Peering at the Past – Norwegian Immigrants Perpetuated Christmas Fooling

Part one of a series

To the uninitiated (non-Norwegians), it might sound at first like Halloween – nighttime visitors on your front porch wearing masks and all sorts of costumes. Treats were expected. But it was late December, not late October. There were no children; costumes were worn by adults, maybe some teenagers, too. 

One winter night, a group of folks would arrive unannounced at your door and enter your house uninvited. You understood that you knew all of them, but they were all disguised in outlandish clothing, masks or makeup. When they finally got around to speaking, it would be in falsetto or otherwise altered voices – all to disguise their identity as much as possible. They might also burst out singing. Your obligation was to do whatever you could to identify them while they cavorted or misbehaved. You might poke or prod or question them, attempting to get them to say something that might indicate their identity. 

When names were finally correctly guessed, masks came off. And suddenly, those whose physical actions had been so uncharacteristic were back to their normal, far more subdued behavior. Soon, edible treats and drinks (often wine or alcohol) were served by the residents and graciously accepted by the intruders.

What was going on? It was julebukking (YOU-lah-booking), a Scandinavian Christmas tradition that included dressing up in disguise and going from home to home to play pranks, act foolish, sing Christmas songs (Norwegian or English) and eventually receive edible treats and drinks. The visiting revelers often carried a wooden goat head on a stick. The word “julebukk” translates to “Yule goat” or Christmas goat. The word “julebukking” referred to “Christmas fooling.”

The tradition is believed to have begun in Norway during Viking times as a pagan ritual in honor of Thor, the god who traveled in a goat-drawn chariot. Later modified by Christian missionaries, “Yule goat” became a Christmas tradition in northern Europe and was brought to North America by Norwegian immigrants, especially in rural communities.

Julebukking parties might be organized either the week after Christmas or the week after New Year’s. Rural julebukkers used to make their rounds in horse-drawn sleighs before automobiles were available. Julebukking visits were not always preplanned. There were spur-of-the-moment decisions about whom to surprise next. Inhabitants willingly took part, knowing exactly what to do.

Everything opposite was a rule of thumb. Identity reversal was common with participants dressing as the opposite sex or village idiots – anything far removed from their usual selves. Normally emotionally reserved Norwegians reversed their behavior, acting silly or crazy. While tall people stooped over, short folks could become taller with wooden blocks under their feet or boxes on their shoulders.

Clothing might be worn inside out or back to front, maybe with shoes on the wrong feet or traveling outdoors in attire usually reserved for indoors, such as nightgowns. Those who were usually fastidiously dressed in public might opt for ragged clothing with faces besmirched with charcoal or hideous makeup.

Usually well-mannered folks, as julebukkers, entered homes without invitation, sometimes even without knocking, tracked dirty snow onto clean floors and remained mute when spoken to. The usually unemotional Scandinavians would dance and romp around enough to frighten children. They might eat a morsel right off the table.

Those being visited were expected to identify visitors, often abandoning their normal behavior as well – touching and asking possibly embarrassing questions. When julebukkers were identified, masks would come off and behavior would suddenly revert to normal.

And often after refreshments and jovial conversation, those just visited would hurriedly don disguises and join the julebukkers on their subsequent visits. Kathleen Stokker in her book, “ Christmas; Yuletide Traditions in Norway and the New Land,” wrote of one visit near Spring Grove where two members of the homeowning family disappeared into other parts of the house only to reappear, in an amazingly short amount of time, in their own costumes. This particular family were experienced julebukkers, who happened to have three wigs on hand for just such an occasion.

Julebukking occurred in close-knit, usually Norwegian heritage communities. Being visited was a gesture of social acceptance. Those thought to not appreciate or not to understand the merrymaking were not visited. One julebukker near Spring Grove recalled homeowners being surprised but also pleased to be included in that year’s visitations. Contrarily, another Spring Grove area man was unaware of the tradition until informed by his wife. But by that time, he had pushed one visitor off the porch, who later was found out to have been a woman, and sent his dogs after the rest of the party.

Inclement weather did not deter one group of Spring Grove area julebukkers, who adorned in their most stunning gear, stopped to help a motorist who had slid off an icy road. Momentarily forgetting how bizarre they looked, they were suddenly reminded when the man in distress waved them away, more alarmed by their appearance than he was by sliding into the ditch. 

Stokker interviewed one lady who remembered being frightened as a child when her folks would be targeted by julebukkers. She was not amused by all the noise making and commotion on the porch. The visitors did not look friendly to her. She and her sister would find a hiding place until they could peek around the corner and feel it was safe to emerge. 

One man, born in 1917, recalled, “Everyone would dress in goofy clothing, face covered with a stocking with holes for eyes, nose and mouth. Some heads were covered with scarves. We would quietly walk to the door of the house and rap loudly. In we would walk, never saying a word, making our way around in the house. We would answer questions in falsetto voices and perhaps sing a song. If and when we were recognized, off came the face mask! Then we were treated to cookies and wine. Afterward, we’d go off to the next farm where there was a light in the house.”

To be continued …