Decking the halls of history: The origins of Christmas decorations
This article was written by Anne Lawrence-Mathers, Professor in Medieval History, University of Reading. The idea of hanging up decorations in the middle of winter…
Articles by Lara Rasin
Nobel Peace Prize winners in Norway: “It is incredibly exciting to be here”
The two winners landed in the VIP section of Oslo Airport on Wednesday afternoon. Co-Nobel Peace Prize winners Dmitry Muratov and Maria Ressa have both…
Abid Raja receives Norwegian Booksellers’ Prize for book “My Guilt”
Liberal Party politician and former Minister of Culture Abid Raja (V) has received the Norwegian Booksellers’ Prize (Bokhandlerprisen) 2021 for the book “Min skyld: En…
Audun Lysbakken: “The whole of Norway owes Kim Friele a big thank you”
Socialist Left Party (SV) leader Audun Lysbakken says that Kim Friele made Norway a better society. “The whole of Norway owes Kim Friele a big…
Older TV programs could be removed from NRK due to payment disagreements
Disagreements over payment to freelancers could lead to large parts of the NRK archive going black from the New Year, organizations warned during a call….
Norway’s annual Christmas tree gift to England mocked online
“Are we at war with Norway now?” joked a few British social media users underwhelmed by Norway’s gift. The tree has been called “wonky” and…
Guri Melby about Kim Friele: She has left lasting and important traces
Norway’s Minister of Education and Integration praises gay rights pioneer Kim Friele. “Few people’s lives make such a big difference for an entire society, and…
Tivoli Gardens in Copenhagen open despite pandemic
The amusement park in Denmark remains open for Christmas this year. Amid reported rising concern about the omicron variant, Denmark’s Tivoli Gardens opened to the…
Leaders of three major monotheistic religions receive “Bridge Builder” awards in Oslo
The Bridge Builder Award 2021 has been awarded at the Opera House in Oslo. Demonstrations were expected when leaders of the three monotheistic religions received…
Christmas and commerce have long gone together like two turtle doves
The author of this article is Philip Hancock, Professor of Work and Organization at the University of Essex. The “spirit of Christmas” is all about…
Norwegian Christmas ad with gay Santa goes viral
The Norwegian postal service Posten recently released a Christmas commercial called “When Harry met Santa.” Santa and his new boyfriend shortly went viral. Posten’s video,…
Understanding Norwegian dialects can be challenging – but it’s not impossible!
Learning Norwegian, like any language, comes with its difficulties. One of these is understanding different dialects. But the good news is, learning localisms is well…
The holly and the ivy: How pagan practices found their way into Christmas
This article was written by Peter Glaves, Enterprise Fellow at Northumbria University, Newcastle. Every year, almost without thinking about it, we incorporate certain plant species…
Icelandic marketing company parodies Facebook’s “Metaverse” ad
Your typical case of -verse vs. -verse. Inspired by Iceland, a company aimed at promotion of the country, released a video called “Introducing the Icelandverse”…
PHOTOS: World’s largest gingerbread town in Bergen open for the season
Pepperkakebyen is Bergen’s annual Christmas miracle. Bergen’s beloved gingerbread town – aka, Pepperkakebyen – has kicked off for the 2021 Christmas season. A crowd favorite,…
Assassin’s Creed: After 13 years, 12 games and a ton of sales, what’s the secret to the franchise’s success?
The author of this article is Tof Eklund, Lecturer at Auckland University of Technology. The article was originally published in December of 2020. Ubisoft’s Assassin’s…
Study: Nordic prisons less crowded, less punitive, better staffed
The author of this article is Sunanda Creagh, Editor at The Conversation. This article was originally published in 2013. Prisons in Sweden, Norway and Finland…
Here’s a mental health workout that’s as simple as ABC
This article was written by Ziggi Ivan Santini, Postdoctoral associate at the University of Southern Denmark; Rob Donovan, Adjunct professor at The University of Western…
Greta Thunberg emerged from five decades of environmental youth activism in Sweden
This article was written by Björn Lundberg, Researcher, History at Lund University and David Larsson Heidenblad, Associate Professor, History at Lund University. After 18 months…
ABBA releases statement following deaths at concert hall in Uppsala, Sweden
Two people died and at least one was injured after a fall accident at the Uppsala Concert and Congress Hall in Sweden. The incident occured…
