When to greet others in Norway?


Source: "The Social Guidebook to Norway"

I lived two years in Spain

In Spain when you enter a shop you say “¡Hola!”

The cashier replies “¡Hola!”

And all the other customers in the shop turn around and reply “¡Hola!”

It looks a little bit like this

I was in Spain this summer

I flew back to Norway

It was a sunny day and I was in a good mood

I entered our usual grocery store and "Hei Hei!"

Suddenly people were wondering "Why is he saying "hei""? 

In Norway greetings mean something different

You greet when you have a reason to

When you have something to talk about

When you have something purposeful to say

Greetings are more pragmatic

Norwegians are not rude

They simply have codes that differs from other cultures

Politennes is often about not disturbing others

And respecting each other’s privacy

  

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Read more about our amazing Norwegian friends in Our Social Guidebooks to Norway and Nordmenn uten filter 

 

By Julien S. Bourrelle

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