What makes Norway be Norway? I have lived in this country for over ten years now and there are things you notice only after you have been here for a while.
1. Norwegians respect traditions
As a country whose experience with other cultures has been limited to the past decade, Norwegians are very traditional people that very much appreciate when others accept and also adapt to their traditions.
The National Day is highly celebrated starting off with the traditional breakfast with waffles, strawberries and champagne, and followed by dressing up in the national costume - called bunad - and attending the parade.
Other Norwegian traditions include spending Easter in a cabin (owned by the family or at a friends' cabin) where you will spend the whole vacation skiing during the day and drinking beer during the evening for the whole week. Anything else is considered weird.
2. The "råner" culture
Råner is a term which defines those youngsters with a really old car that has been pimped to make a fair amount of noise. The 'råners' will drive in their loud cars while playing loud music with the car windows down. Usually to be spotted around cool places such as gas stations or Burger Kings, the 'råners' have the swagger of the coolest kids of hilbilly town.
3. Frenemies with Sweden
Oh this is a touchy spot. Whereas Norwegians will always think they are better than Swedes because Norwegians are better at skiing and have oil, they cannot live without their dear neighbours. How else are they going to be able to fill up their fridge with cheap beer and bacon withour crossing over the Swedish border? The good Norwegian will gladly visit Sweden before the holidays for cheap food and drinks, but don't dare those "party Swedes" come to Norway to interfere with our business!
4. The "pålegg"
"Pålegg" is the Norwegian word for everything you can put on a slice of bread, a topping if you'd like. These include: ham, cheese, jam, boiled eggs, cucumber, nutella... etc.
However there are only certain "pålegg" combinations allowed... boiled eggs go with Nowegian kaviar. Don't EVER try and make your own combo or they will look at you like you just hit your head. "You like boiled eggs with mayonnaise... are you loco??"
5. Saturday's "grøt"
"Grøt" (rice cooked with milk and topped with cinnamon, sugar and a bit of butter) is eaten on Saturdays and on December 23rd. Period. I once suggested to Rune that we could make "grøt" on a Sunday... he almost sent me to the cuckoo house.
Also the consumption of candy and chocolate is also limited for Saturdays only.
6. Stay loyal to your city
In every country there are city "rivalries". To sum up, here is how it goes down here. Trondheim hates Molde, Molde hates Trondheim. Stavanger hates Bergen, Bergen hates everyfuckingbody and everyfuckingbody hates Oslo.
Meaning if you are in Trondheim you simply do not order beer from Bergen. You drink local. It applies for every city. Always order local.
7. In Christmas you eat Christmas food
I am not sure that we have such a strict Christmas diet in other countries but in Norway you eat "ribbe", "pinnekjøtt" or "lutefisk" on Christmas Eve. Unless you are mentally insane or you refuse to integrate because you hate Norway. No excuses!
8. Skiing
There is nobody in this country who does not know these three names: Marit Bjørgen, Petter Northug and Therese Johaug - the names of the three most successfull cross country skiers. If you live here and you've never heard of these people then you probably either live in a bubble or you are an analphabet.
Also if you don't like to ski (guilty!) they will force you to like it. It is non-negociable. During ski trips the only things aloud to eat are: Kvik lunsj (a chocolate bar), oranges and cocoa or tea. It sounds like I am making this shit up but in all seriousness, that is exactly what EVERYBODY puts in their backpack.
9.The Marius genser
Every respectable Norwegian has one of these Marius jumpers in the closet. The children and even the family pets own one too. Sometimes even in several colors.
10. You don't like fish? Go back to your country!
Do I need to ellaborate on this? Do not criticize Norwegian salmon, their mountains, their fjords or their brown cheese or they will be giving you a one-way ticket back home!
It is obviously very difficult to summarize one whole culture into a blog post, but this is some of what comes to mind just so that you get an idea. The funny thing is that you actually get so sucked in into these traditions that you also end up becoming one that says: "Are you eating chocolate? But it is not Saturday today!" *outraged face*