Here in small-town Norway,
Christmas is celebrated with a unique intimacy
and a Scandinavian flair for community.
We're in Drobak, about an hour south of Oslo.
While it's Norway's self-proclaimed
capital of Christmas,
Drobak feels like any idyllic town on a fjord.
It's Santa Lucia day, December 13th,
one of the darkest days of winter and an important
part of the Scandinavian Christmas season.
All over nordic Europe, little candle-bearing Santa Lucias
are bringing light to the middle of winter
and the promise of the return of summer.
These processions are led by a young Lucia
wearing a crown of lights.
[ Children singing "Santa Lucia" in Norwegian ]
♪ ...Santa Lucia ♪
♪ Santa Lucia ♪♪
[ Applause ]
This home has housed widows and seniors
for over 200 years, and today the kindergarteners
are bringing on the light in more ways than one.
The children have baked the traditional
Santa Lucia saffron buns --
the same ones these seniors baked
when they were kindergarteners.
Taking their cue from Santa Lucia,
Norwegians, cozy in their homes,
brighten their long, dark winters
with lots of candles,
white lights -- you'll never see a colored one--
and lots of greenery.
In Norway, as in the rest of Europe,
pagan symbols -- like the evergreen tree --
survive disguised as Christmas traditions.
The same is true with this sprig of mistletoe.
In Scandinavia,
it's associated with the Viking Goddess of love.
For Celtic people, it was a sacred plant.
They used it to heal the sick and enhance fertility.
For most of us, it's just a handy excuse
to steal a little Christmas kiss.
Oh, that's a mistletoe. Mmmm.
The Norwegian spirit of Christmas
extends even to the departed.
Candles flicker in graveyards
as families remember lost loved ones.
And all over Norway,
communities gather together in churches just like this
as choirs cap Santa Lucia Day with a concert.
[ Choir singing "Angels We Have Heard on High" ]
♪ ...Glo...ria... ♪
♪ In excelsis deo ♪♪
And as the congregation follows the Santa Lucias out,
more light of Christmas
spills into this little fjord-side community.
[ Choir singing "Santa Lucia" in Norwegian ]
♪ ...Santa Lucia ♪
♪ Santa Lucia ♪♪
Christmases everywhere come with special meals.
Here in Norway, families treat children to a rice porridge
and it comes with a hidden almond.
[ Girl exclaiming in Norwegian ]
The child who discovers it wins...
A marzipan pig!
It's reminiscent of the old days
when a peasant family's wealth was tied up
in its precious pig.
[ Talking, laughing ]
"Jule ol" or Christmas beer goes back to medieval times
when the Vikings liked to celebrate the winter solstice
with a particularly stout brew.
And holiday desserts are a big part
of Norway's Christmas season:
The local Christmas fruitcake called "julekaka"
and a towering marzipan "kransekake."
A common theme across cultures is a legendary gift giver --
not always fat and jolly -- who kids butter up with treats.
While I grew up leaving Santa Claus milk and cookies
by the fireplace,
the kids here leave a bowl of porridge out by the barn
for the "julenisse."
These mischievous elves-from-the-forest
visit each Christmas, not on reindeer,
but with a horse, pig, and mouse entourage
and a bag of gifts.
Every good child knows
the "julenisse" is coming with an exciting reward.
Just up the fjord, Norway's capital, Oslo,
celebrates Christmas with a more urban charm.
Streets are decorated,
locals not ready to rely on the "julenisse,"
are out shopping,
and good cheer is abundant.
[ Shrieking ]
Christmas in Oslo feels low-key.
You'll find it best not on the streets or in the malls,
but in the homes, with friends and in music.
Youthful voices fill the city's oldest church.
The old Aker Church,
which dates back to the 12th century,
hosts the Norwegian Girls' Choir
for an advent concert.
[ Choir singing "Personent Hodie" in Latin ]
♪ ...in excelsis Deo. ♪♪
[ Loud applause ]