Easter Traditions in Norway

Crime novels, skis, or sunshine? In Norway, Easter isn’t just about chocolate eggs. It’s a unique blend of mystery reading marathons, snowy mountain escapes, and sunny southern getaways.

It's that time of the year when offices empty, shops fill up on crime novels and all things yellow, and Norwegians head to the hills. Read on to understand these and all the other Easter traditions in Norway.

In Norwegian, easter is known as påske. The period begins with Palm Sunday, known as palmesøndag. The public holidays Maundy Thursday (skjærtorsdag) and Good Friday (langfredag) come a few days later.

Then, the Saturday of easter weekend (påskeaften) precedes Easter Sunday (påskedag or første påskedag). The final public holiday of the period, Easter Monday is known as andre påskedag.

Many Norwegians take the entire week off in the run up to the easter weekend. But how do they spend their time? Let's find out!

The Easter Vacation in Norway

I've never been that fussed for easter. Back in the UK, it was never anything more than one or two days off work, an excuse to eat some chocolate, and perhaps a chance to see some extended family.

But here in Norway, Easter is a big deal. In many ways, it reminds me of the big July shutdown. Most people will have three days off work (Thursday, Friday, Monday).

Banks are closed for those three days, which means payments made online on Wednesday night won't clear until the following Tuesday!

But three days isn't enough for most Norwegians, who use the opportunity to get one or two weeks off work for less of their vacation allowance. Some companies even close, or highly encourage employers to leave, for the entire week.

But what exactly does everyone do with their time off? Let’s take a look in detail at this important aspect of Norwegian culture.

Religious Traditions at Easter

Easter is of course a christian holiday, commemorating the christian belief in the resurrection of Jesus from the dead. As the time that explains the core of the christian faith, Easter is considered the year's primary festival.

Special services are held throughout the period. In the Church of Norway, Palm Sunday is celebrated in memory of Jesus' entry into Jerusalem. Some churches hold group walks in addition to services.

While the period is marked by several religious days and services, Easter Saturday (påskeaften) is regarded as a sort of ‘rest day'. Shops are open and a large family dinner is common. It's also the day children tend to be given chocolate eggs!

That being said, many churches begin celebrating easter late on Saturday evening at a service called the Easter Vigil (påskevigilien).

Easter Food in Norway

So, what’s usually served on a Norwegian table at a family Easter gathering? Unlike Christmas, Easter doesn’t come with a strict traditional menu, although roasted lamb is a firm favourite.

It’s often served with seasonal vegetables, boiled or roasted potatoes, and a rich sauce or gravy. Lamb symbolises spring and renewal, making it a fitting centrepiece for the holiday.

That said, the most consistent edible Easter tradition in Norway might come as a surprise: citrus fruit. Yes, citrus! Oranges, especially tangerines and clementines, are a staple in Norwegian homes during Easter week.

Supermarket displays burst with bright orange hues, and it's said that the average Norwegian eats around four pieces of citrus fruit during the holiday week alone.

The reason isn’t entirely clear. It’s possibly a holdover from times when imported fruit was a seasonal luxury, but the association remains strong.

If you're a beer enthusiast, you might also notice something seasonal on the shelves. In the same way that juleøl (Christmas beer) is a popular winter treat, some breweries release a special påskeøl (Easter beer) for spring.

These seasonal brews tend to be lighter and crisper, more suited to the warmer days and longer evenings. Still, Easter beer doesn’t quite reach the same cult status as its winter counterpart.

Perhaps that’s because many Norwegians head to their mountain cabins where beer options are limited, or they're enjoying a break from indulgence after the long winter.

Easter Decorations in Norway

When it comes to Easter decorations, Norway is positively bursting with yellow. The colour symbolises both sunshine and new life.

These are two things Norwegians are very much in need of after the long, dark winter! Daffodils and dandelions, some of the earliest spring bloomers, are a common sight on Easter tables, windowsills, and balconies.

But it doesn’t stop there. In the run-up to Easter, shops fill with all manner of yellow-themed decorations. From candles and tablecloths to paper napkins, bunting, and fuzzy little chick figurines, yellow becomes the dominant colour in both homes and store displays.

Painted eggs, feathers, and handmade crafts – especially those created by schoolchildren – also feature heavily, adding to the bright and cheerful aesthetic of the season.

Last Chance to Ski

For many Norwegians, Easter represents one final chance to head to the mountains for a week of skiing, cabin life, and simple pleasures. The Easter ski trip is a deeply ingrained part of Norwegian culture.

While some prefer alpine skiing, it’s cross-country skiing that truly defines the holiday for traditionalists. Armed with a thermos of hot chocolate and a packed lunch, families hit the trails to soak up the sun and snow for what may be the last time before spring takes hold.

No Easter ski trip is complete without a Kvikk Lunsj, Norway’s beloved chocolate-covered wafer bar. This treat is practically synonymous with skiing and outdoor adventures.

Norwegians reportedly consume millions of Kvikk Lunsj bars over the Easter break, and woe betide anyone who dares compare it to a Kit Kat!

However, with Easter dates changing each year, ski conditions can vary significantly.

In some years, especially when Easter falls later in April, the snow has already retreated from lower elevations. In others, especially in the mountains, conditions remain perfect for a spring ski.

Or the First Chance for Sun

Of course, not everyone heads to the mountains. In recent years, more and more Norwegians are choosing to chase the sun instead. With a generous school holiday and many workplaces closing for much of Easter week, it's the perfect opportunity for a spring break.

Destinations in southern Europe are especially popular, with Spain, the Canary Islands, and Turkey topping the list.

The Canary Islands offer near-guaranteed sunshine and a relaxed atmosphere, while Turkey is becoming an increasingly popular year-round destination thanks to its warm weather, affordable prices, and direct flights from Norwegian cities.

For sun-seekers, Easter is less about snow and more about sandals, less about Kvikk Lunsj and more about cocktails by the sea. It’s a reminder that while Easter traditions in Norway are strong, they’re also evolving. Just like the season itself.

The Norwegian Obsession with ‘Easter Crime'

Back in my first year in Norway, I was riding the Oslo T-Bane to work with a Dutch colleague of mine. He had lived in Oslo for many years. Our conversation drifted towards Easter and I asked him if there would be a lot of films on the TV.

He then launched into an explanation of the bizarre Norwegian love of crime fiction over the Easter period. I paid little attention to this, until I saw a crime novel display in the window of Ark, a popular chain of bookshops.

I checked other bookshops and sure enough, each one had a massive display of Easter crime (påskekrim) books on offer, on a scale you'd expect of travel books in the summer, or Jeremy Clarkson books at Christmas time. There's even short story collections brought out every year from Norway's biggest crime writers.

Speaking to a few other Norwegians and a couple of expat bloggers confirmed it. Yes, Norway goes nuts for crime every Easter.

It's not just in print either. Back in my first year, national broadcaster NRK showed episodes of Whitechapel and Lewis throughout Easter week, along with German show Derrick.

If you preferred films, then TV2 Zebra's Grøsserpåske was for you. Every night horror movies and thrillers filled the schedule. I remember seeing Like Minds and the hilariously bad Død Snø (Dead Snow) featuring nazi zombies.

NRK3 showed Hairspray. That's a crime in itself. In the years since then, it's been a similar story.

A Gathering of Geeks

But the Norwegian Easter is not just skiing vacations and crime novels. There's also something for the geeks!

Held every year in Hamar, a few hours north of Oslo, is The Gathering! One of my regular readers described it to me in a Facebook conversation:

Several hundred young people (mostly 15 – 25 yrs old) comes here to Hamar every year to sit together in a large sports hall just doing computer things! All have their computers with them and they play games, get to know each other etc. And they do this for about the whole easter 24/7. When they don't do computer things they eat junk food or sleep in a corner. Every year they get more data capacity than the year before!

They even hold a ‘Nerd Swim'. To many of you, The Gathering will sound awful. The nerd in me thinks it's great!

Much of Norwegian life is built on tradition and Easter is no exception. It seems there is a tradition for everyone at Easter time!

What do you do in Norway over Easter? Have you adopted Norwegian traditions, or do you do things your way? Let us know in the comments.