The Minnesota fiery cross. (St. Paul, Minn.) 1924-19??, 1924-05-02
PEOPLE OF NORWAY
CELEBRATE SPRING
Festivities on Day of St.
John Like Christmas.

Observation-Disclosures telling Of
the popularity of Norway's winter
sports, such as the famous ski derby at
Holmenkollen, and Of the many Ameri
cans who now visit Scandinavia, en-
phasize the summer events of Norway,
which retain their distinctiveness and
their quaintness because they attract
much less attention.
A bulletin from the Washington
headquarters of the National Geo
graphic society describes how the quick
coming Of spring is welcomed joyfullly
With a celebration that resembles our
christmas festivities.
Their Christmas" In June.
Mature seems to take a boisterous
part in the occasion by throwing blan-
;ets of foliage across fields that were
suow-covered only q few weeks before,
and by bursting forth with gorgeous
flowers in crannies where icicles held
sway for the past six months" the bull
letin continues.
'All the excitement which marks our
most generally observed holiday, at
tends the Day of ST. John, on June "a
While Ii bears a Christian name the
holiday and its customs 60 back to
pagan origin. In effect the day still
Is festival of the sun. Green birch
trees adorn every house and children
carry evergreen branches through the
streets. The analogy to Christmas
breaks down, however, when younger
folk crowd into boats on the fiords or
hike to the mountain woods which, at
twilight, are flecked- with bonfres. All
night long these beacons burn, as
ghostly figures of the merrymakers
dance and sing around them.
yearly more visitors are strapping
on their knapsacks for walking trips
through the rugged countryside Of cen
trail Norway, where every rock-hewn
road seems to lead to a ford, and
where the native customs defy the In
roads Of such drIblets of travel as now
sift through.
Font Let Down From Ceiling.
THE visitor goes to church and the
simple service seems stereotyped
enough until q bit of statuary de-
sends from the ceiling. The figure of
an angel. supported by rod, holds
bowl filled with water. The surprised
visitor realizes this theatrical appur-
tenance is a baptismal font.
'The simplicity and innocence Of the
country folk In the remote and isolated
sections is betokened by their promis-
cuous bathing. And by bathing is
meant just that; not the diversion Of
water spiashing and sand summing, but
getting oneself clean. A log hut is
the village bath house. A furnace OF
stones is heated and water poured over
the red-hot surface.
Into this steam steps family-men,
women, children, visiting relatives and
neighbors. The bathers switch each
other with birch twigs to induce more
and gleefuIly throw buck
cts Of cold water over each other when
the heat becomes too intense. All Of
this Is nothing Of an orgy--but as pro-
sale as our daily bath. The rural Nor
wegian would see nothing immoral,
nor funny, In an American hotel which
inadvertently advertised 1000 rooms
and bath
"Row Over and See U.s."
I'm Vermont village each family
once had Its horse and buggy, q vehl.
Gle now supplanted by the automobile.
In Norway hamlet boat Is the prin-
cfpal family conveyance In summer.
There fishing takes the place Of farm
Ing and the houses are strung around
. bend Of n djord instead OF along o