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Easter exodus empties cities
Norwegians settled down Wednesday for the country's annual five-day Easter vacation. Most stores and businesses were to be closed Thursday, Friday, Sunday and Monday, as folks flock to the mountains, the coast and other holiday retreats.

Many Norwegians have started taking the entire week off, and Oslo was noticeably quieter as early as Monday. Hotels in the mountains are packed, as are flights to warmer climes, and many businesses (including Aftenposten) were operating with severely reduced staffing.

Police were nonetheless bracing for lots of traffic out of the city on Wednesday, and railway NSB was reporting full trains. Traffic on the main E18 highway west of Oslo was due to be disrupted throughout the entire weekend, starting at 10pm Wednesday, because of construction projects around the Lysaker intersection and train station.

Those opting to stay in the city could look forward to no shortage of parking places, cinemas that now stay open during Easter and a generally more relaxed atmosphere in town. The weather in southern Norway remains unseasonably mild, so opportunities abounded for urban walks and strolls along the fjord.

Most museums close for the long Easter weekend, but the Norwegian Folk Museum on Bygdøy was staying open every day, from 11am-3pm on Thursday and Friday and unitl 4pm on Saturday, Sunday and Monday. The museum planned egg-decorating and pancake workshops for children in addition to its normal exhibits.

Boat enthusiasts have started viewing Easter as a fine time to get their pleasure craft back out on the water, and sunny weather also aided myriad boat maintenance projects around the Oslo Fjord.

While the vast majority of Norwegians still opt for traditional ski holidays in the mountains, many are using the holiday period on home remodeling projects and spring cleaning. Stores in the furniture and building business were reporting brisk sales earlier this week.

Many stores will re-open, albeit with shortened hours, on Saturday, for those failing to stock in enough provisions through Tuesday.

(Aftenposten English Web Desk - Published 4/04/07)

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Easter in Norway - from church pews to mountain peaks
For many Norwegians Easter vacation started already on the afternoon of Friday before Palm Sunday, and lasts at least 10 days, including Monday after Easter. Maundy Thursday (Skjaertorsdag) is a public holiday, and so is Good Friday.

Many Norwegians head for the mountain slopes or their seaside cabins, and this means that the weather is an important subject.
This year, the Easter vacation began with strong winds, snow and sleet in the North, and beautiful sunshine and spring-like days in the South.

The weather in the North got worse towards mid week, and the rain and strong wind were also felt in the South West, as well as in the mountain region.

Only in the South East the sunshine continued, but by Wednesday a strong wind made the out-of-doors less enjoyable, also here.

There have been search parties out in various places to look for missing skiers in the rough weather, but these have been found, and by Thursday morning all had been accounted for.

There is the myth, both in Norway and abroad, that most Norwegians take off for the mountains at Easter, to chase the last traces of snow, and of course to get that extra tan after a long winter indoors.

There was indeed some truth in this story several years back, but times have changed in Norway, and so has the meaning of Easter vacation over the last couple of decades.

In the mid-1970s, Easter was for many synonymous with travel. One in three Norwegians left home during Easter -- many of them stayed in mountain cabins and spent the entire vacation on skis and getting their first tan of the year.

Today, only one in 10 leaves for extended vacations. Of those who leave, about 400,000 take their backpacks and head for the mountains, according to the Norwegian Tourist Association (Den Norske Turistforening).

Others choose city vacations for Easter, and the most popular travel destinations nowadays are Paris, London, Brussels and Amsterdam. Many also head for the beaches in Spain, Turkey or Greece, and even farther afield, like Thailand and South America.

According to Statistics Norway, 77 percent of Norwegians will spend Easter at home. More than half of those who leave home for Easter will stay in mountain cabins, while about 22 percent will stay in hotels.

Thirteen percent take shorter trips, often choosing long weekend stays in hotels in the major Norwegian cities.

Easter traditions have changed drastically in recent years, said sociologist Jens Kristian Jacobsen with the Institute of Transport Economics (Transportoekonomisk institutt) in Oslo.

"Norwegians can finally enjoy the cities during Easter," Jacobsen said. "Everything was closed and empty before, but now people can enjoy going to the movies and restaurants during the holiday."

It's no longer considered strange to opt to stay home during Easter, either.

"Many Norwegians have vacation possibilities close to home, and it's my impression that many take short day trips," Jacobsen said. "Those who own cabins probably feel compelled to travel to them, but I don't know if all Norwegian women are so interested in the primitive cabin life anymore."

One often forget that there is also the cabin by the sea, and for many, the opening up of the sea-side cabin is also Easter,
more so than the snow and the mountains.

Another group that is often forgotten, are the many who can't wait to get their boats out on the water after a long winter under wraps (the boats that is). Hours are spent washing, polishing and painting the thousands upon thousands of pleasure crafts in this country.

And this is also a sure way to get a tan.

Easter in Norway begins on Maundy Thursday (Skjaertorsdag) and lasts until Easter Monday (2. Paaskedag). Maundy Thursday, Good Friday (Langfredag) and Easter Monday are national holidays.

All told, schoolchildren get six days of vacation (not counting weekends) from school. Many adults take the entire Easter week off to spend with their families.

Very few Norwegians attend church services during Easter, partly because many are away from their home congregations. However, over the last 20 years, or so, the Church of Norway has "moved to the mountains with the people", arranging informal outdoor church services in the most popular skiing areas, or at a hotel.

There are also several so-called mountain chapels spread over the country, and TV channels run religious programs throughout the holidays.

For those in the larger cities, there is also the opportunity to join the Good Friday "Procession of the Cross", during which the participants stop at various stations and pray.

Prayers are said for the authorities, the church, prisoners, the sick, the unborn child and many more. The parade is usually led by a person carrying a large cross.

Easter has also become known as the season for "Easter Crime" (Paaskekrim), when Norwegians curl up with a good mystery book and watch crime and detective series on television.

Norwegian television stations run several such series during Easter.

Easter chickens, Easter eggs and the occasional Easter bunny show up all over Norway at this time of year.

Daffodils, known as Easter lillies in Norway, are usually in full bloom when Easter arrives.

(The Norway Post - Published 6/04/07)

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