Bakers of all ages craft and decorate gingerbread houses at Norway House on community build days. Photo: Norway House
This year marks the 200th anniversary of the first Norwegian immigration to the United States. When the ship Restauration left Stavanger, Norway, in 1825 with 52 passengers, it began a significant migration of more than 900,000 people to North America, where almost five million people today have Norwegian heritage.
Norwegian traditions remain strong in many Edina families. “Lefse is mandatory at holiday dinners,” declares longtime Edina resident Susan Brauer Mickelberg, whose grandmother immigrated to Minnesota from Stavanger. She even packs lefse when traveling out of state for family events.
Ingebretsen’s on Lake Street in Minneapolis keeps Scandinavians in the Twin Cities well stocked with everything they need to celebrate their ancestry. Norway House hosts many activities to commemorate Norwegian history and culture, including a remarkable display over the holidays of handmade gingerbread houses.
For more on how others are marking this milestone anniversary, read Motherland Art Exchange Transcends Boarders and Behind the Canvas with Mary Catherine Solberg.
Laura Westlund is an arts writer and editor.
