Hei Alle Sammen! Fra Presidenten
Hei alle sammen!! (Hi all) We have just turned our klokker (clocks) ahead, and that means things are going to varm (warm) up!! At our Board meeting, we have several topics that are on the “burner,” and I need to bring them before you at this time.
Our Scandinavian Festival was a HUGE suksess (success). We had hoped to get 50-100 persons interested in attending maybe but had more like 250-300 in attendance. Thanks to many, many Lodge members who brought and vist (demonstrated) crafts, Scandinavian treats, etc., those who danset (danced), and those who helped set up and take down. We firmly believe that we may get several new members as a result of your effort. A big “shout-out” to Christopher Mohs who upgraded our website, and bidratt (contributed) advertising and lots of time in making this festival a success. We are in the initial planning stages of doing this for May 17, 2019, in honor of our 50th anniversary! Our journey will continue with much planning.
April is our Foundation Month, and once again, we are going to have a silent auction to hopefully bring in funding for our foundation which is used to help many local people and projects. What is on the burner is that we need products that you may be willing to dinate (donate) to the silent auction. Please consider something that people may wish to kjop (purchase) or ask yourself, is this something that I may wish to bid on? If you are going to bring an item or two to the silent auction on April 10, please give Carol Turner a call at 218-234-8887. This year, if you believe the item you are bringing should have a minimum dollar value, please note that with a “minimum bid” and dollar amount sign.
On the June Lodge meeting burner, will be a visit from Trio Conbrio, a musikalske (musical) group from the Scandinavian countries that have entertained us in past ar (years). It has been 2 or 3 years since they have been here, but we always have a good crowd at their performance. The performance is planned for Tuesday, June 19 at Trinity Lutheran Church. Thanks to Janice Ness for her coordination efforts. More information to come.
Finally, we have a wonderful SON Lodge 1-495 flyte (float) that we pull around to different cities during their special summer parader (parades). Two burning problems exist: One – we need ryttere (riders)! Please consider riding once or twice at these different parades. If interested, contact Dorothy Hoover. Two – we may be losing our float lagring (storage) area. The float would need about an 8-10×30 space. If you are willing to provide storage or rent a storage area or know of a storage area, please get in touch with any of the board members.
Velsignelser (Blessings) on your reise (journey) through life.
Joe Merseth, Presidenten
Greetings from the Social Director
Today as I write this news article I want to say thank you to 11 folks who joined me at Union Central to trim stamps. Three hours of trimming stamps to be sent to Tubfrum in Norway. There the canceled stamps are cleaned, packaged and sold to stamp collectors all over the world. When this project first started proceeds were for tuberculosis patients. With TB no longer a major issue, proceeds now go to disabled children in Norway.
SAS airlines take them to Norway with no expense for Sons of Norway. We were informed at the last International convention that many organizations collect stamps, Sons of Norway is the largest contributor.
For each pound of stamps, we fill out a card to go into a drawing for a trip for two to Norway. We will fill out 19 cards (19 pounds so far) in the name of Vikingland Lodge. Drawings are held in January each year. If Vikingland lodge should be the lucky draw, then we will hold a drawing amongst our members.
All this leads up to, save your canceled stamps, trim them to 1/8 to 1/4 inch around and then we will have more to send. Bob and I will take them to the District convention in Rochester, in June. So there is still time to do your part!
Our April program along with the Foundation Silent Auction will be The Marshmallow foundation by Lucky Dog. Should be fun as they will explain to us the adoption process of pets in need of a home. A little bird told me there would even be pets at our meeting.
Looking ahead to May, our speaker will be Pr. Bob Satterlie from Cormorant. He is the author of a book entitled Friday Poems.
June will once again bring us Trio Con Brio from Sweden. Very talented concert musicians who have entertained us in previous years. More information to follow.
Please read Carol’s article about the silent auction. Enjoy the spring weather and see you in April.
Dorothy Hoover, Social Director
Greetings from the Foundation Director
I can see some grass out in my yard. Hopefully a good sign that spring is soon coming, has anyone seen robins yet? That also means our time for the foundation fundraiser is coming soon; the April meeting is going to be so fun, Silent Auction along with the program from Lucky Dog. The money we raise will again be used to give back to our community and the International Foundation, what an honor and blessing it is for us to be able to do this. Remember to bring items for the Silent Auction and be ready to bid on the fantastic array of things offered.
Your foundation officer, Carol Turner
Friendly Reminders…
STAMPS: Remember to save the stamps (leaving a quarter inch around the edges). Please bring these to Dorothy Hoover.
SILENT AUCTION: Think about what you might like to donate to our annual Silent Auction to be held at April’s meeting.
SCHOLARSHIPS: Remember there are two $300 scholarships available to attend a Norwegian Folk High School. Our district also sponsors scholarships to attend Concordia Language villages this summer studying Norwegian, Danish, Swedish or Finnish. Applications are due May 10th. Contact Roger Josephson for additional information.
Please send warm thoughts (varme tanker) and prayers (bønner) this month to JoAnn Schott and family as JoAnn’s granddaughter was born pre-mature and is in NICU. Also to Bob Hoover who will be undergoing treatments for bladder cancer that has returned.
If you know of someone who should be added to our Solskinn Hjørne (Sunshine Corner), please email Dorothy Poffenberger at dndpoff@arvig.net or call 218-847-8288.
78 Years Ago, Nazi Germany Invades Norway
French and Norwegian ski troops, probably on the Narvik front
On April 9, 1940, German forces invaded Norway in a dramatic attempt to capture the King and install a pro-Nazi government within the country. Shortly after the invasion, the United Kingdom and France came to Norway’s aid with an expeditionary force and were able to make moderate gains in the northern parts of Norway. This gain was short lived as troops were withdrawn in May after the French invasion began.
The campaign ended 5 years later with the occupation of Norway by Germany, and continued fighting by exiled Norwegian forces from abroad. The 62 days of fighting made Norway the nation that withstood a German invasion for the second longest period of time, after the Soviet Union.
The German occupation of Norway continued until the capitulation of German forces in Europe on May 8/9, 1945. Throughout this period, Norway was continuously occupied by the Wehrmacht. Civil rule was effectively assumed by the Reichskommissariat Norwegen (Reich Commissariat of Norway), which acted in collaboration with a pro-German puppet government, while the Norwegian King and prewar government escaped to London, where they acted as a government in exile. This period of military occupation is in Norway referred to as the “war years” or “occupation period”.
Europe’s Fastest Growing City Makes the Must-Visit List
National Theatre in Oslo, Norway
Travel guide publisher Lonely Planet has named Oslo one of the top 10 must-visit cities for 2018. Nestled between the Oslofjord and forested hills, and known for its captivating landmarks including the Royal Palace, Oslo is Europe’s fastest growing city. From new neighborhoods to fashion and art scenes, the city is buzzing with energy.
Whether you’re looking to experience Oslo’s cultural life or natural pleasures, this urban metropolis offers a wide range of activities. Visit one of the 50 art museums, hike through the forests of Nordmarka or indulge in popular Nordic cuisine. Touring the city can be done in various ways; partake in a guided walking tour and learn about architecture and history, or island hop in the Oslo Fjord and see the beaches and charming cottages.
2018 will be a great year to visit Oslo as the King and Queen celebrate their 50th wedding anniversary and the Opera House marks its 10th birthday. It will be a celebratory season of performances, cultural events and culinary festivals. To start planning your trip to Oslo, consult a variety of maps that Sons of Norway offers, with special pricing for members. The maps have been recently updated for travel in 2018, and may be ordered at https://www.sofn.com/member_benefits/member_discounts/norway_map_service/
Norwegians Embrace Easter Crime Novel Tradition
Nordic Noir Genre Books
While many people currently celebrate Easter as we traditionally know it, for Norwegians, this time of year also brings another unique national pastime known as Påskekrim, or Easter Crime.
For more than 90 years, the eagerness to crack open a spine-tingling crime novel during the holiday break has been widely embraced. Throughout Norway you’ll find book shelves stocked with murder mysteries, horror programs featured on the local television and radio stations and even crime cartoons printed on the back of milk cartons.
Although nobody knows exactly how this unusual tradition developed into the phenomenon it is today, many believe it originated in the early 1920s when two young men from Bergen wrote the book “Bergenstoget Plyndret I Natt” (“Bergen Train Robbed Last Night”).
In hopes of promoting their new novel, the pair decided to place a front-page ad in the Oslo daily newspaper, Afterposten, and titled it the same as the book. Readers were initially frightened after believing a train had indeed been robbed, and the simple marketing tactic generated such notoriety that the book became a huge success. Publishers then capitalized on the infamous Easter-time “crime” in the years to follow, and ultimately turned Påskekrim into an annual tradition.
Find your own murder mystery just in time for the holiday break by logging in to the digital edition of Viking magazine and checking out the following issues:
Nordic Noir, page 38—http://msp.imirus.com/Mpowered/book/vvk14/i4/p38
Read On, page 24—http://msp.imirus.com/Mpowered/book/vvk16/i7/p24
Summer Reading Guide, page 20—http://msp.imirus.com/Mpowered/book/vvk15/i7/p18
a little in English…Holding Back a Sneeze Can be Dangerous
Don’t Hold Back Your Sneezes
In the worst cases, holding in a sneeze can lead to throat tearing, a ruptured eardrum, or cause a vein in the brain to burst, doctors warn.
Some people choose to block their respiratory tract when they know that a sneeze is on its way and in doing so they “swallow” the explosive force of the sneeze.
Usually it is harmless, but in some cases it may turn out to be very painful and in fact, dangerous. This was recently illustrated when a 34-year-old man appeared in a Leicester, England emergency room with a swollen neck and extreme pain.
“The patient described the feeling of a pop in his neck after trying to restrain a sneeze by holding his nose and closing his mouth,” explain physicians in a study published in the medical journal BMJ Case Reports.
A CT scan confirmed the physicians’ suspicion: the power of sneezing had torn the back of the throat. The man—who could hardly swallow or speak—was admitted to hospital, where he was fed through a tube and given antibiotics until the swelling and the pain let up. He was discharged after a week.
“Stopping a sneeze by blocking the nostrils is a dangerous maneuver, and should be avoided,” conclude the doctors behind the study.
In rare cases, holding in a sneeze has led to a condition where air is trapped between the lungs, “and even caused cerebral aneurysm.” A cerebral aneurysm is a condition where a vein in the brain has swelled up.
litt på norsk…Å Holde Tilbake Et Nys Kan Være Farlig
Å holde tilbake et nys kan i verste fall føre til rifter i halsen, at trommehinnen ryker eller at en blodåre i hjernen sprekker, advarer leger.
Enkelte velger å blokkere luftveiene når de kjenner at et nys er på vei og dermed «svelge» hele den eksplosive kraften i nyset.
Vanligvis er det ufarlig, men i enkelte tilfeller kan det vise seg å bli svært smertefullt og direkte farlig. Dette ble nylig illustrert da en 34 år gammel mann dukket opp på legevakten i Leicester i England, med hoven nakke og ekstreme smerter.
– Pasienten beskrev følelsen av et puff i nakken etter at han prøvde å stagge et nys ved å holde seg for nesen og lukke munnen, forklarer leger i en studie publisert i det medisinske tidsskriftet BMJ Case Reports.
En CT-skann bekreftet legenes mistanke: kraften fra nyset hadde revet opp baksiden av halsen. Mannen – som nesten ikke kunne svelge eller snakke – ble innlagt på sykehus, hvor han ble matet gjennom slange og gitt antibiotika fram til hevelsen og smerten ga seg. Han ble skrevet ut etter en uke.
– Det å stoppe et nys ved å blokkere neseborene er en farlig manøver, og bør unngås, konkluderer legene bak studien.
I sjeldne tilfeller, har det å stagge nys ført til en tilstand hvor luft blir innestengt mellom lungene, «og til og med at en cerebral aneurisme sprekker». En cerebral aneurisme.
Norwegian Påske (Easter) Traditions
Easter is an important holiday in Norway, giving Norwegians a chance to celebrate the arrival of spring after the long, dark winter and have an opportunity to spend time with friends and family over a long break from work and school.
The Norwegian word for Easter is Påske, a name derived from the Hebrew word “Pesach/Pasah” or Passover. In Norway, however, Easter does not pass over very quickly. Norway has the world’s longest Easter holiday. Traditionally, Norwegian shops and workplaces are closed over skjærtorsdag (Maundy Thursday), langfredag (Good Friday) and the Monday following Easter Sunday, known as andre påskedag, or the Second Easter Day. Schools are usually closed for the entire week preceding Easter.
Some Påske traditions include mountain trips and skiing, reading crime stories or watching specially produced crime series that are broadcast on tv and radio channels. A sweet treat is Kvikk Lunsj which was created by Norwegian chocolate brand Freia and resembles a Kit Kat Bar. On Good Friday, television stations do not broadcast commercials, but instead, show ads from various charities.
