Christmas trends

Advent
December 10th 
Second Sunday in Advent

Sorry for the delay in posting. The British struggle to cope with a bit of snow and having left at 9am this morning we are still in the car trying to get Home six hours later. Only another 40 miles to go. This journey should have taken two and a half hours!

Before the Second World War, it was only really the churches in Norway that decorated for the Advent season and the colour was purple.  After the war, there was a definite shift and decorating one's house for the season became a 'thing'.

Arrow points to numerous drying racks, located
all over Lofoten, especially on the island of  Moskenesøya

Close up of the drying racks around the fishing village of Reine

As the churches before many Norwegian homes would have an advent wreath with four purple candles or if they were to be truly correct there would be three purple candles and one pink.  The third Sunday of Advent was supposed to be pink marking the difference between thinking and behaviour of the weeks leading up to Christmas itself from repenting to the celebration of Christ's birthday.  Traditionally too it was a time when families were supposed to eat slightly less and more healthily so as to truly enjoy and appreciate the Christmas meal.  It was perhaps because of this that eating fish during Advent became popular in post-war Norway and even to this day many restaurants will serve 'lutefisk' as their special seasonal advent food.

Lutefisk is a fish dish made from cod that has been dried and then rehydrated with water and lye, an alkali that prevents the fish from disintegrating when broiled.  The only issue with this is that this dish becomes very smelly! I also find it to be very gelatinous, it is not a dish I really would want to eat again, yet my mother will go and eat out every Advent and order this dish.  She is a true Norwegian.  The drying process of cod is now mostly completed commercially although the large drying racks found in beautiful Lofoten in the Arctic circle are still used to this day to dry the cod that is caught between February and April. Unlike salted cod, cod dried in Lofoten needs no preservatives as the temperature prevents the fish from rotting and the winter sun is enough to allow it to dry naturally still retaining all its nutrients.

Traditional Advent dish of lutefisk, mashed
potato, mushy peas and bacon, photo from Wikimedia

But traditions are changing and what was once trendy is now slowly fading out.  It has been reported recently in the media in Norway that Norwegians are no longer wanting to dress their house specifically for advent and then switch to Christmas colours later on in the month.  So the trend has become to either decorate ones home in white or red.  Sales of purple have year on year been in decline.  This was unbeknown to me and I too this year have bought white candles for advent, not often I am on trend!

The second candle lit for the second Sunday in Advent

 Looking at Pinterest and putting in advent candles,  this year it IS predominately white, who knew!

A screenshot of the first images that came up with advent candles and they are nearly all white.

This photo comes from the Norwegian company that is
equivalent to our Kilner jars, they always style their photos
immaculately.  I enjoy following them on IG, but see they
too are white this year! Norges Glasset

And I'll steer you to last year's post if I may, we discovered in our house the most gorgeous light cake yet still full of Christmas flavour, brought to us by one of my favourite cooks and author of several great books, Norwegian, Signe Johansen Advent Cake  Do give this cake a try, it does, however, contain nuts but it is gluten-free, so it pleases some of you but not all I know! It really is yummy ...

♥  Care to share your advent traditions?