The Norwegian's five Easter favourites
In Norway, Easter holidays are all about skiing, chocolate, oranges — and crime novels. Here, Easter is often spent at a cabin in the mountains and involves lots of fun in the snow.
Like Britain, Norway has a long Easter break comprising five public holidays and a school holiday leading up to Maundy Thursday. This offers plenty of opportunity for a trip to the mountains. For the vast majority of Norwegians, Easter is therefore synonymous both with skiing and other kinds of fun out in the snow and inside the traditional cabins, where wood-burning stoves and log walls create a relaxing atmosphere unlike any other.
This article provides an insight into the five biggest Easter traditions in Norway — some of which you may have heard of before, but did you know that Easter in Norway is synonymous with oranges and crime novels?
Norwegian Easter delicacies
Foto: Fredrik Ahlsen - Maverix Media
In Norway, roast lamb with potatoes and a variety of egg dishes are often at the top of the Easter menu, but if you ask Norwegians what they eat most at Easter, the answer is typically “Kvikk Lunsj and oranges”.
The chocolate bar Kvikk Lunsj — Norway's answer to the KitKat — is an extremely popular 'snack on the go', which is often kept in a pocket when on a ski trip or enjoyed in front of the log cabin's fireplace together with an orange or two. According to some sources, no less than 25 million Kvikk Lunsj bars and 20 million oranges are eaten every Easter in Norway — and a good number of marzipan figures and chocolate eggs too.
Cosy cabin fun
Foto: Fredrik Ahlsen - Maverix Media
Regardless of whether they are into skiing or not, many Norwegians spend the Easter holidays in a mountain cabin with family or friends. Here, days are spent having fun in the snow, and the warm spring sunshine is enjoyed against the 'sun wall' — the side of the cabin that gets the most direct sunlight during the day.
Evenings are spent in front of the wood-burning stove — often with a certain kind of book, which you will find out more about in the next section.
"Påskekrims"
Foto:
This Norwegian phrase translates literally as 'Easter murder mysteries'. Norwegians have a rather unusual Easter tradition which consists of immersing themselves in thrilling crime-related novels, TV dramas and films, and which (perhaps) goes all the way back to 1932.
Regardless of the tradition's origins, it is still extremely popular to this day, and in fact, reading crime novels in front of the cabin's wood-burning stove is just as widespread an Easter tradition as skiing or eating chocolate eggs.
"Utepils" - Outdoor beers
Foto: Havard Myklebust/Visitnorway.com
Talking of special Norwegian phrases and traditions, 'utepils' is another that plays a big role at Easter (and indeed throughout the spring). The phrase refers to a beer enjoyed outdoors in the sun — and Norwegians jump at the chance to have that first al fresco lager of spring, as soon as the temperature is above freezing and the sun's rays bring a little of warmth.
Skiferie i påsken
Foto: Fredrik Myhre / visitnorway.com
The last, but certainly not the least important Norwegian Easter tradition that we will cover here is, of course, skiing. Many Norwegians spend their whole Easter holiday skiing, either on the alpine pistes, where fewer ski tourists mean plenty of space on the lifts and slopes, or on the cross-country trails that wind through the sun-drenched mountain landscape, where warm air brings hope for the coming of spring.
The sunshine and milder temperatures often create a delightfully relaxed but also festive atmosphere, making the Easter skiing holiday a truly fantastic experience. And to top it off, Easter is often an excuse for outdoor pop-up concerts or festivals at the ski slopes, bringing the joyous, celebratory atmosphere to new heights.