Note: Google Translated Article from Aftenbladet newspaper in Norsk to English...
Cowboyby up in flames
In weeks, the craft up the backdrop of a Wild West town.
But tonight, burn everything.
Each backdrop is named after Neil Young songs, and thus the tone is given for the midsummer festival on the beach in Stavanger Emmaus tonight.
(Photo: Kristian Jacobsen) Marie Rein Bore Posted 6/22/2010 4:19 p.m. - Updated 6/23/2010
8:18 p.m. Midsummer Burning the fires on Midsummer?
Yes
No
Even a real bull's head is in place behind the scenes; purchased at a slaughterhouse and carefully boiled and scraped to get it right legs pale Wild West-characterized.
Each backdrop is named after Neil Young songs, and thus the tone is given for the midsummer festival on the beach in Emmaus Godal in Stavanger tomorrow evening, with the band on stage to play Young-songs.
Even with a bull's head is fixed to create the right atmosphere of Wild West shows in January Steffensen. (Photo: Kristian Jacobsen)
Collaboration
This year's carpentry to bålfesten in Godal is even more extensive than previously.
People have already sawed and nailed for weeks.
Construction manager is Jan Steffensen and the event is a collaboration between several teams and organizations in Storhaug area. They have been given permission and support from the municipality, they have more sponsors, " he said.
The fireplace is like the sea, it is best to be cautious in these times of drought.
And tomorrow night, at 22.00 the scenes set on fire. Not a chip will remain.
Construction manager in January Steffensen still had some nails to turn in when Aftenbladet.no visited cowboy town in the morning.
(Photo: Kristian Jacobsen)
Link: to Aftenbladet - local Newspaper...
http://www.aftenbladet.no/lokalt/stavanger/1223463/Cowboyby_opp_i_flammer_.html
(Again Note: newspaper article was all in Norsk, so above translated--using Google Translate)
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About St. Hans Aften...
From Wikipedia Link: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Midsummer...
NORWAY
Sankthansaften is celebrated on June 23 in Norway.
The day is also called Jonsok, which means "John's wake", important in Roman Catholic times with pilgrimages to churches and holy springs.
For instance, up until 1840 there was a pilgrimage to the stave church in Røldal (southwest Norway) whose crucifix was said to have healing powers.
Today, however, Sankthansaften is largely regarded as a secular or even pre-Christian event.
In most places the main event is the burning of a large bonfire.
In parts of Norway a custom of arranging mock marriages, both between adults and between children, is still kept alive.
The wedding was meant to symbolize the blossoming of new life.
Such weddings are known to have taken place in the 1800s, but the custom is believed to be older.
It is also said that if a girl puts flowers under her pillow that night, she will dream of her future husband.
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St. Hans: Eat Your Porridge and Light Your Fire
St. Hansaften is the ultimate summer feast in Norway. On the evening of June 23, Norwegians light bonfires, pick flowers to put under their pillows, and celebrate summer and light.
The St. Hans celebrations have roots across northern Europe, and were also brought to Canada with the first French colonialists...
The celebrations take on somewhat different forms in the different countries, but the origins are much the same.
St. Hans is a Christian holiday to honor Saint John the Baptist (also called Saint Hans).
The day of celebration was set to June 24 to outdo the pagan celebrations of midsummer or summer solstice.
However, it is the celebration of summer, sun, and light that has survived in countries such as Norway.
In Norway, celebrations take place the evening before June 24. Aften, as in St. Hansaften, means evening.
The tradition of lighting bonfires on this occasion came from the pagan belief in fire as the protector against evil spirits.
The sun, which in the Northern hemisphere is at its highest at midsummer, probably inspired this belief.
The night of St. Hans was supposedly a night of magic.
If, for instance, a young girl picked seven flowers and put them under her pillow, she would dream of her future husband.
As on any day of celebration, food is important on St. Hansaften.
When asked what she associates with St. Hansaften, Ingeborg Nygaard, the chef at the Norwegian Embassy, said:
“bonfire, rømmegrøt (sour cream porridge), cured ham, barbeque, midsummer, sun, family, friends, children, and my childhood. On St. Hansaften I get together with my family and friends and go to a field to make a bonfire. We bring sour cream porridge, cured ham, barbeque food like sausages, and just have a good time for as long as we can stay awake. It is all about celebrating summer with the people you love the most. When I was little I was very superstitious. I made sure to jump seven fences and pick seven different flowers, put them under my pillow, and try hard to dream about a boy I liked.”
“Why we eat sour cream porridge on this day? Well, it is a tradition. Eating sour cream porridge on special holidays is a strong tradition in Norway, and St. Hans is a special holiday. Sour cream porridge is a tradition that goes far, far back in time. It is such a simple and timeless recipe,” she said
(Tine Dairy Recipe follows--I didn't add it, you're Welcome to look it up on your own though...am not a huge fan of)
Link: http://www.norway.org/ARCHIVE/food/sourcreamporridge/
Note: I did not know it was a night for eating porridge too, I thought that was just for Christmas Eve. here in Norway?!
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...a favorite song, “Vi Skal Ikkje Sove,”
by Auslaug Lygre and Geirr Tveitt:
Vi skal ikkje sova bort sumarnatta,
ho er for ljos til det.
Då skal vi vandra isaman ute,
under dei lauvtunge tre.
We won’t sleep away the summer night,
it’s too light for that.
We’ll wander instead together
under the trees, heavy with leaves.
Note: borrowed from Sons of Norway Blog on Blogspot -
they're in Minnesota, or I'd add them to my Norway Blog list
(plus they sell insurance, etc.)
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