Traditional Christmas Fair at Norsk Folkemuseum in Oslo

© Text and photo Laila Duran.

The Christmas fair at Norsk Folkemuseum in Oslo is a tradition that has been going on for many years. Thousands of people visits Bygdöy on the week-ends to buy Christmas presents and see the old farmhouses decorated in the old fashioned way. This year winter arrived in Oslo without all the snow that covered the rest of Scandinavia but the temperature did go below – 15°C.

Fram houses from all around Norway is open to the public.

This house is from Valdres. The table is set and the candles are lit.

Christmas trees was decorated differently in many parts of the country. Here red apples, candles and little paper wraps are used.

Butter was a luxury, and it was often beautifully decorated and placed as the centerpiece. On Christmas the children would get little lumps of butter to eat as treats.

Inside the house from Hardanger the guide is dressed in Hardangerbunad with the white headkerchief worn by married women. The logs behind her are decorated with chalk drawings.

Outside, a corn sheaf is hung by every house of the out door museum.

Twice every Saturday and Sunday before Christmas you can hear musicians and see the children´s dance group. In spite of the could weather the key fiddler is playing.

And here are the “smånissene”. Not an easy task to keep the pucks in line.

Christmas songs are sung and the dancers performs games of the past.

The Museum Nisse is of course the center of everybody´s attention. He has been visiting the museum for 36 years now and has no plans of retiring.

The dancing pucks wears bunads from Setesdalen.

Even Nissefar join in the dance.

Dressed for the cold and warmed by friendship.

Ponies and horses are some of the more popular co-workers at the museum.

If you like to read more about the Christmas traditions at Norsk Folkemuseum please visit:

http://www.norskfolkemuseum.no/en/Experience/Program/Events-recurring/Christmas-Fair-Highlights/

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