NORWEGIAN CULTURE:
How to understand
the Norwegian lifestyle
Two people with hats and scarves meeting in the snowy mountains. One smiles and says Welcome to Norway!
Norway is a safe place to live where people are trusting, trustworthy and well educated. Most police officers do not carry firearms (still), and many Norwegians do not lock their doors; they do not need to. The standard of living is very high, with single-family housing accessible to the middle class and spacious natural environments. Most Norwegian families own a second residence. Everyone is considered equal and few social classes exist.
This sounds like the perfect place to live, but two things make it challenging: the climate and connecting with Norwegians.
Two people with hats and scarves meeting in the snowy mountains. One smiles and says Welcome to Norway!
Norwegian nature
Norwegians proudly go outdoors in difficult weather conditions. They do not talk. The wind and rain make it impossible. It gives Norwegians a great feeling. A feeling of accomplishment.
A Norwegian hiker on a mountain, knee-deep in snow. Looking content.
The relationship of Norwegians to nature is unique. “Det finnes ikke dårlig vær, bare dårlige klær”*
Kids are raised that way. They are forced to go outside in harsh conditions from a young age. When they have done it enough times, they also start to believe that this is enjoyable.
Families outside in the snow and wind, the children hanging on to their parents. The parents say; come on kids, there is no such thing as bad weather only bad clothing.
Norwegian babies
Norwegian babies are exposed to all kinds of weather from the time they are born. They are left outside to sleep all year round– even during winter. This is totally acceptable. You see it everywhere.
Two strollers with babies sleeping in them parked outside a café. Snowy wether outside, inside people are talking and smiling.
The Norwegian dream
Lose yourself in the mountains away from everyone and from everything. No road, no water, no electricity – they call it “hytte”. I thought it was to save money. It is not.
Norwegians will spend a large part of their savings to buy such a place. To be alone in the middle of nowhere. They prefer spending their money on being alone and living simply, rather than flying to the south of Europe every vacation, and staying in five-star hotels.
A traditional Norwegian cabin with an outdoor toilet in the mountain next to a stream.
They will buy a hytte where they need to carry their food on their shoulders for kilometres. Get water with buckets from the stream. Light the place with candles. Go to the toilet outside.
Two people getting water from a well outside a cabin in winter.
Suffering and pain
Norwegians enjoy physical pain. Or at least it seems like they do. Jumping into cold fjords. Rolling in the snow naked. Walking hours in freezing rain and wind. Jogging on icy roads in the winter darkness.
Pain does not really exist anyway.
This is not suffering.
It is enjoyment.
And the hytte seems so much enjoyable afterwards, and it provides a boost to your social status on Monday morning at work.
A person jumping in a frozen lake in the mountains at night.
Cross-country skiing
A sport often practised alone in the dark in freezing temperatures, requiring no communication.
A very Norwegian sport.
A person going cross country skiing in the dark by himself, wearing a headlight.
Birken is a 54-km ski race over mountains and valleys. Thousands of Norwegian businessmen participate every year. It is one of the few
arenas where they are allowed to boost their social status.
Do well and the largest national business newspaper will publish your name and race time. Together with the name of the company you work for and your position there.
By showing publicly that you have great physical abilities, that you are in good shape, that you can endure pain in the cold for several hours in silence, you will increase your credibility, trust and respect in the eyes of your Norwegian bosses, employees and clients. (If you are good at skiing, make sure to mention it in job interviews.)
Even the royals take part in this competition. This is beautiful. Where else in the world would it be safe enough for a future king to ski in public
for 54 km?
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Three people getting close to the finish line in Birken. The Norwegian Crown Prince is one of the contestants.
The Norwegian
Egalitarian Society
There is a good balance in society with
few social classes and little crime.
From the production line to
the top management, everyone
can talk to each other. Problems
can be solved quickly. It provides
Norway with a competitive
advantage and makes it a
very enjoyable place to live.
Three leaders are greeted with the upmost respect. A fourth scenario where the Norwegian King and a regular person greets each other informally with a; Hei.
Trust and honesty
Equal results and few social class differences bring positive aspects. People communicate better. Everyone has enough income.
Norwegians are honest and trustful. Do not worry if you leave your laptop unattended in a coffee shop or if you forget your mobile phone on the bus. Chances are you will get them back.
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A timeline where someone is on a café, sees someone they know outside. Leave all their belongs when greeting the person outside. Everything is stille there when they go back.
You can trust Norwegians to show up on time and to deliver what they promised to deliver at the time they said they would deliver it. You can trust that what Norwegians claim they can do is true.
They will not brag about themselves, about their achievements, about who they know, about how much money they make.
They are humble, honest and
trustful people.
They are well organised and precise when
it comes to time. They work short hours but are very effective both at work and at home.
Several people leaving an office building at precisely four a clock in the afternoon.
Social status is expressed differently in Norway. While in most places a man in a suit would link him to the highest social classes and a man carrying things on his shoulders would belong to the working class – for Norwegian men, it is just practical to have a backpack. Just like running shoes for a Norwegian woman. Norwegian women are pragmatic.
They want to wear shoes that allow them to easily jump over a stream, cross a snowfield or climb a mountain. In many places women are judged by the elegance of their shoes. Some people abroad may have difficulties to know how to relate
to running shoes.
A woman wearing a formal outfit with a jacket and a skirt and with running shoes.
Even if Norwegians may appear special, they are very nice people.
Just a little peculiar sometimes.
It makes it easy to recognise them abroad. When you see this man in a foreign airport you can go straight to him and say, “Hei, hva heter du?”
A businessman wearing a suit and tie, but also wearing a backpack.
Sources:
- Bourrelle, Julien S.: The Social Guidebook to Norway – An illustrated introduction (2022) Drammen, Mondå forlag
- Bourrelle, Julien S.: The Social Guidebook to Norway 2 – Friendships and Relationships (2022) Drammen, Mondå forlag
Illustrations: Elise H. Kollerud
