Norsk 101: God Påske!

Language practice with Christie Ericson

Photo: Pixabay
Easter eggs and daffodils (påskeegg og påskeliljer)

Easter (påske) is a rather long holiday (en ganske lang ferie) in Norway (i Norge). Schools (skolene) are usually closed (stengte) for the entire week (hele uken) preceding Easter. Traditionally, shops (butikker) and work places (arbeidsplasser) are closed over Maundy Thursday (skjærtorsdag), Good Friday (langfredag) and the Monday following Easter Sunday (påskedag), known as second Easter Day (andre påskedag). Easter is one of the most important holidays for Christians (en av de viktigste kirkelige høytidene), and many Easter services (påskegudstjenester) are held in the Norwegian Church (Den norske kirke) during this time (på denne tiden).

Nearly everyone (nesten alle) looks forward to (gleder seg til) the Easter holiday (påskeferien). The days (dagene) are getting longer (blir lengre) and spring is on the way (våren er på vei). Many Norwegians (mange nordmenn) travel to their cabins (reiser på hytta) to go skiing (for å gå på ski). Oranges (appelsiner) and Kvikk Lunsj chocolates (Kvikk Lunsj-sjokolader) are also a popular tradition (en populær tradisjon) during the Easter holidays. Not everyone (ikke alle) likes (liker) all the Easter traffic (påsketraffiken) on the roads (på veiene), though. Some people (Noen) like to avoid (liker å slippe) the Easter traffic and stay home (blir hjemme) for a city Easter (bypåske).

Norwegians also enjoy (koser seg også med) many other Easter traditions. One popular activity (aktivitet) is decorating Easter eggs (å dekorere påskeegg). Another fun tradition is the Easter egg hunt (påskeeggjakt). The adults (voksne) fill (fyller) Easter eggs with candy (godteri) and hide (gjemmer) them around the house (rundt i huset) or in the yard (ute i hagen) for the children (barna) to find.

Yellow (gul) is a very popular color (farge) after a long and dark winter (etter en lang og mørk vinter) and many people like to buy daffodils (å kjøpe påskeliljer) and other colorful flowers (andre fargerike blomster).

Perhaps (kanskje) one of the most exciting traditions (en av de mest spennende tradisjoner) of the Easter holiday is the Easter crime (påskekrimmen) phenomenon. Many crime novels (kriminalromaner) come out (kommer ut) this time of year and there are also many crime series (krimserier) on TV (på TV). You can watch (du kan se) many påskekrim programs (programmer) on the NRK website: tv.nrk.no.

This article originally appeared in the March 23, 2018, issue of The Norwegian American. To subscribe, visit SUBSCRIBE or call us at (206) 784-4617.