The Xenophobe's Guide to the Norwegians

Anyone who succeeds in Norway will be admired, as long as he immediately shares his success around, for the good of the community and Norway in general.

To show the world that they are Norwegian and definitely not Swedish, every Norwegian, at any moment in time, will be wearing an item of clothing with a Norwegian flag on it.

The most common is the fjøsnisse, a mischievous type who lives in farm outbuildings and looks after the animals. The julenisse gives the children presents on Christmas Eve.

The most famous painting, Edvard Munch’s The Scream, was painted in 1893 and depicts the universal anxiety of modern man with its anguished figure against a tumultuous orange sky.

Ibsen is the world’s most frequently performed playwright after Shakespeare.

The golden period for Norwegian arts and culture was the second half of the 19th century.

Painting and photography are the most popular arts. These are activities that Norwegians can practise alone, and they often combine them with their love of nature.

For a Norwegian, finding an area thick with berries that has not yet been pillaged is one of the ultimate feelgood moments of the year.

In summer, thousands of Norwegian families head out every weekend to pick the abundant blueberries and cowberries that grow all over the country.

Norwegians drink more coffee per capita than any nation, bar Finland.