This article is from 2010, so the dates below are different this year.

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Easter is a rather long holiday in Norway. Schools and some businesses close the Friday Prior to Palm Sunday and start again the Tuesday after Easter. Giving of Easter eggs full of candy to friends is family is common. Though Easter is a religious holiday, many do not celebrate it as such. Many people retreat to their cabins or go skiing since this is such a long holiday. Easter is synonymous with vacation in Norway, and is one of the most anticipated holidays here as well.

Easter Symbols


Easter symbols in Norway are chickens, Easter eggs, and sometimes Easter bunnies. Yellow is the color of Easter in Norway. Crime Novels and Yahtzee are also associated with Easter – more on that later. Many people also drain eggs and decorate them, this is a popular activity among children! There is no specific Easter dinner food, but may do enjoy lamb. If you are wanting to decorate for the season, I suggest checking out Nille, they are a great discount store and always have a large selection of holiday decorations. You can see there Easter Specials here.

The Chocolate Egg

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Candy! As an American, Easter would not be the same without candy – and it seems the Norwegians see it the same way. Candy sales go up approximately 32% over this holiday. Kvikk Lunsj, oranges and Solo seem to be a popular choice for a snack on the slopes or just at home at this time. Marzipan is very very popular at this time. Almost all Easter candy has marzipan in it and Nidar is one of the main producers. They use a recipe from 1915 – Their site states that each year Norwegians eat 23 million Easter figurines from them in marzipan and chocolate and over 4 million easter chicks. For 4.5 million people living in Norway that is impressive! All the Nidar marzipan is made in the Trondheim factory and they hire 50 additional people to help with the work load before Easter.
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Giving large eggs full of candy is very popular. This is an old and important tradition. In old times, hens did not lay eggs in the dark season – thus when the days started getting longer the chickens started laying eggs again. This was a sign that Easter was soon to come and soon the two were associated together. All the grocery stores will have candy out, though if you are looking for something that is more of a specialty I suggest checking out Dropsen.

Going to the Cabin


Many people prefer to spend there holiday in the mountains at the cabin and skiing. Norwegians are known for loving for be on their skis and out in the fresh mountain air – this holiday is no different. Many people see the Easter holiday as a time to relax and rejuvenate. Days are generally filled with skiing, and the evening relaxing and playing board games such as Yahtzee. For a great list of local Skiing Places, check out this great article by Lani “Where the Slopes Are“.

The Religious Celebration

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Though the roots of Easter are religious, it does not seem to be the main focus in Norway. Some go to church on the holiday, but with many people out of town or living away from there home church it is not as common. Check out our Religion section to see a list of local English speaking churches. I spoke with a few of the local pastors located here in Stavanger to find out about their services.

Palm Sunday: Bethel Family Communion Service 10.30am. First Baptist Church Service 10:30 & 18:00.

Maundy Thursday: Stavanger International Church and Bethel joint service 7.00pm at Bethel.

Good Friday Stavanger Domkirke and Bethel joint ecumenical service in English 13:00 at Stavanger Domkirke.

Easter Sunday Bethel Holy Communion 10:30. Stavanger International Church Easter Service at 10:30. First Baptist Church Easter Service 10:30 & 18:00.

The Famous Easter Crime Novels of Norway

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Reading crime novels or watching detective shows is very popular during this time. Many “Easter-Thrillers” or Påskekrimmen novels and series come out at this time. This tradition is said to have started back in 1923 when Gyldendal Publishing House released a book about a criminal act on the train to Bergen before Easter- instead of the normal autumn release times. When the book was launched the Saturday before Palm Sunday in 1923 Gyldendal announced the release with a big headline on the newspaper front pages as if it were a news headline – ” BERGENSTOGET PLYNDRET I NATT” (Bergen Train robbed in night). There was a small note at the bottom saying it was an advertisement, which was not noticed, and the newspapers were swamped with desperate people who had family and friends with the train. I would suggest stopping in to one of the book stores like Norli since they have a great English section and joining in on the mystery solving fun!

Another thing that you will probably notice, is that the Milk Cartons will change from having sport stories ect on them to having mystery stories and crimes to solve on the sides. Tine, the main milk/dairy provider here in Norway has a competition to solve a mystery “Kollektmysteriet/Påskemysteriet” (Collective Mystery/Easter Mystery). Everyone is invited to join in to help solve the mystery. There are 3 stories among the cartons. You are supposed to be able to solve the mystery with just one carton, though you will have more help if you read all three. Påskemysteriet consists of one event, seen through the eyes of three of those involved, divided into different cartons and written by author Harald Rosenløw Eeg. tine Kollektmysteriet Easter in Norway | PåskeNow if your like me, your thinking – “Awe, what a nice way to involve the children!” Which is true, but also these are just fine for adults. There is a prize if you solve the mystery and entered into a drawing to be one of six winners to receive 1000 kr. If you solve the mystery, submit your answer here – but hurry the mystery ends April 3.

Useful Terms


Palmesøndag – Palm Sunday
Skjærtorsdag – Maundy Thursday
Langfredag – Good Friday
Påskeaften – Easter Eve
1. påskedag – Easter Sunday
2. påskedag – Easter Monday

Maundy Thursday, Good Friday, Easter Sunday and Easter Monday are all public holidays – schools, stores and banks will be closed.




Have I forgotten anything?
What are your Easter Experiences?
Let us know in the comments!

Easter in Norway | Påske

About Fonda LaShay

Fonda is an American who has been living in Stavanger since July of 2008 with her Norwegian samboer. She enjoys tea, visiting with friends, music, taking photos and traveling. She loves the rain, but really dislikes when her feet get wet - this is always challenging since it rains so often in Stavanger. Follow Fonda LaShay on Google+ Fonda is a design blogger - blogging about design, architecture, photography, and music. Check out her blog!