Norwegian Culture

I have touched on the Norwegian culture on many of the other pages within this website, but there are many more sides to their culture which needs to be explained in further detail.

I believe their culture really stems from their environment and how the peoples have adapted to the climate and nature itself.

Norwegians are natural born survivors and have this instinct built into their genes. They are capable of withstanding anything nature can throw at them and this is passed from generation to generation.

Many Norwegians see themselves as "lone wolves" and are more than capable surviving alone. There are many single people in Norway which causes a problem for populating the country.

There is still mandatory National service in Norway of 12 months, so every male should attend a tour of duty of military service which trains them in many areas, not only in combat, but also in survival and discipline. As there are no immediate war situations at the moment the need for National service is not so urgent, so really only about 50% of Norwegian males sign up for the National service. Its mandatory, but also not... confusing I know.

I believe this does show in the Norwegian males as they are disciplined and generally most of the crime in Norway comes from those not native to the country.

Norway is a huge country with only a small amount of people compared to the world, but internationally they have a large voice. Because they are a rich nation due to the natural resources in the North sea, countries tend to listen to Norway and Norway gets involved in many aspects of world events.

Norway is a seafaring culture whose main source of food stems from the sea. They have a close bond with the sea and although I don't agree with their whaling "rights" they generally have respect for the waves.

Independence

Norwegians are an extremely proud people, of their culture and country and celebrate their independence from Sweden in 1905 on the 17th of May each year. The whole country comes together to celebrate this day.

The women wear their traditional dress called or "bunad" and the men wear suits and formal wear. There are parades through the streets and then people get together to eat and drink until the late evening.

I really enjoyed the 17th of May which I experienced in Ski, and everyone seems to have a good feeling about them on that day, it was a great experience to be able to join in.

Out Door Culture

Norwegians have to withstand their cold winter months for about five months of the year, so when the snow has melted they make the most out of the rest of the year.

Being so close to nature, Norwegians will go fishing, go on trips to the mountains, hike and generally do anything which gets them out of the house. They become a very sociable people during this period in the year.

I did find that during the colder months, Norwegians tend to shut themselves off in almost a kind of hibernation and I found it hard not having the usual regular contact with friends as I was used to in the UK.

Music

Music has a big influence on Norwegian culture from classical composer Edvard Grieg, to more modern artists such as Röyksopp and Black Metal. I am a huge fan of Röyksopp and think their Electro/Sythpop music (as some people call it) is superb.