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Archiver > NORWAY > 2002-12 > 1038859352


From: Barbara Gunvaldsen <>
Subject: RE: Norwegian Christmas Cookies
Date: Mon, 02 Dec 2002 15:10:17 -0500


Ralph,

As far as I know, it was actually a Swedish custom to start with. It is
unknown to both my mother's family (Vestfold) and my father's (Vest-Agder)
but I have read about it often. Apparently if you served an insufficient
number of smaakaker to your guests you were insulting them. My mother
never had any set number in mind but she never failed to serve a selection
at Christmas.

The number 7 is one of the significant numbers.

Barbara Gunvaldsen

>At our local SON meeting a discussion was started as to why do Norwegians
>need to make 7 or 12 different kinds of cookies. I tried the Internet but
>all I could find out is that is that the tradition came from medieval
times.
>Can anybody give me some info on the origins of the tradition. By the way,
my
>wife stopped at 7. Tusen Takk Ralph Peterson
>

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