Jul

The five stages

The holiday spans five distinct periods. It opens in late November with Advent, when children count down the days using calendars filled with sweets or small building blocks. The main celebration happens on December 24, known as julaften, marked by afternoon church bells and an evening family feast. Following this is romjul, the quiet week between Christmas Day and New Year's Eve, when wild game hunting stops under the traditional rule of Christmas peace. Celebrations continue into the new year, concluding officially around Epiphany in January, when trees and decorations are packed away.

Feasting and regional foods

Holiday meals differ across the country. Western and northern regions traditionally serve pinnekjøtt, which is salted, dried, and steamed mutton ribs. In eastern and central Norway, people cook pork rib roast alongside seasoned pork patties and sausages. Southern communities often choose cod or lutefisk. On Christmas Eve lunch, many eat rice porridge hiding a peeled white almond, where finding the nut earns a marzipan pig. The big feast on Christmas Day features a cold buffet of cured meats, jellied meats, smoked fish, and cheeses, followed by seven distinct varieties of holiday baked goods.

Ancient customs and figures

Many current rituals echo older farm life and Norse lore. People still hang a wheat sheaf outside for birds and lay fresh pine or spruce boughs by their front doors. Straw figures shaped like goats, or julebukk, recall the mythical goats of the god Thor. In earlier centuries, people disguised themselves in animal masks and skins during the winter nights, visiting neighbouring houses with songs and blessings in exchange for food. Today, children look forward to Julenissen, a gift-giving figure who visits homes with parcels on Christmas Eve.

Communal banquets

Another central custom is the julebord, a lively seasonal buffet accompanied by festive drinks such as dark holiday beers, spiced sodas, and aquavit. This gathering originated in medieval communal feasts tied to regional legal assemblies. In modern times, the tradition has largely shifted from domestic dining rooms to restaurants and workplaces. Companies, schools, and social clubs organise these banquets for colleagues and clients from November onward, making the feast an essential social gathering that leads into the winter holidays.

How Jul is kept

Preparations begin in November with company banquets and Advent calendars for children. On December 23, households decorate their evergreen trees. Christmas Eve begins with classic television broadcasts, followed by afternoon church services. When church bells toll at five in the evening, families sit down to their regional holiday dinner, eat dessert, and unwrap presents brought by Julenissen. The subsequent week of romjul remains peaceful and family-oriented, filled with buffet lunches of cold cuts and fish, before fireworks welcome the New Year.

When and where

The season begins on the fourth Sunday before Christmas Day and lasts about eight weeks. The main festivities take place on Christmas Eve, December 24, with the holiday period officially concluding in mid-January on Epiphany.

Jul is kept throughout Norway across private homes, churches, and workplaces. Related celebrations under the same name occur across Scandinavia, Iceland, Greenland, and parts of Scotland.

What Jul means

Jul combines sacred Christian observances with agrarian midwinter traditions. The period marks hospitality, rest, and community safety through customs like the seasonal truce on hunting. Hanging outdoor wheat sheaves and displaying evergreen boughs celebrate nature and hospitality, while the straw goat symbolises older protective spirits from Norse myth.

On the table

• Pinnekjøtt
• Lutefisk
• Medisterkaker
• Medisterpølser
• Risengrynsgrøt
• Riskrem
• Julebrus
• Fenalår

Flavours: Ginger

Days Jul is marked

Questions people ask about Jul

See also

Advent calendarA daily countdown to Christmas using doors, images, or small gifts.Saint Lucy's DayA December festival of light and song held across Scandinavia and Italy to honour a Christian martyr.FastelavnA pre-Lenten carnival in Northern Europe where children dress up, sing for treats, and break candy-filled barrels.RisalamandeA chilled Danish Christmas rice dessert with cream, chopped almonds and cherry sauce

Good reading and sources

• Christmas in Norway on WikipediaEncyclopedia
• More photos on Wikimedia CommonsPhotos and video
• Wikidata recordOpen data

It may contain mistakes. Traditions differ from one family, village and community to the next, and the people who keep them know them best. If something is wrong, tell us. Last refreshed 2026-10-04.