Norway Tackles Climate Change Issue Head-On
Did you know that buildings account for 40 percent of energy consumption and 40 percent of CO2 emissions worldwide? This revealing statistic helps shed light on what continues to fuel climate change—an undoubted environmental challenge around the world. To address this global problem and spearhead the fight against climate change, Norway plans to be the first country in the world to ban the use of fossil-based oil to heat [...]
Summer Sippers
If you’re looking for some great drink recipes for summer entertaining, check out the July issue of Viking magazine. The five recipes featured are made with homemade syrups infused with fresh fruit and herbs, also known as saft in Scandinavia. Viking worked with Oslo-born Paul Lowe — a cooking, crafting and decorating extraordinaire currently living in New York. He’s the creator of the website and quarterly magazine Sweet Paul, [...]
Happy Birthday Queen Sonja
While we in the United States are celebrating our country’s Independence Day, Her Majesty Queen Sonja of Norway will be recognizing a different milestone—her eightieth birthday.Their Majesties the King and Queen will spend part of the day unveiling the Queen Sonja Art Hall. The latest in a series of festivities to mark the 80th birthdays of the monarchs, the new hall was a gift to Sonja and is a public [...]
Celebrating Edvard Grieg
Happy birthday, Edvard Grieg! On this date in 1843, Norway’s most famous composer was born in Bergen. In addition to achieving great notoriety for his musical compositions, Grieg is also credited with giving Norwegians a sense of national identity during the union with Sweden. Today his legacy lives on not only through his compositions, but also through several performing art centers and schools named in his honor. Want to [...]
Friluftsliv and Fitness
This Saturday, June 10, is the 10th annual National Get Outdoors Day (GO Day), which encourages healthy, active outdoor fun. What better way to take part in the spirit of the day than to embrace the Norwegian tradition of friluftsliv! Just what is friluftsliv? It is a uniquely Norwegian concept that celebrates outdoor life and recreation. Interestingly, it is Norway's own Henrik Ibsen who first coined the term frilufstliv in [...]
Food Tour Highlights Bergen’s Culinary Flair
Canadian entrepreneur Cheyanne Smart founded a tour company in Bergen to showcase the culinary delights of Norway’s second-largest city. Smart experienced a tasting tour in Stockholm and thought that her adopted hometown would be a great location to launch her own food tourism company. Now in its second year, Bergen Food Tours offers an insider’s guide to the local food scene and welcomes tourists and natives of Bergen alike. [...]
Foundation Grants Bring Norwegian Culture to Wide Audiences
Foundation Grants Bring Norwegian Culture to Wide Audiences posted on Tue, Jun 6 2017 11:31 am by Jenna Kohlnhofer 0 Comments Through grants and scholarships, the Sons of Norway Foundation helps fund activities that positively affect members, assist lodges and preserve the heritage and culture of Norway. Read on to see how in 2016 General Heritage & Culture Grants supported projects that help advance our mission. At the Carnegie: Scandinavia [...]
Norway’s Flag: Then and Now
June 7th marks the 112th anniversary of the dissolution of the United Kingdoms of Sweden and Norway, leading to the independent Norway we know today. Along with independence, the break with Sweden also gave Norway its official flag that flies to this day. To mark the occasion, June 7th is one of sixteen official flag days where all Norwegians are encouraged to raise the national flag with pride. To [...]
Entertainment for a Scandinavian Summer
Whether you’re looking to celebrate into the night or for a way to introduce Norwegian heritage to a new generation, here are a few ways to fill your summer with activity resources from Sons of Norway. Midsommer June 24 is Midsummer; one of the biggest summer celebrations in Scandinavia. It also coincides with the summer solstice, making it an ideal time to enjoy the outdoors. In Norway, the date [...]
Hobbyists Uncover Bronze Age Hoard
Thanks to the curiosity of siblings Joakim and Jørgen Korstad and their metal detectors, a large cache of late Bronze Age artifacts have been uncovered in a field east of Trondheim. In January the pair made the first of the discoveries—nine axes, a spearhead, casting mold and fragment of what is likely a bronze lur (a horn-shaped wind instrument). Quickly alerting archeologists with the Norwegian University of Science and [...]
Vinland’s Secrets to Success
Vinland lodge 6-159 in Temecula, CA, is excited about #Growingto2020 and looking toward the future! When the lodge began 2017, it had 57 members. In just four months it has grown by five members, bringing the lodge closer to its goal of increasing membership by 10 percent. Lodge President Caronne Van Nyhuis shared with us Vinland’s approach to making 2017 a big year for recruitment and their tips for [...]
It’s Growing Season!
This time of year, the gardens and crops are sprouting. To help them grow properly they will need to be nurtured and cared for. This means watering and feeding in the hopes of a bountiful harvest come fall. Plants will also need protection from forces of nature, like hail and pests. In a lot of ways, your money is a lot like the spring’s sprouting plants. Its location can [...]
Syttende Mai: 10 Fun Facts
Hurra for Syttende Mai! Soon communities across North America and Norway will be waving their Norwegian flags, hosting parades and gathering in fellowship to commemorate Norway's Constitution Day. In honor of this special day, we’ve compiled 10 facts about the signing of the Norwegian Constitution at the National Assembly in Eidsvoll in 1814 as well as some details about how the day is celebrated today. 4. The Constitution that [...]
Youth Summer Camp Offers Norwegian Cultural Immersion – and Much More
Masse Moro is a Norwegian heritage camp located near Eau Claire, Wis., for youth who are 9-15 years old. This summer’s two-week cultural immersion experience takes place July 16-29, 2017. Here’s what one long-time camper, who later became a counselor and volunteer, had to say about her experience at Masse Moro: Masse Moro is truly a special place. Campers make friends for life, learn about Norwegian culture and stay [...]
Alaskan Lodge Casts for New Members in Support of Growing to 2020
Weaving in the colorful history of Norwegian immigrants in Alaska, Bernt Balchen Lodge 2-46 President Terje “Ted” Birkedal took a creative approach with ramping up momentum for Sons of Norway’s 2017 recruitment campaign, Growing to 2020. In his April President’s Message in The Flyer, the lodge’s monthly newsletter, Birkedal provides an engaging overview that outlines how it came to be that Norwegians are the fourth largest ancestry group in [...]