Norway - Culture Smart!: The Essential Guide to Customs & Culture

ISBN-13: 9781857338836

Media Type: Paperback(Second edition)

Publisher: Kuperard

Publication Date: 01-02-2019

Pages: 168

Product Dimensions: 4.25(w) x 6.75(h) x 0.40(d)

Series: Culture Smart! #99

Linda March is a writer with a special interest in issues affecting expatriate families. Born in Edinburgh, Scotland, into a Royal Navy family, she has spent much of her life on the move, living and working in Europe and the USA. A graduate of Hull University, she is a former head teacher and has also worked in the computer industry as a programmer and trainer. Linda lived in Stavanger, Norway, for six years, during which time she was on the Board of the Women’s International Network (WIN).

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CHAPTER 1

LAND & PEOPLE

Think of Norway and what springs to mind? Fjords, snowy rugged mountains, the Land of the Midnight Sun, maybe oil too? Not surprisingly, the features that have impressed themselves on the minds of outsiders are those that have shaped the Norwegian people: the geography and the climate.

Only 5.29 million people inhabit a country approximately the size of California or the United Kingdom and nearly 80 percent of them live in or around a handful of urban communities. This leaves most of this long, spoon-shaped country very sparsely populated and there is certainly plenty of the great outdoors to satisfy the national passion for fresh air and freedom.

And what of the Norwegian people: the blond, blue-eyed Nordic majority and the short, dark Sami of the north? We might be surprised to find that the fair-haired descendants of marauding Vikings are a mild mannered, modest people who have quietly created a wealthy nation and a society with highly civilized values.

Too small to be a major player in world affairs, Norway is a land that knows its own mind and is happy to work behind the scenes to broker peace and influence others by the example of its fairness and generosity.

GEOGRAPHY

With Russia and Finland as its northern neighbors in the Arctic Circle, Norway shares a 1,000-mile (1,600 km) eastern border with Sweden to form the long thin landmass (in places less than 5 miles, or 8 km, wide) of the Scandinavian peninsula that juts down toward Denmark in the south.

But it is the west coast that gives Norway its character. The country runs over 1,000 miles (1,600 km) in length from the Arctic North Cape to the sunny resort of Kristiansand in the south. But the jagged indentations of its west coast fjords, the remote Svalbard (Spitsbergen) archipelago 400 miles (640 km) north of the mainland, and numerous small islands give it a coastline of over 13,700 miles (21,900 km). No wonder the sea has played such a large part in Norwegian life over the centuries, from Viking exploration, to fishing and shipbuilding, to the "messing about in boats" of today's leisure and tourism.

Occupying a total of 150,000 sq. miles (386,958 sq. km), Norway is Europe's sixth-largest country in terms of its landmass. However, as one-third of the land is inside the Arctic Circle and two-thirds are mountainous, only a small percentage of land is suitable for productive agriculture or forestry, much of that in the south and west. Inland farms grew up in remote valleys and as a result isolation has been a major feature of Norwegian life over the centuries. In a country divided by a backbone of mountains and fjords, transportation and communication have traditionally presented problems that the twenty-first century is beginning to solve. Nevertheless, large areas, particularly in the north and east, are unpopulated, leaving Norway to rank only twenty-eighth in Europe in terms of population.

CLIMATE

Many expect the climate of a country sharing the same latitude as Alaska, Siberia, and Greenland to be harsh and cold. This is undoubtedly a true picture in some areas of Norway at some times,but considering the country's extreme northern position, its climate is surprisingly mild and varied. This is largely due to the warm and steady current of the Gulf Stream off its west coast, which means that even areas inside the Arctic Circle enjoy winter temperatures well above those normally expected at a similar latitude.

The amount of sunlight received during the year also varies. In northern Norway the summer months are brief, but the effects of the Midnight Sun mean that summers are bright and warm, sometimes even registering temperatures of 86°F (30°C). For most of the country the winters are snowy and dark. Those on the southwest coast, for whom the winter precipitation is more often rain, enjoy the occasional periods of snow and the brightness they bring.

Norway's west coast often knows a battering from high winds. Rainfall of up to 80 inches (2,032 mm) is found annually here, along with cool summers and mild winters. Bergen residents experience over two hundred rainy days per year.

The high mountain ranges that divide Norway provide protection for large eastern and inland areas, where rainfall may be less than 12 inches (300 mm) per year. Although winters are cold, summers are warm and generally dry, allowing the Continental feel of pavement café dining in summertime Oslo.

No matter where in Norway, the winter is long, dark, and bleak, which undoubtedly has a depressing effect on its people. Winter is for hibernating beside comforting wood fires. The summer is unquestioningly spent outdoors and Norway comes to life. No scrap of sunshine is wasted. The first bright March day will find Norwegians reclining on their decks and patios, wrapped in blankets against the cold, but making the most of the first hint of spring.

The Land of the Midnight Sun

Seeing the Midnight Sun is popular with many of Norway's summer visitors and involves a tripinto the Arctic Circle. This invisible line is the southernmost point at which the sun shines for twenty-four hours without setting, for at least one day of the year. The Midnight Sun can be seen from mid-May to late July. The further north you go, the longer the duration. An amazing spectacle, it does present sleeping problems for many Norwegians. Its downside occurs in the winter months when the Arctic Circle pays for all this daylight with twenty-fourhour darkness.

The Northern Lights

Also known as the Aurora Borealis, this amazing natural phenomenon, which blazes a dramatic arc of colored lights across the night sky, is well worth a visit to the north of Norway. Seen in polar regions, the lights occur when electrically charged solar particles enter the earth's atmosphere at tremendous speed and collide with the highest air particles. The air then lights up, its colors reflecting the gases. The Northern Lights are most visible on clear nights between November and March in Tromsø and Finnmark.

A BRIEF HISTORY

The Viking Era

The first Norwegians were Germanic tribes who followed the seasonal migrations of reindeer herds around 11,000 bce. Some 5,000 years later, permanent settlement began. Around 500 bce a deteriorating climate resulted in Norway's previously nomadic population settling into farming communities. By the mid-eighth century it had developed into a nation of small, independent Gothic kingdoms, separated from each other by the mountainous terrain. The first successful attempt to unite these kingdoms was made around 885 ce by Harald Hårfagre (Harald the Fairhaired) who could be said to be Norway's first king. The union was dissolved after his death.

As today, the sea played an important role in the life of early Norwegians and led to a long tradition of seafaring and shipbuilding. Large rowing boats enabled them to exploit the coastal waters, but by the eighth century Scandinavians had perfected the seagoing sailing ship. Overpopulation of the limited farmland, which could not supply all their food needs, and the appeal of foreign trade led to the Norwegian Viking expeditions westward. The term Viking is thought to come from the Old Norse word vik, meaning creek. Thus a Viking was one who lived near a creek.

Although the Vikings are mostly known for pillaging Britain and Ireland, many of them settled there, influencing the language and culture of their new homes. They also colonized Iceland, Greenland, and the Faroe Islands. And around 1000 ce the mariner and adventurer Leif Eriksson was striking even further west to North America to found the colony he called Vinland, probably Newfoundland.

The benefits of the Viking raids were felt throughout Norway, not only in the spoils of war, but in new skills and knowledge acquired overseas. Farmland was increased by means of slaves brought in to work on land clearance.

The Arrival of Christianity

In 1015 Olav Haraldsson, a Viking chieftain, set sail for Norway from England, where he had established a power base. With one hundred men he successfully conquered and united his homeland, which had been divided by the inheritance battles of the sons and grandsons of Harald. During a reign of twelve peaceful years, he founded Norway's first national government. Justice was administered in each region by the Ting (literally, the "Thing," the court), run on broadly democratic lines. While in England he had been converted to Christianity and now imposed this new faith on his heathen subjects, although paganism was still in evidence for several centuries.

Following a successful Danish invasion, King Olav was forced to flee in 1028. His return two years later with insufficient forces to regain his kingdom ended in defeat and death. During the following decade Norwegians became increasingly resentful of their new Danish king and in retrospect the memory of Olav grew more and more heroic. Popular tales of miracles wrought by his body were rapidly seized upon by the Norwegian Church. Olav was canonized and his remains were buried at Nidaros (Trondheim), where stories of miracles abounded and helped to increase the Christian flock.

Medieval Times — Power Gained and Lost

With the return of a Norwegian king (Magnus) and treaties with Denmark, years of peace and economic prosperity saw out the eleventh century. For the next two hundred years, despite periods of civil war, Norway continued to consolidate its position as an independent power. King Håkon VI established royal authority over the nobility and the Church, and made the monarchy hereditary. Greenland and Iceland were brought under Norwegian rule and its hold was strengthened on the Shetland and Faroe Islands.

Throughout this time law and order were maintained and trade flourished, largely through the endeavors of the Hanseatic League, a trading association of European and Baltic cities. The most prominent Norwegian town to belong to this league was Bergen. As the merchants grew in power, controlling imports and inland trade, the monarchy grew more and more dependent on taxes levied on the Hanseatic League traders.

In 1349 the Black Death arrived in Norway, spreading rapidly along the coast, through the fjords and valleys, and wiping out two-thirds of the population. Huge numbers of farms were left unpopulated or abandoned. This resulted not only in years of famine, but also in the decimation of the nobility who relied on their rent. Local government collapsed and, on the death of King Håkon VI in 1380, the struggles for the throne, which had been ongoing through these medieval years, saw the end of Norway as an independent power for the next five hundred years.

Uneasy Unions

On the death of Håkon VI, Norway came under the control of his son Olav in union with the powerful and clever Danish Princess Margrethe. On Olav's death she masterminded a union of Norway, Denmark, and Sweden, convincing the nobles of all three nations to install her as regent and accept her young nephew Erik as king. The Kalmar Union was so named following the coronation of Erik in Kalmar in 1397.

After Margrethe's death in 1412 Denmark was the center of power. Erik's incompetence led to Sweden leaving the union and to the impoverishment of Norway as it was taxed to pay for his brutal wars. In 1450 a Danish noble, Count Christian of Oldenburg, was crowned king of Norway and Denmark. As Danish became the official language, leading positions in state and Church were held by Danes, and Norway lost any sway in Scandinavian affairs.

Union with Denmark

By 1536 Norway was little more than a Danish dependency, valued only for its iron ore, fish, and timber. These were a constant source of conflict between Sweden and Denmark and the country suffered devastation as they vied for its spoils.

A century of bureaucracy and monopoly imposed by Denmark ended in the 1760s when trade barriers with foreign countries were abolished. The economy boomed and overseas trade, especially with England, prospered in the years leading up to the Napoleonic Wars. Norway's merchants profited from the increased demand for naval supplies. Denmark and Norway remained neutral in this conflict, but when Napoleon instituted a trade blockade against Britain and drew Denmark in, Britain retaliated by bombarding Copenhagen. Denmark declared war on England and Sweden in 1807, bringing great hardship to Norway through loss of trade.

When Napoleon was defeated Norway was ceded to Sweden as part of the 1814 Kiel Peace Agreement and a four-century union was dissolved. It retained its own parliament but the cabinet was appointed by the King of Sweden.

Union with Sweden

Having shaken off dependency on the Danes, the Norwegians were unhappy to find themselves subservient to the Swedes. The popular desire now was for independence. On May 17, 1814, a constitution, still in effect today, was unveiled, declaring Norway to be a "free, independent, and indivisible realm."

Though it recognized this constitution and the Norwegian parliament, Sweden retained a veto over Norway's actions, and all foreign affairs remained in Swedish hands. However, domestic independence prospered and Norway enjoyed a period of economic growth and reform. The sense of national confidence and identity grew and art, literature, and music flourished.

Despite these encouraging signs, this was a time of mass exodus. The population had doubled, and the lack of sufficient farmland and rural poverty, coupled with tales of overseas opportunity, led to almost half the people emigrating, mainly to North America, during the nineteenth century.

Independence

By the end of the century, demands for independence were louder than ever. In August 1905 Norway voted overwhelmingly to dissolve the union with Sweden and to become an independent monarchy. A Danish prince, Karl, was elected to the throne as King Håkon VII.

The introduction of hydroelectric power led to the harnessing of Norway's natural resources. Under a Liberal government industry developed and wealth grew, helping to fund social reform. A powerful trade union movement emerged and was represented by the Labor Party. By 1913 suffrage had been granted to all men and women.

The War Years — Attempted Neutrality

Despite declaring itself neutral at the outbreak of the First World War, Norway found itselfnegatively impacted by action around its coast. Dependent as it was on shipping, trade was adversely affected by blockades and strict trade embargoes imposed by the Western Allies. The bitter war at sea was no respecter of neutral shipping and Norway had lost half its merchant fleet by the end of the war.

The economic depression that swept the Western world in the 1920s and '30s led to the rise in power of the Labor Party, which has been a powerful force in Norwegian politics ever since.

Norway joined the League of Nations in 1920 and followed a policy of peace and disarmament. On the outbreak of the Second World War, Norway once again declared itself neutral and was taken by surprise in early 1940 when it awoke to German invasion. King Håkon VII escaped to London, from where he worked with the Norwegian exile movement. The 2016 film The Kings Choice (Kongens nei), which dramatizes this invasion and Håkon's response to Germany's demands for capitulation, won a number of national and international awards.

The politician Vidkun Quisling — whose name has become synonymous with traitor — was declared "Minister President" by the Nazis, but Norwegian civil and military resistance grew in strength as the occupation continued and many important sabotage operations took place. Once again Norway's terrain played an important role, making it difficult for the Nazis to control a land divided by mountain and fjord. On the German surrender, King Håkon returned to great celebrations.

The Postwar Years

The retreating Germans burned their way out of Norway, leaving much destruction in the north. Most of the merchant fleet had been overseas at the time of the country's invasion and had then joined the Allied forces. Heavy losses had halved the shipping stock and industry had all but stopped production.

The great spirit of unity in a still young country regaining its independence meant that recovery was rapid. With economic growth came further social reform and the introduction of the welfare state. The wealth-generating industries of hydroelectricity, mining, and steel production were state owned, providing the nation with the resources to eradicate poverty and to create an increasingly egalitarian country. From 1945 to 1965 Labor governments introduced economic planning and permanent price controls.

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Excerpted from "Norway - Culture Smart!"
by .
Copyright © 2019 Linda March.
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Table of Contents

Map of Norway,
Introduction,
Key Facts,
Chapter 1: LAND AND PEOPLE,
Chapter 2: VALUES AND ATTITUDES,
Chapter 3: CUSTOMS AND TRADITIONS,
Chapter 4: MAKING FRIENDS,
Chapter 5: THE NORWEGIANS AT HOME,
Chapter 6: TIME OUT,
Chapter 7: TRAVEL, HEALTH, AND SAFETY,
Chapter 8: BUSINESS BRIEFING,
Chapter 9: COMMUNICATING,
Further Reading,