special meals enjoyed by communities throughout the North American and Norway. Congratulations to everyone who hosted a Syttende Mai event this year!
As a little recap I've found some news stories about Sons of Norway lodges and their Syttende Mai celebrations that are great examples for other lodges who are thinking of hosting their own in the future.
Here's one about Nordkap lodge in Detroit, MI.
This one comes from Løven lodge in Eau Claire, WI.
And here is a photo album of images from the Petersburg, AK lodge's celebration.
As a little recap I've found some news stories about Sons of Norway lodges and their Syttende Mai celebrations that are great examples for other lodges who are thinking of hosting their own in the future.
Here's one about Nordkap lodge in Detroit, MI.
This one comes from Løven lodge in Eau Claire, WI.
And here is a photo album of images from the Petersburg, AK lodge's celebration.
Thursday, May 21, 2009
Syttende Mai in Brooklyn!
Today we have the promised post from our own Nichole who was on hand for the Syttende Mai celebration in New York this past weekend. Enjoy!
Ah, it seemed a cool day when setting out for Bay Ridge, Brooklyn, but once taking in the sights there, I forgot all about the weather! For just over two hours in the afternoon, hundreds of Norwegians (and those with Norwegian leanings), took to the streets to celebrate Norwegian Independence with a fantastic parade.
Cheers of “Hurra, hurra for Syttende Mai!” broke out spontaneously on the street with some frequency, with smiling bystanders joining in the fun and festivities. Tons of Norwegian flags lined the streets, waving at the marchers and parade participants. Even street vendors seemed to get in the spirit.
These are a few of my favorite photos from Sunday’s celebrations.
The modern and the traditional:
Representing District 3 with, um, zeal, Roy Berntsen:
And, who knew the Scots were so supportive of Norwegian Independence? This is one of the two(!) bagpipe ensembles marching for Syttende Mai.
It was great to see so many of our international officers and District 3 officers and lodge members. Check back on the blog later this week and next for some video of this great event, as well some lovely photos of the Sons of Norway youth contribution to Syttende Mai Brooklyn!
Ah, it seemed a cool day when setting out for Bay Ridge, Brooklyn, but once taking in the sights there, I forgot all about the weather! For just over two hours in the afternoon, hundreds of Norwegians (and those with Norwegian leanings), took to the streets to celebrate Norwegian Independence with a fantastic parade.Cheers of “Hurra, hurra for Syttende Mai!” broke out spontaneously on the street with some frequency, with smiling bystanders joining in the fun and festivities. Tons of Norwegian flags lined the streets, waving at the marchers and parade participants. Even street vendors seemed to get in the spirit.
The modern and the traditional:
Representing District 3 with, um, zeal, Roy Berntsen:
And, who knew the Scots were so supportive of Norwegian Independence? This is one of the two(!) bagpipe ensembles marching for Syttende Mai.
It was great to see so many of our international officers and District 3 officers and lodge members. Check back on the blog later this week and next for some video of this great event, as well some lovely photos of the Sons of Norway youth contribution to Syttende Mai Brooklyn!
Wednesday, December 31, 2008
Happy New Year!!!!!
I already know what you are thinking. You're looking at the clock and saying to yourself "What? It's not the New Year yet!"
Well, that's all a matter of geography. It's 5 p.m. here in Minnesota, which means that it's now midnight in Norway. Right now people across Norway are celebrating with their families and friends, hosting parties, out dancing or sharing a quiet night with loved ones. Well, to be accurate, they were doing those things a few minutes ago. Now most everyone is probably outside watching the fireworks.
So, with that, on behalf of everyone here, I wish our Norwegian readers and members an exuberant HAPPY NEW YEAR!
Well, that's all a matter of geography. It's 5 p.m. here in Minnesota, which means that it's now midnight in Norway. Right now people across Norway are celebrating with their families and friends, hosting parties, out dancing or sharing a quiet night with loved ones. Well, to be accurate, they were doing those things a few minutes ago. Now most everyone is probably outside watching the fireworks.
So, with that, on behalf of everyone here, I wish our Norwegian readers and members an exuberant HAPPY NEW YEAR!
An updated Gløgg Recipe for your New Year's Eve Party
In preparations for tonight's New Year festivities our Cultural Advisor, Colin Thomsen, has a great gløgg recipe for you. We've been enjoying it, here at the headquarters, for many years now and we figure there's no reason to keep it a secret. Making gløgg is not only fun, but it's a great way to spend time with others, sharing stories and celebrating Norwegian culture.
Here's what Colin had to say about gløgg:
This recipe for gløgg, Scandinavian mulled wine, comes from a 1968 Time-Life cookbook called The Cooking of Scandinavia. We’re not sure if their intent was to entice or to frighten. The cover features a glass of akevitt next to what looks like a ten gallon jar of pickled herring. The recipe, entitled “Professörens Glögg (The Professor’s Glögg)” is identified as being specifically Swedish, although we have no idea why. Swedish, Norwegian or whatever, this gløgg is the best we’ve had. Here is the original recipe and instructions, followed by our own commentary and notes on preparation.
Professørens gløgg
Adapted from Recipes: The Cooking of Scandinavia. Time-Life Books. New York, 1968
To serve 20-25
2 quarts dry red wine (about 2 standard 750 mL bottles)
2 quarts muscatel (or muscato)
1 pint sweet vermouth
2 tablespoons Angostura bitters
2 cups raisins
Peelings of 1 orange
12 whole cardamoms, bruised in a mortar with a pestle or by covering with a towel and crushing with a rolling pin
10 whole cloves
1 piece (about 2 inches) of fresh ginger
1 stick cinnamon
1 ½ cups akevitt (preferably Linie)
1 ½ cups sugar
2 cups whole almonds, blanched and peeled
In a 6- to 8-quart enameled or stainless steel pot, mix together the dry red wine, muscatel, sweet vermouth, bitters, raisins, orange peel and the slightly crushed cardamoms, whole cloves, ginger and cinnamon. Cover and let the mixture stand at least 12 hours so that the flavors will develop and mingle. Shortly before serving, add the akevitt and the sugar. Stir well and bring it to a full boil over high heat. Remove at once from the heat, stir in the almonds and serve the hot gløgg in mugs. In Sweden, a small spoon is placed in each mug to scoop up the almonds and raisins.
ALTERNATE: To make a simpler gløgg, divide the quantities of spices in half and mix them with 2 bottles of dry red wine. Leave it overnight, then stir in ¾ cup of sugar and bring it almost to a boil. Remove from the heat, stir in 1 cup of whole, blanched and peeled almonds, and serve hot.
Those are the original ingredients and instructions. Before making gløgg, read our commentary below.
COMMENTARY 2008:
Forty years after this recipe was published, it holds up pretty well. Still, times have changed and moreover through experimentation we have made a number of adjustments and changes of our own.
First off, until this year, we had never made this gløgg the night before it was meant to be served. Frankly, we had never remembered. Every year we would take out the cookbook the day of the big Christmas party and realize we’d blown it yet again. However, we were never disappointed either. Having said that, this year, we did manage to throw the spices in the wine the night before and the result was even more delicious. So, if you’re organized enough to get it together a whole day ahead of time, by all means do so, but if you’re not, don’t let it stop you.
Secondly, muscatel per se can be difficult to find. Strictly speaking, muscatel is a sweet white dessert wine that is derived only from Muscat of Alexandria grapes. We have never been able to find muscatel in our area (Minneapolis/St. Paul) although we were able to find it online, with prices ranging from about $6 to almost $70. However, muscato – derived from the same family of grapes – is widely (and cheaply) available and works great. If you really want to go for higher quality but can’t find a nice muscatel, I’m sure Lillet Blanc would be just fine. We have always used Linie Aquavit which compliments the spices nicely, but the Oslo brand would probably be good as well.
Another point is that we do not recommend simply chucking all the spices into the pot loose. In our experience people do not like finding whole cloves in their cups (or their teeth). Instead, we put the orange peel, the ginger and all of the spices - with the exception of the cinnamon stick - in a piece of cheesecloth, tie that off with a piece of string and toss the whole thing in with the wine at the very beginning, then take it out at the last second before serving. The cinnamon stick (or sticks – you can never have too much fresh cinnamon in there) we leave out to get a better flavor and also for fear they will puncture the cheesecloth. A side note: don’t try to substitute ground spices for the whole ones. We tried this the first time we made it, in order to save a few bucks, and the result was a gritty, chewy gløgg that had the body of coffee dregs. Shell out the extra $2 and buy the whole spices, or you’ll be sorry.
Finally – and most importantly – we never allow the gløgg to boil. We don’t know what “the Professor” was supposed to be a professor of, but it sure wasn’t chemistry. Alcohol boils at a lower temperature than water so bringing the gløgg to a boil even for a short time can severely deplete its psychoactive properties. We use a liquid thermometer and are careful to keep the mixture below 78°C (173°F), the point at which alcohol boils.
In a nutshell, our preparation is to simply start by mixing the red wine, the muscato, and the spices in the pot over low heat. Once this mixture has warmed up a little, add the akevitt and the vermouth to taste - generally, we use a little less vermouth and a little more akevitt than the recipe calls for. As the drink heats up, we gradually add the sugar, stirring regularly so that the sugar dissolves completely. Once that’s done, add the raisins and almonds. Then add the bitters, one tablespoon at a time, tasting after stirring in the first one. If it doesn’t need the second tablespoon of bitters, don’t add it.
The whole process will take a couple of hours. Don’t try to multitask when you’re making gløgg. You’re going to need every ounce of your steadily diminishing concentration to keep the stuff from boiling. It should be served warm, in small cups, and make sure everyone gets some raisins and almonds in their cup. Some people will complain about this, but after a cup or two, they’ll realize it’s the best gløgg they’ve ever had.
Skål!
Here's what Colin had to say about gløgg:
This recipe for gløgg, Scandinavian mulled wine, comes from a 1968 Time-Life cookbook called The Cooking of Scandinavia. We’re not sure if their intent was to entice or to frighten. The cover features a glass of akevitt next to what looks like a ten gallon jar of pickled herring. The recipe, entitled “Professörens Glögg (The Professor’s Glögg)” is identified as being specifically Swedish, although we have no idea why. Swedish, Norwegian or whatever, this gløgg is the best we’ve had. Here is the original recipe and instructions, followed by our own commentary and notes on preparation.
Professørens gløgg
Adapted from Recipes: The Cooking of Scandinavia. Time-Life Books. New York, 1968
To serve 20-25
2 quarts dry red wine (about 2 standard 750 mL bottles)
2 quarts muscatel (or muscato)
1 pint sweet vermouth
2 tablespoons Angostura bitters
2 cups raisins
Peelings of 1 orange
12 whole cardamoms, bruised in a mortar with a pestle or by covering with a towel and crushing with a rolling pin
10 whole cloves
1 piece (about 2 inches) of fresh ginger
1 stick cinnamon
1 ½ cups akevitt (preferably Linie)
1 ½ cups sugar
2 cups whole almonds, blanched and peeled
In a 6- to 8-quart enameled or stainless steel pot, mix together the dry red wine, muscatel, sweet vermouth, bitters, raisins, orange peel and the slightly crushed cardamoms, whole cloves, ginger and cinnamon. Cover and let the mixture stand at least 12 hours so that the flavors will develop and mingle. Shortly before serving, add the akevitt and the sugar. Stir well and bring it to a full boil over high heat. Remove at once from the heat, stir in the almonds and serve the hot gløgg in mugs. In Sweden, a small spoon is placed in each mug to scoop up the almonds and raisins.
ALTERNATE: To make a simpler gløgg, divide the quantities of spices in half and mix them with 2 bottles of dry red wine. Leave it overnight, then stir in ¾ cup of sugar and bring it almost to a boil. Remove from the heat, stir in 1 cup of whole, blanched and peeled almonds, and serve hot.
Those are the original ingredients and instructions. Before making gløgg, read our commentary below.
COMMENTARY 2008:
Forty years after this recipe was published, it holds up pretty well. Still, times have changed and moreover through experimentation we have made a number of adjustments and changes of our own.
First off, until this year, we had never made this gløgg the night before it was meant to be served. Frankly, we had never remembered. Every year we would take out the cookbook the day of the big Christmas party and realize we’d blown it yet again. However, we were never disappointed either. Having said that, this year, we did manage to throw the spices in the wine the night before and the result was even more delicious. So, if you’re organized enough to get it together a whole day ahead of time, by all means do so, but if you’re not, don’t let it stop you.
Secondly, muscatel per se can be difficult to find. Strictly speaking, muscatel is a sweet white dessert wine that is derived only from Muscat of Alexandria grapes. We have never been able to find muscatel in our area (Minneapolis/St. Paul) although we were able to find it online, with prices ranging from about $6 to almost $70. However, muscato – derived from the same family of grapes – is widely (and cheaply) available and works great. If you really want to go for higher quality but can’t find a nice muscatel, I’m sure Lillet Blanc would be just fine. We have always used Linie Aquavit which compliments the spices nicely, but the Oslo brand would probably be good as well.
Another point is that we do not recommend simply chucking all the spices into the pot loose. In our experience people do not like finding whole cloves in their cups (or their teeth). Instead, we put the orange peel, the ginger and all of the spices - with the exception of the cinnamon stick - in a piece of cheesecloth, tie that off with a piece of string and toss the whole thing in with the wine at the very beginning, then take it out at the last second before serving. The cinnamon stick (or sticks – you can never have too much fresh cinnamon in there) we leave out to get a better flavor and also for fear they will puncture the cheesecloth. A side note: don’t try to substitute ground spices for the whole ones. We tried this the first time we made it, in order to save a few bucks, and the result was a gritty, chewy gløgg that had the body of coffee dregs. Shell out the extra $2 and buy the whole spices, or you’ll be sorry.
Finally – and most importantly – we never allow the gløgg to boil. We don’t know what “the Professor” was supposed to be a professor of, but it sure wasn’t chemistry. Alcohol boils at a lower temperature than water so bringing the gløgg to a boil even for a short time can severely deplete its psychoactive properties. We use a liquid thermometer and are careful to keep the mixture below 78°C (173°F), the point at which alcohol boils.
In a nutshell, our preparation is to simply start by mixing the red wine, the muscato, and the spices in the pot over low heat. Once this mixture has warmed up a little, add the akevitt and the vermouth to taste - generally, we use a little less vermouth and a little more akevitt than the recipe calls for. As the drink heats up, we gradually add the sugar, stirring regularly so that the sugar dissolves completely. Once that’s done, add the raisins and almonds. Then add the bitters, one tablespoon at a time, tasting after stirring in the first one. If it doesn’t need the second tablespoon of bitters, don’t add it.
The whole process will take a couple of hours. Don’t try to multitask when you’re making gløgg. You’re going to need every ounce of your steadily diminishing concentration to keep the stuff from boiling. It should be served warm, in small cups, and make sure everyone gets some raisins and almonds in their cup. Some people will complain about this, but after a cup or two, they’ll realize it’s the best gløgg they’ve ever had.
Skål!
Thursday, December 25, 2008
Wednesday, December 24, 2008
Norwegian Christmas
With tonight being Christmas Eve many families use this time to do something together. I know mine sure does, so in that vein I've got some great places for you to check out if you're looking for something to do tonight.
First of all, Sons of Norway members can check out our Information Banks, where we have a couple great items on Christmas in Norway and, for those who like to sing, Norwegian Christmas Carols.
But for those of us who live in the north with the cold and snow, there are other things you can stay inside and do. How about some last minute decorations? Click here to learn how to make Norwegian Christmas baskets for your tree. Or, if you feel like doing some baking tonight, why not try making some krumkake with a traditional recipe?
There's so much a family can do and that's the best part, I think; being with family and loved ones.
Alright everybody, have a merry Christmas and we'll go back to blogging about winter and the New Year on Friday.
First of all, Sons of Norway members can check out our Information Banks, where we have a couple great items on Christmas in Norway and, for those who like to sing, Norwegian Christmas Carols.
But for those of us who live in the north with the cold and snow, there are other things you can stay inside and do. How about some last minute decorations? Click here to learn how to make Norwegian Christmas baskets for your tree. Or, if you feel like doing some baking tonight, why not try making some krumkake with a traditional recipe?
There's so much a family can do and that's the best part, I think; being with family and loved ones.
Alright everybody, have a merry Christmas and we'll go back to blogging about winter and the New Year on Friday.
Thursday, December 18, 2008
Seasonal Notes
The moose are loose!
And in the ever popular elgnytt (moose news):
Watch where you drive! As the weather gets cold, moose wander near cars, wreaking havoc wherever they roam! Well, perhaps it’s not quite so dramatic, but one article states that 1,321 moose were killed in traffic accidents last year alone, with many more occurrences in the wintertime versus summertime.
Possible explanations? Tasty shrubs along roadways and the alluring salt on the roads. Either way, if you’re living or vacationing in Norway this over the next few months, watch for the kings (and queens) of the forest…
Santa, errr, Julenisse and Julebukk are coming to town
Who stops at your Norwegian-friendly home on Christmas? Does the julenisse beat Santa to the punch? Are you prepared for his visit?
Here are a few tips to working with the julenisse so he doesn’t play tricks on you:
• do leave the farm animals to his care – he’s supposed to guard them!
• don’t forget to leave him a bowl of porridge – yum!
If you want to write to the julebukk, who will come to your home, bearing gifts, or the julenisse, you can address notes to:
Julenissen
N-1440 Drøbak
Norway
And in the ever popular elgnytt (moose news):
Watch where you drive! As the weather gets cold, moose wander near cars, wreaking havoc wherever they roam! Well, perhaps it’s not quite so dramatic, but one article states that 1,321 moose were killed in traffic accidents last year alone, with many more occurrences in the wintertime versus summertime.
Possible explanations? Tasty shrubs along roadways and the alluring salt on the roads. Either way, if you’re living or vacationing in Norway this over the next few months, watch for the kings (and queens) of the forest…
Santa, errr, Julenisse and Julebukk are coming to town
Who stops at your Norwegian-friendly home on Christmas? Does the julenisse beat Santa to the punch? Are you prepared for his visit?
Here are a few tips to working with the julenisse so he doesn’t play tricks on you:
• do leave the farm animals to his care – he’s supposed to guard them!
• don’t forget to leave him a bowl of porridge – yum!
If you want to write to the julebukk, who will come to your home, bearing gifts, or the julenisse, you can address notes to:
Julenissen
N-1440 Drøbak
Norway
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