Rørosmartnan – Norway’s Winter Festival

It’s been over 150 years since the King of Norway entered a proclamation declaring, “From 1854 onward a yearly market shall be held in Røros, commencing the second to last Tuesday in the month of February, and lasting until the following Friday.  When the King speaks, Norwegians listen. In February 1854, Rørosmartnan was born. Traders from all over Norway and parts of Sweden harnessed their horses to sleighs and traveled across frozen lakes and rivers through snow blanketed forests to Røros. They brought with them products indigenous to their regions to trade with their countrymen.

Rørosmartnan continues today and except for the extension of the festival through Saturday and the addition of electricity and cell phones, not much has changed. For many Norwegians, the journey to Rørosmartnan is still made by horse and sleigh with some traveling up to 11 days and sleeping in farms along the way. The tradition isn’t just for old-timers. Ages of the travelers at this year’s festival ranged from 1 to 87!

Opening day is an experience everyone should have at least once. The horse and sleigh groups glide into town sporting traditional Norwegian dress over the three or four necessary layers of undergarments – February in Norway tends to be a bit cold! Folk rock bands entertain and the steps to the Pols folk dance seem to be known by everyone.

As one strolls amid charming wooden houses from the 17^th and 18^th century – many still retaining their dark pitch-log facades – and listens to the clanging of the bells from the parade of horses and sleighs carrying the bundled-up traders in reindeer furs, it’s as if you’re transported back to medieval days.

The town of Røros is an attraction in its own right especially in winter when the streets are covered in snow and the sun reflects off icy tree branches. A UNESCO World Heritage site, the former copper mining town’s modern day inhabitants live and work in the protected wooden buildings. During Rørosmartnan the 5,000 residents share their narrow streets with 75,000 visitors as it’s transformed into a lively marketplace with festive street life day and night.

Most of the fair takes place in the two main streets where about 250 exhibitors have stalls outside and indoors at the trade fair. There are about 80 wooden houses centered around courtyards – or backyards. Those backyards are where to go to discover the true essence of Rørosmartnan.

Traditionally, people would gather in the backyards to trade, play music, dance and tell stories. During Rørosmartnan, this tradition lives on as the backyards become almost like country inns with stables for visiting horses. Wander into any backyard and you will find fiddlers and other musicians, coffee brewing over an open fire, traditional crafts and story-telling. Everyone is welcome and the traders are happy to teach you the traditional folk dances and offer samples of their homemade sausages – which could be anything from reindeer to last year’s horse. You might want to get confirmation before sampling! In the stables, you’ll find the current year’s horses resting up and hoping not to be next year’s sausage.

Traditional Norwegian delicacies are offered at many of the restaurants during the festival with none quite as extensive as the buffet lunch at Bergstadens Hotel. There you’ll find every imaginable type of salmon and endless varieties of herring. Platters of potatoes stand alongside trays of reindeer meat. The chef was particularly eager to share with me a rare delicacy made from cow udders – which I graciously declined. Fortunately there was a table filled with cheese that worked much better for me.

On the first night of Rørosmartnan, the traders meet at the Røros Hotell for a lavish banquet where each group’s boss shares stories from their journey. This year, stories were told about a particular horseman who “wore his fiddle as much as his pants.” I was afraid to ask what that meant.

Groups shared heartwarming tales about giving senior citizens a lift along the way and kindergarten kids running out to pet the horses. The party continued well into the night with plenty of singing, dancing and drinking. In fact, the party continued all week at various locations throughout the tiny town. But, overdo the drink and you can find yourself sobering up in the town’s drunk tank!

There are plenty of animal encounters available during Rørosmartnan. You can mush with a team of Alaskan Huskies or take an easy ride in one of the horse drawn sleighs under the warmth of your own reindeer blanket.  And then there’s reindeer driving on a frozen lake. In a scene straight from the North Pole, excited children of all ages ride in wooden sleds pulled by real reindeer, sizable creatures which I’d never realized.

The reindeer belong to a family of indigenous Sami people whose daily life revolves around reindeer herding. Their work with these fairy tale beasts is based on traditions going back many generations in the Nordic regions. Although the family’s main home is in town, they spend much of their time with their reindeer in the mountains, where they live in cabins built for herders. During the festival they bring the reindeer to town and you can drive them around the frozen lake – basically having your very own Santa moment.

If you’ve never thought about Norway as an ideal winter destination, think again. Rørosmartnan is worth every layer you have to wear and where else can you spend a few days in medieval times and still use your cell phone?

*Festival dates for 2014 are February 18 – 22.