The Land of Vikings and Choirboys: Christmas in Norway

Photo: Christmas tree in the townsquare in Porsgrunn, Norway, by Joakim S. Egner.

The first out of four candles have been lit. The countdown to the eve of all eves has begun. White flakes of snow are falling steadily, cloaking the nation in a bright blanket contrasting the permanent darkness of winter. Christmas in the land of vikings and choirboys is nothing short of amazing.

The true beginning of this long-awaited time of year is the first Sunday of Advent when the first candle is lit and the decorations are hung. Christmas trees, however, get saved until the last minute, not that any of us seem to know why exactly.

Advent is huge in Norway, but like most of our traditions, we have no clue where they came from and what they are supposed to mean. Just don't try to argue with us about it, then you'll be in trouble. We are, after all, descendents of the vikings.

Food and the holidays go hand-in-hand. Christmas Eve dinner is the most elaborate meal we devour all year. What it consists of depends on where you are from, except for the creamy rice pudding with berry sauce, seven sorts of cookies, and christmas soda for dessert, which most everyone includes in their feast. Oh, and the potatoes! We can't forget the potatoes, which is my personal favourite, along with kålerabistappe (potato, carrot and swede mash).

The two most popular dishes are ribbe (pork ribs) and pinnekjott (mutton or lamb ribs). There are those who eat fresh cod, smalahove (half a sheep head), or the well-known lutefisk (dried white fish soaked in water for two days before it gets cooked). A more modern way of eating would be to have a Grandiosa, the famous Norwegian frozen pizza.

Before we get to the extravagant meal on Dec. 24, we have to go through what we call Juletid. Juletid is a time full of hygge and kos, meaning cosiness and joy. During this time, most kids will have advent calendars, we'll celebrate Santa Lucia (a holiday celebrated in honor of St. Lucia, a young Christian girl burned at the stake for her faith in 304 A.D.), and bake christmas cookies.

Last, but not least, we enjoy browsing the hectic shopping malls, trying to get just the right presents for everyone. Most husbands do their best to avoid this most-beloved of traditions. There are of course those lucky few with daughters old enough to be put to the task. My dad definitely being one of them. The others spend every year frantically running around the mall late on Dec. 23 trying to find something for their significant other.

The actual celebration starts on lille juleaften, meaning little Christmas Eve. The eve before the eve is usually the day the tree is decorated, and the movie Dinner for One is watched by the majority of the population. You would think we had never seen it before by the uncontrollable laughter, but the fact that most of us can recite every single line in the 17 minute and 46 second black and white movie reveals that is far from true.

Christmas Eve is the eve, and day, of Christmas in Norway. Christmas Day, like it is for most of the world, is not a huge deal. During the day, traditional Christmas movies are watched by everyone no matter their age. Reisen til Julestjernen, Tre Nøtter Til Askepott and Disney Jul are the classic movies that many often prioritize more than the food, and church. Christmas is sung in by the incredible boys choir Sølvguttene at 5 p.m. Mere seconds after the last note has been sung, the TV is switched off and the food is halfway gone.

By the end of dinner, the kids are usually more than ready for the presents to be opened. I don’t know if this is what happens in every home in Norway, but in my house we keep telling ourselves that we will take our time with the presents and watch what everyone gets. That, however, never what happens. With multiple kids under the age of ten, the presents are usually opened within the first 30 minutes.

After the dinner and presents are done for the year the only thing left is the dessert. The overly sweet and filling rice pudding is exactly what we need to finish the night like true Norwegians.

“God Jul A!” (Merry Christmas!)

By: Emma Rusten Natedal, Writer

Check out this video of Americans trying Norwegian Christmas food!

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Atz4Wy0pMTs

Moonlight on the Parkway: The Annual CCHS Winter Dance

Every year, midway through December, the Calvin Christian High School student council plans the annual winter dance. The goal of the students council is to create events where students can come together and build fellowship. The winter dance is an event that is full of music, dancing, and refreshments.

Every year a theme is picked by the council that will determine what the style of the dance will look like. This year, the topic was Moonlight on the Parkway. The dance was decorated with Christmas lights and a vibrant chandelier hanging from the ceiling. The dance was also a sadie hawkins theme, meaning the girls ask the guys instead of the other way around.

On December 10, students started to rally up at the Calvin Christian School Blaine campus gym. In the beginning, parents were able to get pictures of their kids and their dates, however after that the dance started to pick up.

Students started to shuffle near the dance floor and the music was kicked up a notch. The students all enjoyed a fun night of dancing and laughing with their peers. For those who were born with two left feet, a fun time of talking and enjoying some punch and cake ensued.

“I had fun with my friends and the atmosphere they created was really welcoming,” said CCHS Senior Alex Meybaum.

Whatever kind of person you are, it can easily be agreed on that the winter dance is a great time to spend with friends and to have a lot of fun.

By: John Erickson, Editor.

Protests Against Trump’s Election Erupt

Protests against Trump’s presidency have erupted in cities such as Portland, Seattle, Los Angeles, Silver Spring, New York, and Denver since the election results were released. Many of the protesters are local high school and college students. On November 12, New York protesters marched from Union Square to Trump Tower, carrying signs. Protests have also occurred in Chicago’s Millennium Park, and in the streets of downtown Los Angeles. One Portland demonstration, although it began as a rally at City Hall, turned violent, with vandalism and store windows broken.

The chants and slogans of these protests include “Love Trumps Hate,” “Not My President,” and “You’re Fired.” Wearing a safety pin has also become a symbol of standing with minority groups, based on fear that they will experience abuse as a result of Trump’s election.

According to Douglas G. Brinkley, a Rice University presidential historian, the amount of push-back to Trump’s election is more than the response to any president since Abraham Lincoln. The protesters’ main objections to Trump being elected are his policies on immigration and his remarks about women. They are also against the results of the election because his opponent, Hillary Clinton, won the popular vote, although Trump won the electoral vote.

These protests are a window into both the divided state of our nation and the ability of citizens to speak about issues. For more information, go to news websites like CNN.

By: Nicole Krueger, Writer

Dylann Roof Faces Death Penalty As Trial Begins

Dylann Roof, a 22-year-old white man and self-described white supremacist, is now on trial for killing nine black people at a South Carolina Church in 2015. The trial began on Wednesday, December 7, 2016. He is being tried on 33 counts, including hate crime and murder charges, and if convicted, could face the death penalty.

On December 8, 2016, the court viewed photos from the scene of the crime, including grim photos of the victims. A survivor, Felicia Sanders, testified about witnessing the fatal shooting of her son and aunt. The testimony was very emotional, that, as Roof’s attorney David Bruck mentioned in court documents, “spectators and even court personnel — including members of the prosecution and defense — were crying with her."

Sanders talked about seeing her son plead with Roof before his death. “I watched my son come in this world and I watched my son leave this world,” she said.

Bruck argued for a mistrial since Sanders said in her testimony about Roof, “There's no place on Earth for him other than the pit of hell." Bruck said that the comment was inappropriate because it could be a statement declaring that Roof should receive the death penalty. Judge Richard Gergel denied the request, passing the statement off as a religious comment.

“In fairness and in mercy, our society does not invoke the death penalty if there are reasons to choose life, a life in prison,” said Bruck. “We do not behave like the person who committed this crime.”

By: Ava Krueger, Editor

Student Highlights 4.0

Levi Hinrichs  

Birthdate: September 12, 2001

Age: 15

Biggest fear: Being alone.

Favorite quote: “Now I am become death, the destroyer of worlds.” - Robert Oppenheimer

What’s on your bucket list: Go to a different country.

What’s your favorite TV show: Lost

If you had a time machine where would you go: 1700s

Describe yourself in five words: Determined, distracted, joyful, loving, helpful.

If you could vacation in one country where would it be: Brazil

Noah Kelderman

Birthdate: December 14, 2001

Age: 14

Biggest fear: Losing a family member.

Favorite quote: “Be yourself and if people judge you it doesn’t matter because they are obviously jealous.”

What’s on your bucket list: Scuba diving in Australia.

What’s your favorite TV show: The Flash

If you had a time machine where would you go:  Garden of Eden

Describe yourself in five words: Crazy, distractible, tall, annoying, funny.

If you could vacation in one country where would it be: Australia

Cultural Appropriation: In a world where we are eventually offended by everything...

If you ask the average, urban 20-year-old what cultural appropriation is, chances are they’ll be able to give you a long list of the times they’ve witnessed it, or been a victim of it. From pho recipes to ‘sexy Indian’ costumes, cultural appropriation has taken multiple forms. All this sensitivity begs the question: are we really this rude, or are we too easily offended?

Cultural appropriation is generally defined as taking elements from another person’s culture, without their consent. This glorified debate begins with the boundaries of culture, and what constitutes ownership of a tradition, habit, or belief.  Some (including myself) believe that a non-Hindu person wearing a bindi is cultural appropriation (simply because it disrespects another's religion), whereas others would say that a white person wearing dreadlocks carries the same weight.

Some of the hottest topics in news right now are the hair choices of different celebrities, and how they allegedly stole from different ethnic communities. Hairstyles like dreadlocks, gelled curls, and cornrows are now considered socially unjust if worn by a white person. In March of 2016, a video was released by a San Francisco University student, depicting a debacle on the concept of appropriation. The video showed two African Americans stopping a Caucasian wearing dreadlocks, and claiming that he stole from their culture.

New York Times’ Martha Rose Shulman recently came under fire for a pho recipe that included quinoa instead of pho’s namesake rice noodle. Irritated commenters argued that since the recipe didn’t include a rice noodle, it wasn’t technically pho, and was therefore culturally appropriating Vietnamese tradition. Both of the accused took elements from a fully established culture, and altered them. Neither of them claimed to have been the original creators of their dreadlocks/soup — only artists who changed aspects of it. If creativity is being considered culture-theft, then I fear it’s the beginning of a hyper-sensitive world.

This topic has been blown massively out of proportion. Therefore, if you’re going to label things you believe are wrong, make sure you know what you’re labelling. Blatantly racist sports team names have been named as cultural appropriators, and disgustingly over-sexualised Halloween costumes have been called thieves of tradition.

If we are going to tell people off for cultural appropriation, we must decipher the difference between racism and legitimate cultural appropriation. The first case of mis-naming began in 1848; commonly known as ‘Minstrel Shows,’ white men would don ‘blackface,’ and pretend to be black men. With their faces painted brown, wide lips, wild looking eyes, this dress-up was giving into a common racial stereotype, rather than committing an act of cultural appropriation. In other words, it stole nothing from the African American community — it simply stereotyped it.

The problem with setting harsh boundaries in culture is this: if we set boundaries, where nobody is allowed take elements from another’s culture, we would all be severely limited in our foods, clothes, and languages. You’re not Dutch? No more Santa Claus. You don’t have Arabic heritage? You’ve got to forget all the algebra you learned. The idea of cosmopolitan culture is that we all learn and grow from each other. We take elements from each other’s communities, and put them into our own. The entirety of human history has been a conglomeration of cultures, taking and giving elements from and to each other, and we can continue in that way without sliding into racism.

By: Sophia Marcus, Writer.