Don't Say Happy Birthday

I realized recently that Norway is the only country I've been to where they don't sing "Happy Birthday". As in most places I've been, the tune's the same but the text is different. My friend recently celebrated her 30th and we wished her a happy birthday in no less than nine languages: Russian, Polish, German, French, English, Norwegian, Spanish, Portuguese and Arabic.

It was then that I realized that I never learned the text to the Norwegian birthday song. It's kind of embarrassing that it escaped me for so long, but there you have it. I learned the tune, which is completely different from the "Happy Birthday" tune most countries seem to use. Even in Egypt, they sing the "Happy Birthday" song with the text "senna helwa, ya gamil" ("A year of sweetness, my love"), but not so in Norway. I found the Norwegian birthday song text on the internet and I thought I'd share. The song goes like this:

Hurra for deg som fyller ditt år,
Ja, deg vil vi gratulere!
Alle i ring omkring deg vi står og se,
Nå vi vil marsjere,
Bukke, nikke, neie, snu oss omkring,
Danse for deg med hopp og sprett og spring!
Ønsker deg av hjerte alle gode ting og
Si meg så hva vil du mere –
Gratulerer!

A very loose translation goes something like this:

Cheers to you on your birthday,
Yes, you will we celebrate!
Everyone in a circle around you stands, and look!
Now we will march, bow, courtesy, nod and spin,
Dance for you with a hop, a leap and a jump!
With all of our hearts, we wish you only good things and
Tell me what else you wish for –
Congratulations!

You stand up when you sing the song and children will usually act out the commands in the song while the adults tend just nod and bow. It's cute, really. There are a lot of birthdays in the coming months and I'm glad that I've finally learned the words.

Gratulerer med dagen!

Winter Came Late This Year

It's March 1st and it's snowing. Given where we live, I suppose it's no surprise. However, it's been snowing everyday for the past week and it's been overcast for the past two weeks. The forecast calls for partly-cloudy skies tomorrow, which means we might be so lucky as to be teased by hints of sunlight before we plunge into another week of overcast skies and snow.

I have to admit, winter in Norway without snow is a bit dreary. It's so dark in the winter and the snow adds a bit of (reflected) light. We had one big snow fall in October and then nothing until after Christmas. For Norwegians, it's pure torture. What's the point of the cold, if there's no snow? How do you go skiing??! Again, that's not really a problem for me. I don't mind a lack of snow since that usually means sunshine and traction on the sidewalks, but it drives the locals nuts.

Having said that, I must admit that I was eager to get out when we finally did get enough snow for skiing. On a bitterly cold, but brilliantly sunny day, I took a short cross-country ski trip. I've learned a few tricks from the Norwegians about enjoying the outdoors and first and foremost, you must have enough coffee and chocolate at all times. So I packed a pleasant snack of boiling hot tea, homemade cherry biscuits, Clementine oranges and chocolate and headed out to reservoir that freezes over every winter. The frozen, snow-covered lake makes a great track for inexperienced people like me. That day, I thought I was going to die of exhaustion before I reached the other side of the reservoir. When I reached my goal, I made a comfy seat out of the wind and in the sunshine, took a break and ate my goodies. Wouldn't ya know, I managed to work up a sweat on the way back, which was no small feat in 8F (-13C). I found my rhythm, got my arms and legs swinging, and I actually started gliding across the snow instead of stomping across the snow on 2m long fiberglass toothpicks. I was really damn proud of myself, even though I had to make way for an elderly couple of about 70 who were going about twice my speed.

These overcast days kill my inclination to go outside, even though I have heavy-duty winter coveralls. It takes the pull of the good company to drag my ass off the couch and get moving. I was so grateful that my friends invited me to come along for a day of sledding at Holmenkollen last Sunday. That was a whopping 7 hours of sledding and walking out in the winter landscape and it was fantastic. We collapsed into my friend's couches at the end of the day and we were warmed by brownies, hot chocolate and later, a lovely meal of homemade Indian curries.

However, it is now March and I am looking forward to spring. Obviously, it's premature to start thinking about warm(er) weather just yet. Hell, I'd settle for a sunny and cold day just to take advantage of the 4 ½ hours of daylight we've gained since solstice. In short, the weather is kicking my ass. Again.