GLASS TRANSPARENCIES..from local stories to transnational friendships.. 2012-1-IT2-COM07-38178-1 2012-1-IT2-COM07-38178-2 L I F E L O N G L E A R N I N G P R O G R A M M E P R O G R A M M A D I A P P R E N D I M E N T O P E R M A N E N T E L L P/ C O M E N I U S / BI L AT E R A L S C H OO L PA RT N E RS H I P C O- F U N D E D B Y T H E E U R O P E A N U N I O N 1
Content Content... 2 Introduction:... 4 English... 4 Italian... 4 Norwegian... 4 Collective photos... 6 Participants... 7 Norwegian students participating in the project:... 7 Italian students participating in the project... 9 Short presentation of the two communities... 13 Treviso and Italy... 13 Geography... 14 Some postcards from Italy... 15 Veneto... 16 The city of Treviso... 18 Hønefoss and Norway... 20 Norge-Noreg- Norway-... 20 Geography:... 22 Traditions and typical in Italy... 23 Typical food... 23 Origins of the spritz... 25 The Carnival of Venice... 26 Traditions of Treviso...27 Traditions and typical in Norway... 28 Splitkein skis... 28 The anorak... 28 Cheese slicer... 29 Norgesglasset... 29 Bunad national costume in Norway... 30 Christmas in Norway... 31 Summary of activities in Italy... 33 Programme Comenius Bilateral Project, 13-24 October 2012... 33 Tuesday, 16th October: Visit to the modern glass exhibition Carlo Scarpa. Venini: 1932 1947 on the island of San Giorgio Maggiore and guided tour to the Murano Glass Museum... 35 2
Thursday, 18th October: morning visit to Treviso City Hall and salutation of the City Authorities. Afternoon visit to Varisco Crystal Laboratories in Treviso.... 36 Friday, 19th October: Visit to the Lucio Orsoni furnace of glazed mosaics, St Mark s Square and Basilica and the Peggy Guggenheim Collection in Venice.... 36 Some flashes on the weekends.... 38 13th 14th October.... 38 20th 21st October.... 40 Technical cards... 45 Summary of activities in Norway.... 112 Programme Comenius Bilateral Project, 8-18 May 2013... 112 Friday 10th May: Guided walk in Hønefoss with Anders Anmarksrud as guide.... 114 Saturday 11/5-13. Visit to Oslo.... 115 Monday 13th. Visit at Veien Kulturminnepark... 116 Wednesday 15th: Hadeland Glass Factory; guided tour, museum, glass-blowing, exhibition, history... 117 Workshops- making in arts and craft.... 119 Glass pearls. Perline de vetro. Glassperler... 119 Redesign... 120 Fusing. Fusione. Fusing... 121 Norwegian songs... 123 Alle fugler små... 123 Kaptein Sabeltann... 123 Other Norwegian songs... 124 Norwegian National Anthem... 125 Norwegian Anthem, English lyrics.... 126 Italian songs....127 Il Canto degli Italiani Italian National Anthem....127 Va pensiero.... 128 Nel blu dipinto di blu (Volare).... 129 Bella.... 130 Technical glossary.... 132 Language dictionary common phrases: Norwegian language.... 133 Common phrases: Italian crash course.... 135 Italian and Norwegian press.... 145 Photogallery.... 148 Videos.... 153 Two videos made by Chatrine Moa Pettersen and one by Giulia Pesce... 153 3
Introduction: English This project, in line with the LLP policy to improve the European dimension of training, intends to promote the twinning of two secondary schools in Norway and in Italy with the aim to share some aspects of the cultural and historical heritage of the two countries related to the artistic glass production and design. The exchange of classes communicating through a common working language, plus the approach to the two native languages with swappings of basic phrases from/to the students/teachers of the two countries, is the next objective intended for an improved integration of the two civilizations and traditions. This will also help teachers and students to discover the sense of becoming citizens of the same world we all live in, by going part of the way together during the two years of the project which will implement the visits to the two schools along with a constant correspondence between the two classes meant to familiarize with the respective school/life environments and with the artistic glass history and design. The specific aim is to educate the young learners of an Art class in a Vocational School in Honefoss, Norway and a class of a Language School in Treviso, having the history of art as one of its main curricular subjects, to the cult of the artistic beauty of glass through a retrospection of the past works kept in the museums/factories of both countries and at the same time through the study of new design forms which embellish and enrich our lives in the modern times. The common activities to be carried out during the visits and online will comprise the production of an album with students' profiles and a DVD; the design of a final glass product with its presentation in Norwegian, Italian, English languages;the dissemination of the project. Italian Il progetto in linea con la politica LLP tesa a migliorare la dimensione europea della formazione, intende promuovere il gemellaggio di due scuole secondarie in Norvegia e in Italia allo scopo di condividere alcuni aspetti del patrimonio culturale e storico dei due paesi in riferimento alla produzione e design del vetro artistico. Lo scambio di classi volto ad interagire attraverso una lingua veicolare comune e anche tramite le due lingue di appartenenza con l uso di espressioni di base tra studenti/docenti dei due paesi, è l ulteriore obiettivo finalizzato all integrazione delle due civiltà e tradizioni. Quanto sopra aiuterà docenti e studenti a scoprire il senso del divenire cittadini dello stesso mondo in cui tutti viviamo e ciò avverrà durante il percorso del biennio progettuale comprendente la realizzazione delle visite alle due scuole ed una costante corrispondenza tra le due classi, entrambe volte a familiarizzare sia con i rispettivi ambienti di vita e scolastici sia con la storia e design del vetro artistico. Lo scopo specifico è quello di educare i giovani studenti di Arte appartenenti ad una classe di istituto tecnico/professionale di Honefoss, Norvegia e quelli di una classe di liceo linguistico a Treviso, che hanno la storia dell arte tra le materie principali del loro curricolo, al culto della bellezza artistica del vetro attraverso una retrospezione delle opere passate conservate nei musei/fabbriche di entrambi i paesi come pure attraverso lo studio di nuove forme di design che al giorno d oggi contribuiscono ad abbellire e arricchire la nostra vita. Le attività da svolgere in comune sia durante le visite che online comprenderanno la produzione di un album con i profili degli studenti e un DVD; il design di un prodotto finale in vetro con la sua presentazione in norvegese, italiano e inglese; la disseminazione del progetto. Norwegian I tråd med LLP policy om å øke den europeiske dimensjonen i opplæringen, er hensikten med dette prosjektet å stimulere til god forbindelse mellom de to videregående skolene i Norge 4
og i Italia, med mål om å dele noen sider av de to landenes kulturelle og historiske arv, med spesielt fokus på produksjon av kunstglass og design. Utvekslingen med kommunikasjon på et felles språk, i tillegg til å lære noen grunnleggende ord og uttrykk fra de andres nasjonalspråk, legger grunnlaget for en bedre forståelse av de to sivilisasjoner og tradisjoner. Dette vil også kunne bidra til at lærerne og elevene får bedre mulighet til å oppdage betydningen av å være borgere i en felles verden. Ved å besøke hverandre og kommunisere med hverandre i de to årene prosjektet varer, går vi deler av veien sammen, og blir bedre kjent med hverandres skoler, livsvilkår og med historien til produksjonen av kunstglass og design i de to land. Det spesifikke målet er å få elever fra en klasse med kunst- arkitektur og design som hovedemner og en interiør- og utstillingsdesignklasse i Hønefoss og en språkklasse i Treviso, som har kunst- og stilhistorie som et viktig felles fag i opplæringen, til å få innsikt i glassmaterialets kunstneriske muligheter gjennom et retrospektivt blikk på tidligere arbeider, som finnes i museer i begge land, og samtidig gjennom studiet av ny designs formspråk som beriker oss i moderne tid. De felles aktivitetene som ble gjennomført i løpet av de to besøkene og via internett, vil omfatte produksjonen av et album og en DVD som skal brukes til spredning av prosjektet. 5
Collective photos In Treviso: In Norway: 6
Participants. Norwegian students participating in the project: Julie Bye Minde. Age 17 Vanja Dahl Mostue. Age 17 Charlotte Løkling. Age 17 Sandra Lehne. Age 17 Leif Gunnar Økern. Age 17 Marie Aareskjold Juvet. Age 17 Anna Babita Brandsæter. Age 16 Trine Lise Kviteberg. Age 17 Lena Johansen Aaserud. Age 17 Christofer Roe Sætrang. Age 17 Marte Fredrikke Skarstein. Age 17 Anne-Berit Olsen. Age 17 7
Marta Vyskocilova. Age 17 Ronja Synnøve Schulz. Age 17 Tonje Solheim. Age 18 Rikke Fjeldstad Sanner. Age 17 Tonje Jensen. Age 18 Anja Iren Torgersen. Age 17 Chatrine Moa Pettersen. Age 18 Kristi Trommald Kolstad. Age 17 Julie Berg Langseth. Age 17 Melissa Høgli. Age 17 Marita Randen. Age 17 8
Italian students participating in the project Andrea Biasi Age 17 Giorgia Caruso Age 18 Giorgio Ciarla Age 17 Beatrice Crema Age 18 Nicolò Da Ros Age 17 Alberto Fadel Age 18 Raguthi Fiabane Age 17 Ivan Franchin Age 18 Gregorio Malagugini Age 18 9
Jlenia Moro Age 18 Alessia Pavan Age 18 Jacopo Martinuzzi Age 18 Giulia Pesce Age 18 Carlotta Rossi Age 18 Carolina Serafin Age 17 10
Francesca Spano Age 17 Pauline Tuccillo Age 17 Cristina Tomasella Age 18 Nicolò Zuliani Age 18 Cantelli Alesandro Age 18 Stefania Zoggia Age 17 11
Laura Meggetto Age 17 Martina Ravazzolo Age 17 Giorgia Varroto Age 17 12
Short presentation of the two communities Treviso and Italy The political system of the Italian Republic is in conformity with the institutions of a parliamentary republic, where the President of the Council of Ministers is the head of government is based on a parliamentary majority. The government exercises executive power, while legislative power is vested in the Parliament. The President of the Republic is the highest office of the State and represents the unity. The Basic Law and founding of the Italian Republic is the Constitution of the Republic which indicates the fundamental principles of the Republic, the rights and duties of citizens and establishes the laws of the Republic. The state legislature is the Parliament pursuant to art. 70 of the Constitution, divided into two chambers: the Chamber of Deputies and the Senate. The executive power is entrusted to the government in which there are three different bodies: the President of the Council of Ministers (Prime Minister), the ministers and the Council of Ministers. The President of the Council of Ministers is the head of government. It is appointed by the President of the Republic. The judicial power is exercised by the court, which is autonomous and independent from any other power. 13
The President of the Republic is the head of state and represents national unity. The President of the Italian Republic is Giorgio Napolitano. The Constitutional Court plays the crucial role of ensuring the Constitution. It is a body set up after the war. All Italian citizens who have reached 18 years are entitled to vote. The right to vote for the Senate gets to the age of 25. Matteo Renzi, the Prime Minister Giorgio Napolitano, the President Geography: To the north Italy borders with France, Switzerland, Austria and Slovenia along the Alps. To the south, it consists of the entirety of the Italian peninsula, Sicily and Sardinia (the two largest islands in the Mediterranean sea) and many other smaller islands. The independent states of San Marino and the Vatican City are enclaves within Italy. The territory of Italy is influenced by a temperate seasonal climate. It is the fifth most populous country in Europe, and the 23rd most populous in the world. Rome, the capital of Italy has for centuries been a political and religious centre of western civilization as the capital of the roman empire and site of the Catholic Church. Italy has got four big seas: Adriatic, Ionian, Tyrrhenian and 14
Mediterranean, and borders shared with France, Austria, Slovenia and Switzerland. The country is situated at the meeting point of the Eurasian Plate and the African Plate, leading to considerable seismic and volcanic activity. Italy is divided into 20 regions, of which five are constitutionally given a broader amount of autonomy granted by special statutes. Each region (except for Valle d Aosta) is divided into provinces. Regions are autonomous entities with powers defined in the Constitution. The population is characterized by a high number of elderly people, a low birth rate and a life expectancy of about 81 years and it's concentrated, mainly, in the coastal areas and plains of the country. The most inhabited is northern Italy with 27,934,705, the second the southern area with 15,066,151 and, finally, the central one with 12,039,477. Some postcards from Italy 15
Veneto Veneto is the Italian region where Treviso, our city, is. Its capital is Venice. Veneto, following a remarkable industrial development, is now one of the richest regions of Italy. Thanks to its natural heritage, historical, artistic and architectural, with more than 15.7 million visitors and 63.4 million tourists a year, the most visited region of Italy The coat of arms of the region is represented by the sea, the plains and mountains of the region. In the foreground shows the lion of St. Marco. Veneto is a place that has seen many battles in both the First and Second World War, some famous places where there were the most important battles are the Piave and Caporetto. These days it is one of the richest regions of Italy. It has experienced strong economic growth since the Second World War, and today is home to major industrial and service activities. The agricultural and livestock activities are still important, and they are very mechanized. The industry is found mostly in the western provinces and the Adriatic coast; prevail small companies that specialize in the food, textile, footwear and furniture. With the global crisis of the early twenty-first century there is a strong delocalization of the productive sectors of the Venetian companies mainly in developing countries, by contrast region indicates strong progress and investment in new technologies, especially nanotechnology. It is located in the northeast of Italy and it s the 8th largest region of the country. It is situated between the Alps and the Po river and it s boarded by Trentino Alto Adige and Austria to the North, by Friuli Venezia Giulia to the East, by Emilia Romagna to the South and by Lombardia to the West. The territory can be divided in more areas because it has a vary morphology. In fact to the North we can find the Northern Alpine zone, in which the hightest mountain is the Marmolada massif. Other important peaks are the Tre Cime di Lavaredo and the Pale di San Marino. Then there is the hill zone, that comprehend the territory from the mountains until the Adriatic sea, in the middle of which we can find low hills: Colli Berici, Colli Euganei, Montello and Colli Asolani. This zone is divided into the higher and the lower plain. The last one is rich of water and more fertile than the first one. 16
There are a lot of rivers that run through the region: the Po, Adige, Brenta, Bacchiglione, Livenza, Piave and Tagliamento are the most important ones. Also the Lake of Garda belongs to Veneto. The coastline is about 200 km, and half of it is made of beaches. The coast in characterized by the Venetian Lagoon, a flat terrain with ponds, marches and islands. In the south part of the coastline there s the Po delta. The climate changes in the different areas. In the plain it s continental, while it s warmer along the coast and in the hills. It s very colder instead, in the mountain. The capital of Veneto is Venice, and there are also some provinces: Belluno, Padova, Rovigo, Treviso, Venezia, Verona, Vicenza. 17
Treviso 18
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Hønefoss and Norway Ringerike municipality is located in the eastern part of Norway, 50 km northwest of Oslo. Ringerike is like a miniature version of Norway, with mountains and fjords, valleys, rivers, lakes and forests. Ringerike is located in the county of Buskerud, 50 kilometers north-west of Oslo. The total area of Ringerike is 1 553 square kilometers. The population is approximately 29 000, which makes Ringerike the 27th biggest municipality in Norway. The administrative center of Ringerike is Hønefoss. Hønefoss is located north of the lake Tyrifjorden by the river Begna, and has approximately 13 000 inhabitants. Ringerike s economic basis is mainly agriculture, forestry and industry. The municipality of Ringerike was created on 1 January 1964 after the merger of the town of Hønefoss and the rural municipalities of Hole, Norderhov, Tyristrand and Ådal. ( Hole became a separate municipality in 1977) Ringerike has been mentioned in Norwegian history since the earliest times and there are many archaeological remains in the area. Veien Cultural Heritage Park is one of Norway s largest burial grounds from the late Iron Age. The city of Hønefoss was founded in 1852. The Coat-of-arms were granted on 16 June 1967. The arms show a gold ring on a red background. The colours red and gold represent royalty and are the royal colours of Norway. The ring is a canting symbol and at the same time symbolizes the unity of the area. Norge-Noreg- Norway- Officially called the Kingdom of Norway is a Scandinavian unitary constitutional monarchy whose territory comprises 20
the western portion of the Scandinavian Peninsula, Jan Mayen, the Arctic archipelago of Svalbard, and the sub-antarctic Bouvet Island. Since 1905 Norway Norway has been an independent state. Above you see King Haakon VII who was chosen King in 1905, his son King Olav V, who inherit the throne in 1957 and ruled to his son King Harald V inherited the throne in 1991. The Monarch officially retains executive power. But, following the introduction of a parliamentary system of government, the duties of the Monarch have since become strictly representative and ceremonial, such as the formal appointment and dismissal of the Prime Minister and other ministers in the executive government. Accordingly, the Monarch is commander-in-chief of the Norwegian armed forces, and serves as chief diplomatic official abroad and as a symbol of unity. Haakon, Crown Prince of Norway, is the legal and rightful heir to the throne and the Kingdom. The 1814 constitutional assembly, painted by Oscar Wergeland 21
october 2013. In practice, the Prime Minister exercises the executive powers. Constitutionally, legislative power is vested with both the government and the Parliament of Norway, but the latter is the supreme legislature and a unicameral body.[64] Norway is fundamentally structured as a representative democracy. The Parliament can pass a law by simple majority of the 169 representatives, who are elected on the basis of proportional representation from 19 constituencies for four-year terms. rna Solberg was elected to be Prime minister of Norway in Agriculture, stockfish and oil are important resources in Norway both for local industry and export. Geography: Norway comprises the western part of Scandinavia in Northern Europe. The rugged coastline, broken by huge fjords and thousands of islands, stretches 25,000 km and 83,000 km and include fjords and islands. Norway shares a 1,619 km land border with Sweden, 727 km with Finland, and 196 km with Russia to the east. To the north, west and south, Norway is surrounded by the Barents Sea, the Norwegian Sea, the North Sea, and Skagerrak. 22
Traditions and typical in Italy 23
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The Carnival of Venice The Carnival of Venice (Italian: Carnevale di Venezia) is an annual festival, held in Venice, Italy. The Carnival ends with the Christian celebration of Lent, forty days before Easter on Shrove Tuesday (Fat Tuesday or Mardi Gras), the day before Ash Wednesday. The festival is famed for its elaborate masks. It is said that the Carnival of Venice was started from a victory of the "Serenissima Repubblica" against the Patriarch of Aquileia, Ulrico di Treven in the year 1162. In the honor of this victory, the people started to dance and make reunions in San Marco Square. Apparently, this festival started on that period and became official in the Renaissance.[1] In the seventeenth century, the baroque carnival was a way to save the prestigious image of Venice in the world.[2] It was very famous during the eighteenth century.[3] It encouraged licence and pleasure, but it was also used to protect Venetians against the anguish for present time and future.[4]however, under the rule of the King of Austria, the festival was outlawed entirely in 1797 and the use of masks became strictly forbidden. It reappeared gradually in the nineteenth century, but only for short periods and above all for private feasts, where it became an occasion for artistic creations.[5] After a long absence, the Carnival returned to operate in 1979.[6] The Italian government decided to bring back the history and culture of Venice, and sought to use the traditional Carnival as the centerpiece of its efforts. The redevelopment of the masks began as the pursuit of some Venetian college students for the tourist trade. Today, approximately 3 million visitors come to Venice every year for Carnival. One of the most important events is the contest for la maschera più bella ("the most beautiful mask") placed at the last weekend of the Carnival and judged by a panel of international costume and fashion designers. 26
Traditions of Treviso Here in Treviso there are more than one interesting custom. Mainly I can report 2 important events: the "pane e vin" bonfire, literally "bread and wine" (in the past the poor s food), celebrated on the 5th of January: on this occasion a puppet of an old woman is on top of a mass of pieces of wood, and all got burnt together. The ideologic meaning of this event is that the puppet burned is the symbol of the old and bad times, effectively "burning" away, to make space for the new year coming, that could be a great, lucky and generous year Another custom typical of Treviso has been celebrated since 1990, and is called Ombralonga, a food and wine event realized one of the last weekend of october. So it is a sort of excuse to put together the best food of Treviso, that found the better part on Sunday afternoon with the tour of all the taverns and their exceptional dishes. This event gets some criticisms when groups of friends take too much alcohol and annoy people in the city. 27
Traditions and typical in Norway Splitkein skis Inventor of Splitkein skiing was the Norwegian Jørgen Aaland. He was born in Norway, Veblungsnes in 1895. He moved to the U.S. at a young age. In the 1930s, Jørgen lived in Seattle, USA. Where he experimented with a variety of products, including Splitkeinskiene. The problem then he should make Splitkein ski, was how he was going to make skis with multiple layers. His opinion was that the laminated skis were much better than regular wood. In 1932, he discovered how to produce skis. Aaland production was almost equal to the production of fine furniture, and examples were made in the split tree trunk. Aaland liked the name and called it Splitkein, he took the English word ''split clein'' and made it sound more norwegian it Splitkein. He knew that if he could manage and produce skis, it came to cost a lot of money and require much time as he presented the idea to the one that had both. Ray Anderson was the man who should have Splitkein skis produced. The anorak Anorak is a windproof jacket featuring a hood and no zipper, which make it similar to a sweater, only warmer. They are beneficial during the winter because they are proficient at keeping cold air away from the body. The first Anoraks were made of hot leather, mostly from seal or caribou. For Norwegians, the Anorak is associated with winter, mountains, and skiing, a sport in which it is most prominently used. Some of the older anoraks had to greased regularly with fish oil in order to remain waterproof. The Anorak is very popular all over the world, because it is warm and also quite fashionable. In the beginning, the Anorak was most prevalent in the northern countries, but now it can be seen in almost every country around the world. Other countries may associate the Anorak with fashion, particularly in regions where the jacket s style is more desirable than its warming characteristics. It is also speculated that the Anorak may be the biggest contributor that led to Roald Amundsen returning home from his expedition to the South Pole. Before leaving, he studied the Netsilik population s survival techniques and their ways of dressing in cold temperatures, with the Anorak being a key component. Only a few weeks after Amundsen had reached the Pole, another explorer named Robert Scott arrived at the same destination. However, Scott and his men did not survive the expedition, and it is speculated that their lack of survival knowledge and manner of dress, compared to Amundsen, may have been the reason. 28
Cheese slicer A modern cheese slicer, also called a cheese plane war was invented by Thor Bjørklund in 1925 in Norway. The cheese slicer's mass production started in 1927. The design was based on the carpenter's plane. This style of slicer is very common in the Nordic countries, the Netherlands, Belgium, Germany, and Switzerland. A cheese slicer is used to cut semi-hard and hard cheeses. It produces thin, even slices not unlike a carpenter's plane. There are available different styles for cheese slicers for cheeses of varying hardness. A cheese slicer can also be used for slicing cold butter, zucchini or cucumber. Norgesglasset The Norgesglasset is a copy of a glass made in Yorkshire in the 1800 century. The Norgesglass has been produced in Norway since the early 1900 century. The first one to produce them is unknown, but we know that Drammen glassverk produced them for many years. From 1958 until 1978 the production took place at Moss glassverk. When the production of Norgesglasset started at Drammen glassverk in the early 1900 century, the idea was to keep up full employment at the glassfactory. Glass for windows had been their main product for many years, but the demand was falling and not big enough to keep up full employment. The Norgesglass was used for jam and to preserve fruit, berries and meat. The lid is made of glass, with a rubber ring and a ring of aluminium to tighten the lid. The rubber ring makes the glass airtight for preservation. The Norgesglass was a useful tool before refrigerators and iceboxes became common in every home. Today you can buy the glasses in antique stores, but you will also find them in many basements. They are still used by many households for jam and to keep different types of dry food. The glasses are not only used for preservation and keeping of food, they are also very popular for light purposes, with candles or with electric lights. The Norgesglass was produced in 6 different sizes, and it is belived that 75 million pieces were produced. 29
Bunad national costume in Norway The Bunad is the Norwegian national costume. It was invented in the 1800 hundreds as a party costume for the farmers. Now Bunad is used by everyone. But it is usually only used for our national day the 17th of May. Bunad s are very expensive. Earlier there where only a handful of people, that knew the technique and had the skills to sew a Bunad, but in the last years they have sent orders to foreign country s to sew them because its 10 times cheaper than it would be to sew them in Norway. The design of the Bunad, depends on the region you come from in Norway. There are more than 100 different Bunad types in Norway. In 2006 they made a Bunad encyclopedia. They found over 400 hundred different Bunad designs. 30
Christmas in Norway Christmas trees in Norway In Norway almost everyone has a pine tree in their living room usually decorated with white lights, Norwegian flags and other Christmas ornaments. The children make paper baskets of shiny, colored paper. The baskets can be filled with candy or nuts. Chains made of colored paper are also very popular. Colored lighting is becoming popular, but the white lights are more like the candles they are supposed to represent. Christmas trees became common in Norway from around 1900. The custom of having Christmas trees is originally from Germany. The Norwegian nisse Before the presents are opened, the families often dance in a ring around the Christmas tree while singing traditional Norwegian Christmas carols. The Norwegian "Nisse" is not like his American relative Santa Claus. The Norwegian "Nisse" is different from both Santa Claus and St. Nicholas. In modern Norway we actually have two types of "nisser". The name "Nisse" probably derives from St. Nicholas. But "nisser" - which are elves (or gnomes) are old figures which existed long before the birth of Christ. There are several types of "nisser" in Norway. The most known is the "Fjøsnisse" which is a "nisse" who takes care of the animals on the farms. The "Fjøsnisse" is very short and often bearded and lives in a barn or a stable. He wears clothes of wool and often has a red knitted hat. The "Fjøsnisse" often plays tricks on people. Sometimes he will scare people by blowing out the lights in the barn or he will scare the farm dog at night. You can hear the dogs bark! He can become very friendly with the people that live on the farm, but one should never forget to give him a large portion of porridge on Christmas Eve - or else he will play tricks for example move the animals around in the barn, braid the horses' mane and tail, and other tricks like that... A typical Christmas dinner in Norway Pinnekjøtt is rib of lamb, which has been either salted and dried or salted, smoked and dried. Pinnekjøtt has a good deal of bone fat. 31