One of them already assembles the decoration as soon as “Last Christmas” sounds for the first time somewhere, the other one quickly makes a few spaces at the last minute on the 23rd … We have people from the Ebersberg district for our “Bunter Advent” series asked how they celebrate the days from December 1st and what should not be missing.
After talking to Tove Edbauer-Berntsen from Ebersberg for a while about the pre-Christmas season in Norway, one would actually like to travel straight away to the island of Senja, where the graphic designer comes from. For the old gnome Nisse with his long, white beard and red hat, you would put “Julegrøt” (Christmas grits) in front of the stable or in the doorway, and then you would have “Gløgg” (red currant juice mulled wine with cloves, cinnamon stick, ginger , Orange peel, almonds and raisins), gingerbread or one of the obligatory 13 types of biscuits. And with a lot of luck, after knocking on the door on Christmas Eve, before exchanging good wishes and hugging from 5 p.m., you might meet Santa Claus.
With a smile, the woman in her forties tells how, as a child, she really believed in the legendary figure for a long time without realizing that her uncle or father was in costume. When the grandchildren were little, he even brought his Santa Claus suit with him when he visited Germany in December. But Edbauer-Berntsen, who raised her two sons and daughter bilingual, attaches even more importance to the aspect of Norwegian culture, which she describes as the real essence of Christmas: to have it “hygge”. To use the time to relax, to bake together, to make tree decorations, to be together as a family. Ideally, in a really large circle with the whole “clan”, whom one takes care of with loving care.
Like her mother, the Norwegian makes the advent calendar herself – “even my husband will get one”, fills it with little things, praise or motivational sayings and sweets. “It was an absolute highlight for me at the time, because in my small home village there wasn’t even a corner shop where I could have bought something quickly.” Above all, however, she wanted to convey to the children that the focus is not on commerce or the exchange of gifts, but rather “love and light”. This is precisely why the central element is the star, which is allowed to shine from the first Advent at 6 p.m. – not earlier, because it is strict, as there are no Christmas cookies before this date.
“If it was only reasonably light for two hours in northern Norway between December 4th and January 7th during the Mørketid (polar night), then we provided a radiant counterweight with jewelery in red, green, silver, white and gold . ” But: candles and fairy lights were not only balm for the soul back then, “even today people need the Advent star”. As warmth and orientation in the dark.